Soft skills of leadership and management are essential to effectively piloting any group of people and can separate a leader from someone who simply manages. Being a leader requires a greater sense of character, humility, and sincere care for the well-being of those whom you have stewardship over. Helping your staff feel appreciated and valued isn’t hard but can really make the difference between a happy, productive workforce and a less-productive workforce that feels devalued and unappreciated.
Here are a few tips on how you can show your appreciation and increase morale in your workplace:
1. Create a culture of feedback.
Open communication throughout the leadership chain must exist. There are many ways to communicate to and receive communication from each other in business, but without some system in place you can’t possibly measure results effectively nor can you create strategies and tactics that ensure success. For more ideas, reach out to me via LinkedIn.
Remember, the most value-added way to communicate will always be face to face. In our day and age, face-to-face communication is becoming about as common as prehistoric creatures. Don’t let the art of quality face-to-face communication become extinct in your workplace. Implement an open-door policy in your business, if it doesn’t already exist. This alone will improve morale and efficiency in your workplace.
2. Show appreciation and give praise!
As you create a feedback-rich environment, make sure your communication includes words of praise. Studies show that comments of praise are often the springboard to improved performance and increased energy. William James, an American Psychologist and Philosopher, once said, “The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”
Think back on your life and all the jobs you have had since your youth. I’m sure you think more fondly on the jobs where praise and open communication existed right? Yes, of course. You probably also remember feeling valued and empowered. Well, it’s your opportunity to now pass on those sentiments you remember so fondly to your current workplace, thus creating an atmosphere that your workforce will remember for years to come.
3. Solicit your subordinates.
If you are a supervisor of some kind, have you ever thought about seeking feedback from your subordinates regarding your effectiveness in the workplace? I’m not talking about giving them an anonymous feedback form on which they can rip into you mercilessly. I’m talking about creating a set-aside time when you can chat openly, honestly, and face to face.
Invite those you lead to prepare discussion topics pertaining to things on their mind and ways they might suggest you improve as a supervisor. Also encourage them to identify things you do well as their leader and manager. This empowers your people and instills within them true confidence that you care about their needs and value their feedback. This helps create positive morale and will also help you determine the most appropriate leadership style that fits best with each individual or group of individuals.
If we, as business leaders and managers, can humble ourselves enough to realize that we’re not perfect and that maybe those whom we lead may have useful feedback for us, than we will be much better contributors and leaders in our organizations and communities.
Contact me, Rob Briggs, on LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/in/robertrbriggs/