5 Ways to Take Your Leadership from Good to Great

 

Want to Avoid Being a Bad Boss? Here Are 5 Ways to Take Your Leadership from Good to Great

Research shows that 90 percent of people lack natural leadership skills, and 60 percent of employees planning to leave their company because of a bad boss.


No one wants to be a bad boss. Unfortunately, there appear to be more bad bosses out there than good ones. Research shows that 90 percent of people lack natural leadership skills, and 60 percent of employees plan to leave their company because of a bad boss.

This does not have to be the case at all.

Shane Metcalf is chief culture officer and co-founder of HR tech company 15Five. 15Five recently launched Best Self Academy, a free online education platform that provides managers with the tools and training to unlock the potential of each and every employee, effectively increasing employee retention, productivity, and their overall contribution to the company.

Here are 5 ways Shane Metcalf suggests that you can take your leadership from good to great: 

1. It all begins with self-reflection and healing.

We all believe we have a personal life that is separate from our professional life. In reality, we are influenced and motivated by things from our personal experience that are invisible to us. Take time to self-reflect and meditate to connect with yourself and become more centered. For more serious issues, therapy may be required to resolve past experiences and allow you to show up for your employees with more positivity and care. 

2. Create psychological safety.

Amy Edmondson defined psychological safety as, "a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." Much of this has to do with how managers react to employee mistakes. A healthy approach that builds safety is asking, "What did you learn? How can you improve next time?" as opposed to threatening remarks. Trying new things offers a competitive advantage in today's fast-paced businesses, so people need to feel safe to experiment.

3. Solicit feedback and actively listen to employees.

This means being fully present, and not thinking about how you're going to respond while your employee is speaking. When people feel heard and validated--and when their manager takes action on what's shared--that then builds trust and loyalty.

4. Focus on strengths.

Shane and his organization rely on Gallup StrengthsFinder and other assessments for people to learn and understand their top-five natural talents. Managers can coach people to develop these attributes on the individual level, and as teams, to improve performance and a sense of fulfillment. 

5. Cultivate a growth mindset.

A growth mindset is the belief that you are a work in progress. With enough focus and attention, you can control things like I.Q., competence, and so on--for you and your team. And in doing so, you will take your leadership from good to great.

Tamer Elsagheer

Skillinside

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