January 2020
MiMfg Magazine
The Journey to Great
Leadership Starts with You
By Charlie Westra • The Center
Leadership is changing. Employees are no longer
satisfied with the traditional, “Do as I say, or else”
method of managing. According to a recent Gallup
study, 50 percent of adults admitted to leaving a job
to get away from their direct supervisor. They left in
search of true relational leadership, in which their
supervisors communicate appreciation frequently
and value them as people. These leaders know that
by bringing out the best in themselves they can in
turn bring out the best in their employees, leading to
better business results than ever before.
This is the type of leader that supervisors must
become in order to maintain staff and success within
their companies. Although the journey to becoming
a relational leader is complex, I have boiled it down to
four critical points:
1
Identify your leadership style and its strengths and
weaknesses. Becoming a better leader requires
time and dedication, and potentially a complete
character transformation. This process begins
with knowing yourself. Once you have gained
an understanding of your personal leadership
style and recognize its impact on your workers,
you can then begin to modify and perfect it.
Not sure where to start? Here’s a hint: Leaders
can maximize results by earning the respect of
those they lead. Once respect is established,
opposition among employees decreases, while
productivity soars.
2
Find out, and relate to, what your employees value.
The environment within your workplace can be
greatly improved by building friendships with
your team. Engage with employees on a
personal level by learning their likes and
interests, and share your own. This will help
employees feel noticed and valued as people,
which will positively impact their performance.
After all, it only takes three words to ruin
employee relationships: “I don’t care.” Three
more detrimental words? “Not my problem.” By
knowing and relating to what your direct reports
care about, they will feel accepted, understood
and cared for.
3
Sacrifice some time and energy to connect with
each team member on a regular basis. Getting
to know your co-workers will establish a
personal connection with them and improve
your leadership abilities. As you discover
different behavioral characteristics and values
among workers, you can then determine the
best approach for how to effectively lead each
person based on their personalities and needs.
4
Communicate appreciation. Communication is a
complex process requiring positive affirmations,
both verbal and non-verbal. When interacting
with workers, a little gratitude goes very far.
Employees want to know that their work is
important and valued. In a recent survey
conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
employees identified appreciation as the most
desired quality in the workplace. They want
more than just a paycheck; remember to thank
each employee personally for a job well done so
they know they are appreciated and noticed.
Following these steps could mean the difference
between being a person that employees have to
follow, and a person they want to follow. By treating
workers as people first and employees second, improved
business results and workplace environments will
follow. External leadership training may be necessary
to begin this leadership journey, but it will be worth
the return on investment. Your employees will thank
you for it (after you’ve thanked them, of course).
6
Charlie Westra is the director of manufacturing services
for The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center.
He may be reached at [email protected].
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