Aligning Personal and Company Values: A Guide

Why Core Values Matter for Both you & your Company

People power every organization. Their values drive decisions, actions, and outcomes. By aligning personal and company values, you’ll notice extraordinary things start to happen. But what drives those behaviours? At the heart of it all are personal values – the underlying principles that guide how we think, feel and act.

When personal values match the organization’s culture, job satisfaction soars and productivity improves. Aligning personal values with company values fosters increased job satisfaction, employee engagement, and ultimately contributes to the success of the organization. When there’s a mismatch, it leads to frustration, resistance and wasted potential.

At Primeast we’ve seen values alignment transform not just the experience of work but the performance of organizations. It’s a foundation of a thriving workplace culture. With our free online personal values tool you can start to uncover what drives you and your team and lay the groundwork for meaningful alignment and real success.

In this article we’ll look at the role of personal values in shaping behaviours, building better teams and driving organizational results, and why alignment is key to long term success. Whether you’re an individual looking to understand your own drivers or a leader looking to strengthen your team’s culture, understanding values is the first step.

Understanding Your Personal Values

Your personal values are the invisible compass that guides every decision you make. They are what matters most to you; integrity, balance, achievement, compassion, to name a few. These values are deeply ingrained in your experiences and beliefs and shape how you approach challenges, interact with others and find purpose in your work. Personal values guide your thoughts, words, and actions, both personally and professionally.

When people are clear on their values they can bring their best self to the table. Self awareness allows them to make choices that align with their principles and therefore be more fulfilled and effective. For organizations this is gold. People who know and align their personal values with their role are more likely to be engaged and invested in their work.

Knowing your personal values is the first step to an authentic and empowered workforce. That’s why we offer our free online personal values tool to help you discover your top 10 values.

By knowing what drives you, you can make intentional input to your team and organization and set yourself up for success.

Get started today and find your own values. It’s a small step that can have big outcomes for you and your organization.

The Role of Corporate Values in Organizations

Corporate values are the foundation of success. They:

• Shape the company’s identity
• Guide decision-making
• Define employee interactions internally and externally

When corporate values are clearly defined and embraced, they create a cohesive company culture that fosters a positive work environment and drives employee engagement.

Imagine a company where integrity, innovation, and customer focus are core values. These principles will guide every action and decision, from how products are developed to how customer service is handled.

Employees will feel a sense of purpose and alignment with the company’s mission, leading to higher motivation and productivity. Customers and stakeholders will recognize and appreciate the consistency and authenticity of the company’s actions, strengthening their trust and loyalty.

By establishing and living by a clear set of corporate values, organizations can create a thriving culture that not only attracts top talent but also drives long-term business success.

It’s not just about having values written on a wall; it’s about embedding them into the very fabric of the organization.

Company Values and Their Importance

Company values are more than just words; they are the core principles that define an organization’s identity and purpose. These values provide a framework for decision-making, guiding employee behavior and shaping the overall culture. When company values are well-defined and consistently communicated, they create a positive work environment where employees feel engaged and motivated.

Consider a company that prioritizes teamwork, excellence, and respect. These values will influence how employees collaborate, strive for high standards, and treat each other with dignity. Such a culture not only enhances employee satisfaction but also drives better business outcomes.

Employees who feel aligned with the company’s values are more likely to be committed, productive, and innovative.

In essence, company values are the foundation upon which successful organizations are built. They help create a unified direction, foster a sense of belonging, and drive employee engagement. By living these values every day, companies can build strong relationships with customers and stakeholders, ultimately leading to sustained success.

Identifying and Defining Core Company Values

Identifying and defining core values is a fundamental step in building a strong and cohesive company culture. This process involves reflecting on the organization’s mission, vision, and purpose, as well as the principles that are most important to its success. Companies can create a clear and concise set of core values that guide employee behavior and decision-making.

To start, gather input from various stakeholders, including employees, leaders, and customers, to understand what values resonate most. Reflect on the organization’s history, achievements, and challenges to identify the principles that have driven success. Once these core values are identified, articulate them in a way that is clear, memorable, and actionable.

For example, a company might define its core values as integrity, innovation, and customer focus. These values should be more than just words; they should be embedded into every aspect of the organization, from hiring practices to performance evaluations.

By defining and living these core values, companies can create a shared sense of purpose and direction, fostering employee engagement and driving business success.

The benefits of Aligning Personal and Company Values

When we bring our values to work it doesn’t just affect our own behaviour it affects our teams and ultimately the culture of the organization. The average person will spend a significant amount of their life working, making the alignment of personal values crucial.

Aligned values are a unifying force that drive:

• Clarity: Teams understand shared goals and work cohesively.
• Trust: Employees feel respected and valued.
• Purpose: A shared mission motivates collaboration.

Conversely, misaligned values lead to:

• Misunderstandings: Confusion about expectations.
• Inefficiencies: Reduced productivity and missed opportunities.
• Conflict: Friction that stalls progress.

In high performing teams shared or complementary values are the foundation of success. For example when team members value honesty and openness communication flows even in tough times. When fairness and respect are the priority individuals feel empowered to contribute knowing their voice will be heard. These behaviours aren’t nice to have they are essential to building trust and innovation.

At an organizational level alignment between personal values and an organization’s culture can change how we experience work. Research from cultural assessments shows that organizations with high value alignment have higher engagement, stronger collaboration and greater resilience in the face of challenge.

Misalignment shows up as limiting behaviours such as hierarchy, confusion or silo mentality as Cultural Entropy® analysis reveals.

A shared understanding of values allows leaders to create a culture where individuals feel connected to the organization’s purpose. It’s that connection that drives loyalty, performance and turns employees into ambassadors. Whether you’re leading a small team or a global organization the ripple effect of values alignment can be felt in every interaction and outcome. Aligning personal and company values is crucial for achieving the organization’s goals.

Try it in your organization? Start with individual reflection and conversation. Use our personal values assessment to get the conversation started and align your team’s strengths with your values.

Communicating Values Effectively

Effective communication of values is crucial for embedding them into the organization’s culture. It’s not enough to simply define values; they must be communicated clearly and consistently to ensure that all employees understand and embody them. This involves using multiple channels and methods to reinforce the company’s values at every opportunity.

Start by integrating values into onboarding programs, ensuring that new employees understand the company’s core principles from day one. Use regular company-wide meetings to highlight how values are being lived out in the organisation, sharing stories and examples that bring them to life. Incorporate values into performance evaluations, recognizing and rewarding employees who exemplify them.

Additionally, create visual reminders of the company’s values, such as posters, screensavers, and internal newsletters. Encourage leaders to model the values in their daily actions and decisions, setting the tone for the rest of the organization.

If you are communicating values effectively, you can build a strong, values-driven culture that fosters employee engagement, builds trust, and drives business success.

How to Use Values for Organizational Success

Understanding and aligning values is more than an intellectual exercise, it’s a lever for real change.  Clearly articulated and defined values serve as a foundation for guiding employee behavior, decision-making, and overall company identity.

Companies with extremely healthy cultures see significant benefits, including increased stock price and revenue growth, which stem from the alignment of organisational and employee values, resulting in enhanced engagement and retention.

Here’s how individuals, teams and organizations can tap into the power of values to unlock potential and achieve success:

For Individuals

Find Your Values: Reflect on the principles that guide your decisions and actions. Use our free personal values assessment to clarify your core drivers.

Align Your Behaviour: Look at how your daily actions reflect your values. Small changes can increase your authenticity and job satisfaction. Aligning personal and company values can further enhance job satisfaction and employee engagement.

Tell Your Values: Share your values with colleagues and leaders. Open conversations build understanding and connection.

For Leaders and Teams

Team Reflection: Ask team members to explore and share their personal values. This will reveal commonalities and diversity. Model Aligned Behaviour: As a leader demonstrate how your personal and organizational values play out. This sets the tone and inspires your team to do the same. Companies and employees often share many of the same values, and recognizing this can enhance organizational cohesion and overall productivity.

Embed Values into Process: Put shared values into team goals, decision making frameworks and feedback mechanisms to align across every touchpoint.

For Company Culture

Conduct a Culture Assessment: Diagnose how personal, current and desired culture values align across your organization. This will give you a clear picture of what’s working and what needs attention. Core company values play a crucial role in shaping the employee experience and fostering a cohesive workplace environment.

Prioritise Key Values: Use assessment insights to identify the values that will drive engagement and success. Eliminate limiting values like bureaucracy or silos that will hold you back.

Bring Values to Life: Make values visible and actionable through leadership development, communication strategies and recognition programs. A living values framework means alignment becomes part of your culture.

By doing this you’ll create an environment where individuals can thrive, teams can work together and your organization can reach its full potential. Start small by understanding your own values and watch the ripple effect change the way your organization works.

Case Study Insights: The Measurable Impact of Alignment

The link between values alignment and organizational success isn’t just theoretical, it’s backed up by real results. Organizations that align values see measurable results:

• Higher employee engagement
• Improved business performance
• Reduced turnover

For example, data from cultural assessments shows a direct correlation between values alignment and lower Cultural Entropy®. Cultural Entropy measures the amount of friction caused by misaligned or limiting values, such as hierarchy, bureaucracy or internal competition. Organizations with lower Cultural Entropy get higher revenue growth, better customer satisfaction and lower turnover.

Take the example of a global media company that reduced voluntary staff turnover by 30% after addressing misalignments and reinforcing shared values. Or a Brazilian consumer goods company that got double digit revenue growth by creating a culture aligned to its employees and stakeholders values. These results show the power of prioritizing alignment.

At an individual level alignment gives employees meaning in their work, increasing their motivation and commitment. At a team level shared values build trust and collaboration, improving overall performance. And at an organizational level a values driven culture is a competitive advantage, allowing businesses to adapt and thrive in a fast changing world.

By starting with tools like the personal values assessment and conducting organisational culture evaluations, you can identify the gaps between personal, current, and desired values. These insights provide a clear roadmap to creating a culture where everyone can thrive.

Need help aligning your values?

At the heart of every successful business is a foundation of shared values. When people know their personal values and align them with their team and business culture the impact is huge. Engagement, collaboration and performance all improve and everyone and the business can thrive.

The journey to alignment starts with one step: self awareness. By knowing your personal values you’ll get clarity on what drives you and how you can contribute to your team and business. Tools like our free online personal values assessment make this easy and accessible, sparking conversations that can lead to deeper connections and shared purpose.

For leaders and businesses, alignment isn’t just about recognising values – it’s about living them. By putting values into decision making, development initiatives and culture building you create a workplace where people feel empowered and engaged.

Now is the time to unleash the potential in your people and your business. Explore your values, have open conversations and take deliberate action to align individual and business purpose. Together we can create cultures where people flourish and businesses succeed.

Aligning Personal and Company Values: A Guide

Why Core Values Matter for Both you & your Company

People power every organisation. Their values drive decisions, actions, and outcomes. By aligning personal and company values, you’ll notice extraordinary things start to happen. But what drives those behaviours? At the heart of it all are personal values – the underlying principles that guide how we think, feel and act.

When personal values match the organisation’s culture, job satisfaction soars and productivity improves. Aligning personal values with company values fosters increased job satisfaction, employee engagement, and ultimately contributes to the success of the organisation. When there’s a mismatch, it leads to frustration, resistance and wasted potential.

At Primeast we’ve seen values alignment transform not just the experience of work but the performance of organisations. It’s a foundation of a thriving workplace culture. With our free online personal values tool you can start to uncover what drives you and your team and lay the groundwork for meaningful alignment and real success.

In this article we’ll look at the role of personal values in shaping behaviours, building better teams and driving organisational results, and why alignment is key to long term success. Whether you’re an individual looking to understand your own drivers or a leader looking to strengthen your team’s culture, understanding values is the first step.

Understanding Your Personal Values

Your personal values are the invisible compass that guides every decision you make. They are what matters most to you; integrity, balance, achievement, compassion, to name a few. These values are deeply ingrained in your experiences and beliefs and shape how you approach challenges, interact with others and find purpose in your work. Personal values guide your thoughts, words, and actions, both personally and professionally.

When people are clear on their values they can bring their best self to the table. Self awareness allows them to make choices that align with their principles and therefore be more fulfilled and effective. For organisations this is gold. People who know and align their personal values with their role are more likely to be engaged and invested in their work.

Knowing your personal values is the first step to an authentic and empowered workforce. That’s why we offer our free online personal values tool to help you discover your top 10 values.

By knowing what drives you, you can make intentional input to your team and organisation and set yourself up for success.

Get started today and find your own values. It’s a small step that can have big outcomes for you and your organisation.

The Role of Corporate Values in Organisations

Corporate values are the foundation of success. They:

• Shape the company’s identity
• Guide decision-making
• Define employee interactions internally and externally

When corporate values are clearly defined and embraced, they create a cohesive company culture that fosters a positive work environment and drives employee engagement.

Imagine a company where integrity, innovation, and customer focus are core values. These principles will guide every action and decision, from how products are developed to how customer service is handled.

Employees will feel a sense of purpose and alignment with the company’s mission, leading to higher motivation and productivity. Customers and stakeholders will recognise and appreciate the consistency and authenticity of the company’s actions, strengthening their trust and loyalty.

By establishing and living by a clear set of corporate values, organisations can create a thriving culture that not only attracts top talent but also drives long-term business success.

It’s not just about having values written on a wall; it’s about embedding them into the very fabric of the organisation.

Company Values and Their Importance

Company values are more than just words; they are the core principles that define an organisation’s identity and purpose. These values provide a framework for decision-making, guiding employee behavior and shaping the overall culture. When company values are well-defined and consistently communicated, they create a positive work environment where employees feel engaged and motivated.

Consider a company that prioritises teamwork, excellence, and respect. These values will influence how employees collaborate, strive for high standards, and treat each other with dignity. Such a culture not only enhances employee satisfaction but also drives better business outcomes.

Employees who feel aligned with the company’s values are more likely to be committed, productive, and innovative.

In essence, company values are the foundation upon which successful organisations are built. They help create a unified direction, foster a sense of belonging, and drive employee engagement. By living these values every day, companies can build strong relationships with customers and stakeholders, ultimately leading to sustained success.

Identifying and Defining Core Company Values

Identifying and defining core values is a fundamental step in building a strong and cohesive company culture. This process involves reflecting on the organisation’s mission, vision, and purpose, as well as the principles that are most important to its success. Companies can create a clear and concise set of core values that guide employee behavior and decision-making.

To start, gather input from various stakeholders, including employees, leaders, and customers, to understand what values resonate most. Reflect on the organisation’s history, achievements, and challenges to identify the principles that have driven success. Once these core values are identified, articulate them in a way that is clear, memorable, and actionable.

For example, a company might define its core values as integrity, innovation, and customer focus. These values should be more than just words; they should be embedded into every aspect of the organisation, from hiring practices to performance evaluations.

By defining and living these core values, companies can create a shared sense of purpose and direction, fostering employee engagement and driving business success.

The benefits of Aligning Personal and Company Values

When we bring our values to work it doesn’t just affect our own behaviour it affects our teams and ultimately the culture of the organisation. The average person will spend a significant amount of their life working, making the alignment of personal values crucial.

Aligned values are a unifying force that drive:

• Clarity: Teams understand shared goals and work cohesively.
• Trust: Employees feel respected and valued.
• Purpose: A shared mission motivates collaboration.

Conversely, misaligned values lead to:

• Misunderstandings: Confusion about expectations.
• Inefficiencies: Reduced productivity and missed opportunities.
• Conflict: Friction that stalls progress.

In high performing teams shared or complementary values are the foundation of success. For example when team members value honesty and openness communication flows even in tough times. When fairness and respect are the priority individuals feel empowered to contribute knowing their voice will be heard. These behaviours aren’t nice to have they are essential to building trust and innovation.

At an organisational level alignment between personal values and an organisation’s culture can change how we experience work. Research from cultural assessments shows that organisations with high value alignment have higher engagement, stronger collaboration and greater resilience in the face of challenge.

Misalignment shows up as limiting behaviours such as hierarchy, confusion or silo mentality as Cultural Entropy® analysis reveals.

A shared understanding of values allows leaders to create a culture where individuals feel connected to the organisation’s purpose. It’s that connection that drives loyalty, performance and turns employees into ambassadors. Whether you’re leading a small team or a global organisation the ripple effect of values alignment can be felt in every interaction and outcome. Aligning personal and company values is crucial for achieving the organisation’s goals.

Try it in your organisation? Start with individual reflection and conversation. Use our personal values assessment to get the conversation started and align your team’s strengths with your values.

Communicating Values Effectively

Effective communication of values is crucial for embedding them into the organisation’s culture. It’s not enough to simply define values; they must be communicated clearly and consistently to ensure that all employees understand and embody them. This involves using multiple channels and methods to reinforce the company’s values at every opportunity.

Start by integrating values into onboarding programs, ensuring that new employees understand the company’s core principles from day one. Use regular company-wide meetings to highlight how values are being lived out in the organisation, sharing stories and examples that bring them to life. Incorporate values into performance evaluations, recognising and rewarding employees who exemplify them.

Additionally, create visual reminders of the company’s values, such as posters, screensavers, and internal newsletters. Encourage leaders to model the values in their daily actions and decisions, setting the tone for the rest of the organisation.

If you are communicating values effectively, you can build a strong, values-driven culture that fosters employee engagement, builds trust, and drives business success.

How to Use Values for Organisational Success

Understanding and aligning values is more than an intellectual exercise, it’s a lever for real change.  Clearly articulated and defined values serve as a foundation for guiding employee behavior, decision-making, and overall company identity.

Companies with extremely healthy cultures see significant benefits, including increased stock price and revenue growth, which stem from the alignment of organisational and employee values, resulting in enhanced engagement and retention.

Here’s how individuals, teams and organisations can tap into the power of values to unlock potential and achieve success:

For Individuals

Find Your Values: Reflect on the principles that guide your decisions and actions. Use our free personal values assessment to clarify your core drivers.

Align Your Behaviour: Look at how your daily actions reflect your values. Small changes can increase your authenticity and job satisfaction. Aligning personal and company values can further enhance job satisfaction and employee engagement.

Tell Your Values: Share your values with colleagues and leaders. Open conversations build understanding and connection.

For Leaders and Teams

Team Reflection: Ask team members to explore and share their personal values. This will reveal commonalities and diversity. Model Aligned Behaviour: As a leader demonstrate how your personal and organisational values play out. This sets the tone and inspires your team to do the same. Companies and employees often share many of the same values, and recognising this can enhance organizational cohesion and overall productivity.

Embed Values into Process: Put shared values into team goals, decision making frameworks and feedback mechanisms to align across every touchpoint.

For Company Culture

Conduct a Culture Assessment: Diagnose how personal, current and desired culture values align across your organisation. This will give you a clear picture of what’s working and what needs attention. Core company values play a crucial role in shaping the employee experience and fostering a cohesive workplace environment.

Prioritise Key Values: Use assessment insights to identify the values that will drive engagement and success. Eliminate limiting values like bureaucracy or silos that will hold you back.

Bring Values to Life: Make values visible and actionable through leadership development, communication strategies and recognition programs. A living values framework means alignment becomes part of your culture.

By doing this you’ll create an environment where individuals can thrive, teams can work together and your organisation can reach its full potential. Start small by understanding your own values and watch the ripple effect change the way your organisation works.

Case Study Insights: The Measurable Impact of Alignment

The link between values alignment and organisational success isn’t just theoretical, it’s backed up by real results. Organisations that align values see measurable results:

• Higher employee engagement
• Improved business performance
• Reduced turnover

For example, data from cultural assessments shows a direct correlation between values alignment and lower Cultural Entropy®. Cultural Entropy measures the amount of friction caused by misaligned or limiting values, such as hierarchy, bureaucracy or internal competition. Organisations with lower Cultural Entropy get higher revenue growth, better customer satisfaction and lower turnover.

Take the example of a global media company that reduced voluntary staff turnover by 30% after addressing misalignments and reinforcing shared values. Or a Brazilian consumer goods company that got double digit revenue growth by creating a culture aligned to its employees and stakeholders values. These results show the power of prioritising alignment.

At an individual level alignment gives employees meaning in their work, increasing their motivation and commitment. At a team level shared values build trust and collaboration, improving overall performance. And at an organisational level a values driven culture is a competitive advantage, allowing businesses to adapt and thrive in a fast changing world.

By starting with tools like the personal values assessment and conducting organisational culture evaluations, you can identify the gaps between personal, current, and desired values. These insights provide a clear roadmap to creating a culture where everyone can thrive.

Need help aligning your values?

At the heart of every successful business is a foundation of shared values. When people know their personal values and align them with their team and business culture the impact is huge. Engagement, collaboration and performance all improve and everyone and the business can thrive.

The journey to alignment starts with one step: self awareness. By knowing your personal values you’ll get clarity on what drives you and how you can contribute to your team and business. Tools like our free online personal values assessment make this easy and accessible, sparking conversations that can lead to deeper connections and shared purpose.

For leaders and businesses, alignment isn’t just about recognising values – it’s about living them. By putting values into decision making, development initiatives and culture building you create a workplace where people feel empowered and engaged.

Now is the time to unleash the potential in your people and your business. Explore your values, have open conversations and take deliberate action to align individual and business purpose. Together we can create cultures where people flourish and businesses succeed.

Developing the Next Generation Of Leaders for Long-Term Success

In a world of rapid technological advancements and evolving workplace dynamics, nurturing the next generation of leaders is crucial for long-term organizational success. As industries become more complex and interconnected, building a strong future-ready leadership pipeline requires a balance between technical skill development, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. In this article, we’ll explore practical, easy-to-action strategies that organizations can adopt to empower next-generation leaders and ensure they are well-equipped for the challenges ahead.

Implement Iterative Technical Skill Development

The pace of technological diffusion is accelerating, meaning technical skills need continuous upgrading. To prepare next-generation leaders for a rapidly changing landscape, it is vital to implement development strategies that evolve over time. Developing new technical skills can be challenging and requires an understanding of how to help people adapt to doing things in new ways. Developing a learning culture is critical and should advocate a learning mindset as well as focusing on developing skillset:

1. Encourage Continuous Learning: Provide access to learning platforms and resources with reward and incentive for individuals taking ownership of their own learning and socialising this learning. Encourage participation in regular technical training sessions or certification programmes.
2. Create Learning Pathways: Design individualized career development plans that include technical skill-building milestones that can be reviewed and updated regularly.
3. Mentorship Programmes: Pair emerging leaders with technical experts or senior leaders for mentorship, focusing on knowledge transfer in relevant technical areas.

By making technical learning iterative, organizations enable leaders to stay ahead of industry trends while improving their problem-solving capabilities.

Foster Adaptive Leadership Skills

In an unpredictable and fast-paced business environment, next-generation leaders must master adaptive leadership. This involves being flexible, learning from challenges, and making decisions with incomplete information. Adaptive leaders can thrive in uncertain situations, steer teams through change, and foster innovation.

How can you support this:

1. Simulate Real-World Challenges: When designing development programmes, build in role-playing exercises (real-play) or simulations (e.g., crisis management drills) that put emerging leaders in high-pressure, real-world scenarios where they must respond quickly. In doing this it is important to create a learning environment where participants can ‘fail safely’ and receive constructive, developmental feedback.
2. Encourage Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Promote project-based learning that involves working with teams from different departments to develop a broader understanding of how different parts of the business function.
3. Develop a Growth Mindset: Incorporate regular feedback loops and emphasize learning from failure. When emerging leaders view setbacks as opportunities to grow, they become more resilient.

Adaptive leadership helps next-generation leaders handle the volatility of modern business environments, enhancing their capacity for decision-making under pressure.

Bridge the Generational Knowledge Gap

Intergenerational collaboration is crucial to passing down institutional and organizational knowledge while fostering innovation. The knowledge gap between senior leaders and the younger workforce can hinder growth if not addressed effectively. Bridging this gap requires creating systems that encourage the exchange of expertise and values between generations.

1. Create Reverse Mentoring Programs: In addition to traditional mentorship, reverse mentoring allows younger employees to mentor senior staff on emerging technologies or trends, fostering mutual learning and respect.
2. Host Intergenerational Workshops: Regularly bring together employees from different generations for workshops that explore collaborative problem-solving, technological integration, and innovation.
3. Build Collaborative Communities: Create forums (online or in-person) where employees can ask questions and share expertise openly. Cross-generational collaboration can be fostered through knowledge-sharing platforms, lunch-and-learns, or innovation sprints.

By facilitating mutual learning, organizations can close the knowledge gap while leveraging the strengths of each generation.

Cultivate Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) are critical leadership skills that help future leaders manage teams effectively, navigate conflict, and maintain strong interpersonal relationships. Organizations must ensure emerging leaders develop a high level of emotional literacy and empathy.

1. Developing Emotional Intelligence: Offer training on active listening, empathy, emotional regulation, and social awareness to help future leaders understand their emotions and the emotions of others.
2. Personality Assessments: Use tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DiSC profiles, or 360-degree feedback mechanisms (e.g. EQI, Leadership Circle) to help emerging leaders reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, promoting self-awareness. These can then form the basis of discussion around personalized development planning.
3. Promote Mindfulness and Stress Management: Provide ongoing (not a one-hit fix) mindfulness training, support and resources on stress management to enhance leaders’ emotional resilience and mental well-being.

Cultivating emotional intelligence not only improves leadership capacity but also enhances collaboration, innovation, and team dynamics.

Promote a Culture of Innovation and Agility

Organizations that foster innovation and agility create environments where next-generation leaders can experiment with new ideas, adapt to market changes, and lead teams through uncertainty. Encouraging a culture where innovation is supported by an agile mindset will ensure long-term success:

1. Facilitate Risk-Taking: Support innovation by creating a safe space for risk-taking with clear boundaries, where failures are seen as part of the learning process. Leaders should feel empowered to experiment with new approaches without fear of punitive consequences.
2. Agile Methodologies: Integrate agile project management methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, to help teams remain flexible and responsive to changing priorities.
3. Celebrate Innovation: Recognize and reward employees who bring creative ideas to the table, whether through hackathons, innovation challenges, or regular brainstorming sessions.

A culture of innovation and agility ensures that emerging leaders are not just reacting to change but driving it.

Encourage Strategic Thinking and Foresight

Beyond technical skills and adaptability, emerging leaders must learn to think strategically and anticipate future trends. Organizations must provide resources and platforms that promote forward-thinking and strategic insight:

1. Future Scenario Planning: Use scenario planning exercises to help leaders explore different future possibilities and consider the strategic decisions they would make under various circumstances. We love this scenario planning template – a good start to structuring discussions; you can download it from here.

1. Expose Future or Aspiring Leaders to Strategic Projects: Assign emerging leaders to cross-functional strategic initiatives that require a broader understanding of market dynamics and business growth strategies.
2. Networking and External Exposure: Encourage participation in industry conferences, professional associations, or think tanks where leaders can gain insights into emerging trends, global markets, and innovation strategies.

Empowering next-generation leaders requires a multi-dimensional approach that goes beyond technical expertise. By fostering adaptability, bridging generational knowledge gaps, promoting emotional intelligence, and cultivating a culture of innovation, organizations can create leaders who are equipped to navigate the complex and rapidly evolving business landscape. These practical, easy-to-action strategies will not only prepare emerging leaders for immediate challenges but also ensure they are ready to drive long-term success in a constantly changing world.

Developing the Next Generation Of Leaders for Long-Term Success

In a world of rapid technological advancements and evolving workplace dynamics, nurturing the next generation of leaders is crucial for long-term organisational success. As industries become more complex and interconnected, building a strong future-ready leadership pipeline requires a balance between technical skill development, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. In this article, we’ll explore practical, easy-to-action strategies that organisations can adopt to empower next-generation leaders and ensure they are well-equipped for the challenges ahead.

Implement Iterative Technical Skill Development

The pace of technological diffusion is accelerating, meaning technical skills need continuous upgrading. To prepare next-generation leaders for a rapidly changing landscape, it is vital to implement development strategies that evolve over time. Developing new technical skills can be challenging and requires an understanding of how to help people adapt to doing things in new ways. Developing a learning culture is critical and should advocate a learning mindset as well as focusing on developing skillset:

1. Encourage Continuous Learning: Provide access to learning platforms and resources with reward and incentive for individuals taking ownership of their own learning and socialising this learning. Encourage participation in regular technical training sessions or certification programmes.
2. Create Learning Pathways: Design individualised career development plans that include technical skill-building milestones that can be reviewed and updated regularly.
3. Mentorship Programmes: Pair emerging leaders with technical experts or senior leaders for mentorship, focusing on knowledge transfer in relevant technical areas.

By making technical learning iterative, organisations enable leaders to stay ahead of industry trends while improving their problem-solving capabilities.

Foster Adaptive Leadership Skills

In an unpredictable and fast-paced business environment, next-generation leaders must master adaptive leadership. This involves being flexible, learning from challenges, and making decisions with incomplete information. Adaptive leaders can thrive in uncertain situations, steer teams through change, and foster innovation.

How can you support this:

1. Simulate Real-World Challenges: When designing development programmes, build in role-playing exercises (real-play) or simulations (e.g., crisis management drills) that put emerging leaders in high-pressure, real-world scenarios where they must respond quickly. In doing this it is important to create a learning environment where participants can ‘fail safely’ and receive constructive, developmental feedback.
2. Encourage Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Promote project-based learning that involves working with teams from different departments to develop a broader understanding of how different parts of the business function.
3. Develop a Growth Mindset: Incorporate regular feedback loops and emphasise learning from failure. When emerging leaders view setbacks as opportunities to grow, they become more resilient.

Adaptive leadership helps next-generation leaders handle the volatility of modern business environments, enhancing their capacity for decision-making under pressure.

Bridge the Generational Knowledge Gap

Intergenerational collaboration is crucial to passing down institutional and organisational knowledge while fostering innovation. The knowledge gap between senior leaders and the younger workforce can hinder growth if not addressed effectively. Bridging this gap requires creating systems that encourage the exchange of expertise and values between generations.

1. Create Reverse Mentoring Programs: In addition to traditional mentorship, reverse mentoring allows younger employees to mentor senior staff on emerging technologies or trends, fostering mutual learning and respect.
2. Host Intergenerational Workshops: Regularly bring together employees from different generations for workshops that explore collaborative problem-solving, technological integration, and innovation.
3. Build Collaborative Communities: Create forums (online or in-person) where employees can ask questions and share expertise openly. Cross-generational collaboration can be fostered through knowledge-sharing platforms, lunch-and-learns, or innovation sprints.

By facilitating mutual learning, organisations can close the knowledge gap while leveraging the strengths of each generation.

Cultivate Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) are critical leadership skills that help future leaders manage teams effectively, navigate conflict, and maintain strong interpersonal relationships. Organisations must ensure emerging leaders develop a high level of emotional literacy and empathy.

1. Developing Emotional Intelligence: Offer training on active listening, empathy, emotional regulation, and social awareness to help future leaders understand their emotions and the emotions of others.
2. Personality Assessments: Use tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DiSC profiles, or 360-degree feedback mechanisms (e.g. EQI, Leadership Circle) to help emerging leaders reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, promoting self-awareness. These can then form the basis of discussion around personalised development planning.
3. Promote Mindfulness and Stress Management: Provide ongoing (not a one-hit fix) mindfulness training, support and resources on stress management to enhance leaders’ emotional resilience and mental well-being.

Cultivating emotional intelligence not only improves leadership capacity but also enhances collaboration, innovation, and team dynamics.

Promote a Culture of Innovation and Agility

Organisations that foster innovation and agility create environments where next-generation leaders can experiment with new ideas, adapt to market changes, and lead teams through uncertainty. Encouraging a culture where innovation is supported by an agile mindset will ensure long-term success:

1. Facilitate Risk-Taking: Support innovation by creating a safe space for risk-taking with clear boundaries, where failures are seen as part of the learning process. Leaders should feel empowered to experiment with new approaches without fear of punitive consequences.
2. Agile Methodologies: Integrate agile project management methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, to help teams remain flexible and responsive to changing priorities.
3. Celebrate Innovation: Recognise and reward employees who bring creative ideas to the table, whether through hackathons, innovation challenges, or regular brainstorming sessions.

A culture of innovation and agility ensures that emerging leaders are not just reacting to change but driving it.

Encourage Strategic Thinking and Foresight

Beyond technical skills and adaptability, emerging leaders must learn to think strategically and anticipate future trends. Organisations must provide resources and platforms that promote forward-thinking and strategic insight:

1. Future Scenario Planning: Use scenario planning exercises to help leaders explore different future possibilities and consider the strategic decisions they would make under various circumstances. We love this scenario planning template – a good start to structuring discussions; you can download it from here.

1. Expose Future or Aspiring Leaders to Strategic Projects: Assign emerging leaders to cross-functional strategic initiatives that require a broader understanding of market dynamics and business growth strategies.
2. Networking and External Exposure: Encourage participation in industry conferences, professional associations, or think tanks where leaders can gain insights into emerging trends, global markets, and innovation strategies.

Empowering next-generation leaders requires a multi-dimensional approach that goes beyond technical expertise. By fostering adaptability, bridging generational knowledge gaps, promoting emotional intelligence, and cultivating a culture of innovation, organisations can create leaders who are equipped to navigate the complex and rapidly evolving business landscape. These practical, easy-to-action strategies will not only prepare emerging leaders for immediate challenges but also ensure they are ready to drive long-term success in a constantly changing world.

Reflective Practice – a practical guide and how to action

A Practical Guide to Reflective Practice for Leadership Development Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

Reflective practice is your secret weapon when it comes to leadership development. It allows leaders to learn from experiences, adjust thinking and behaviours, and continuously improve their effectiveness.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle provides a structured framework for this process, making it one of the most powerful practices to master as a leader.

Graham Gibbs developed his “six-stage reflective model” (1988), which emphasises the process of turning reflections into actionable insights. Each stage encourages deep exploration of what happened, why it happened, and how to improve.

This practical guide will help you work through any situation where you might have experienced less than favourable results, and understand what changes you might want to take to ensure a better outcome. It promotes ownership and taking responsibility for your own behaviours and will help to shine a light on programmed behaviours which may now longer serve you when working with others.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle Template

Here is an template for you to use to get started using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. For each stage we’ve provided a template for the framework and also an example of how it might work in practice:

Stage 1: Description

In this stage, you describe the facts of the situation or experience that you want to reflect on. The goal is to capture the details without assigning judgment or bias at this stage.

Identify the experience: This could be a leadership challenge, a decision you made, a team conflict, or a project outcome.

Consider the following:

• What exactly happened?
• Who was involved?
• Where and when did it take place?
• What was the outcome?

Leadership Example:
During a team meeting, a conflict arose between two team members about the direction of a project. As the leader, I tried to mediate, but the conversation escalated. The meeting ended without resolution, and team morale seemed low.

Stage 2: Feelings

Reflect on your internal experience, your emotional responses to the situation. Understanding your feelings is crucial because emotions often influence how leaders react and make decisions.

Reflect on your feelings during the event:

• How did you feel before, during, and after the situation?
• What were you thinking as events played out?
• How did you think others were feeling? What did you notice that might provide clues?

Be honest: It’s okay to acknowledge feelings of frustration, anxiety, confidence, or satisfaction, as these inform your behaviour. You can also begin to understand why these feelings might have been activated.

Leadership Example:
At the time, I felt frustrated and a bit powerless. I was also concerned about how the rest of the team perceived my handling of the situation. I wondered if they felt I lacked authority or the ability to resolve conflicts effectively.

Stage 3: Evaluation

Reflect on what went well and what didn’t. It’s important to take a balanced approach and acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of the situation.

Identify successes:

• What did you handle well as a leader?
• How did the team respond to positive aspects of your leadership?

Acknowledge mistakes:

• What didn’t go according to plan?
• Where were the key challenges or failures in your leadership approach?

Leadership Example:
On the positive side, I maintained my composure and ensured everyone had a chance to voice their opinions. However, I struggled to guide the conversation towards resolution. The conflict lingered, which affected team dynamics.

Stage 4: Analysis

Now you can analyse why things happened the way they did. Look for underlying causes, patterns, and dynamics that influenced the outcome.

Analyse causes:

• What were the root causes of the problems or successes?
• How did your actions influence the situation?
• Did your leadership style or behaviours help or hinder the process?

Leverage frameworks:

• Use leadership models, theories, or past experiences to deepen your analysis.

Leadership Example:
The conflict escalated because I focused too much on being neutral rather than assertively steering the conversation towards a solution. My democratic leadership style worked in the past, but in this scenario, a more directive approach may have been necessary.

Stage 5: Conclusion

At this stage, take time to reflect on what you learned from the experience and consider how you might approach a similar situation differently in the future. It may sometimes help to explore these questions with a coach.

Lessons learnt:

• What should you continue doing based on this experience?
• What could you change or improve?

Explore alternative approaches:

• How could you have approached the situation more effectively?

 Leadership Example:
In hindsight, I should have intervened earlier and more decisively. I could have proposed a compromise or set clear expectations for resolving the conflict. I also realized that I need to improve my skills in conflict resolution.

Stage 6: Action Plan

This final stage is about turning reflection into action. It’s about creating a plan for how you will apply your insights to future leadership challenges.

Develop a strategy:

• What steps will you take to improve your leadership in similar situations?

Set goals:

• Identify key leadership skills you want to develop, such as communication, conflict resolution, or assertiveness.

Leadership Example:
Next time, I will adopt a more structured approach to conflict resolution, setting clear guidelines for discussions and stepping in earlier to mediate. I’ll also seek out training on managing difficult conversations to strengthen my skills in this area.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle Example

Here’s an example of how to integrate Gibbs’ model into your daily leadership practice:

1. Set time for reflection: Regularly set aside time—whether daily, weekly, or after major events—for structured reflection using Gibbs’ cycle.
2. Record your reflections in a journal: Writing down your reflections at each stage helps clarify your thinking and track your leadership growth over time.
3. Solicit feedback: Ask for feedback from peers or mentors to gain different perspectives on your leadership. This can inform your reflection and action planning.
4. Review and refine: Periodically review past reflections to identify recurring patterns or persistent challenges in your leadership. This will help you adjust and continuously improve.
5. Practice self-awareness: Stay mindful of your emotions and thought patterns as you lead. This self-awareness is essential for meaningful reflection.

Benefits of a Reflective Model in Leadership Development

Enhanced Self-Awareness: By systematically reflecting on your actions, feelings, and outcomes, you develop a deeper understanding of your leadership strengths and areas for improvement.
Continuous Learning: The cycle encourages a mindset of lifelong learning, helping you evolve as a leader through every experience.
Improved Decision-Making: Reflecting on past decisions enables you to approach future situations with more clarity, confidence, and better judgment.
Increased Emotional Intelligence: By recognizing and analysing your emotions and those of others, you become more adept at managing interpersonal relationships and team dynamics.
Adaptive Leadership: The cycle helps you fine-tune your leadership style, making it more flexible and responsive to different challenges and contexts.

Reflecting on your own performance and outcomes is a critical part of improving leadership effectiveness; unlocking the power of reflection to cultivate resilience, insight, and adaptive leadership.

If you’d like to subscribe to receive regular practical coaching tips you can sign up to our Constant Coach series.

Reflective Practice With Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

A Practical Guide to Reflective Practice for Leadership Development Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

Reflective practice is your secret weapon when it comes to leadership development. It allows leaders to learn from experiences, adjust thinking and behaviours, and continuously improve their effectiveness.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle provides a structured framework for this process, making it one of the most powerful practices to master as a leader.

Graham Gibbs developed his “six-stage reflective model” (1988), which emphasises the process of turning reflections into actionable insights. Each stage encourages deep exploration of what happened, why it happened, and how to improve.

This practical guide will help you work through any situation where you might have experienced less than favourable results, and understand what changes you might want to take to ensure a better outcome. It promotes ownership and taking responsibility for your own behaviours and will help to shine a light on programmed behaviours which may now longer serve you when working with others.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle Template

Here is an template for you to use to get started using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. For each stage we’ve provided a template for the framework and also an example of how it might work in practice:

Stage 1: Description

In this stage, you describe the facts of the situation or experience that you want to reflect on. The goal is to capture the details without assigning judgment or bias at this stage.

Identify the experience: This could be a leadership challenge, a decision you made, a team conflict, or a project outcome.

Consider the following:

• What exactly happened?
• Who was involved?
• Where and when did it take place?
• What was the outcome?

Leadership Example:
During a team meeting, a conflict arose between two team members about the direction of a project. As the leader, I tried to mediate, but the conversation escalated. The meeting ended without resolution, and team morale seemed low.

Stage 2: Feelings

Reflect on your internal experience, your emotional responses to the situation. Understanding your feelings is crucial because emotions often influence how leaders react and make decisions.

Reflect on your feelings during the event:

• How did you feel before, during, and after the situation?
• What were you thinking as events played out?
• How did you think others were feeling? What did you notice that might provide clues?

Be honest: It’s okay to acknowledge feelings of frustration, anxiety, confidence, or satisfaction, as these inform your behaviour. You can also begin to understand why these feelings might have been activated.

Leadership Example:
At the time, I felt frustrated and a bit powerless. I was also concerned about how the rest of the team perceived my handling of the situation. I wondered if they felt I lacked authority or the ability to resolve conflicts effectively.

Stage 3: Evaluation

Reflect on what went well and what didn’t. It’s important to take a balanced approach and acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of the situation.

Identify successes:

• What did you handle well as a leader?
• How did the team respond to positive aspects of your leadership?

Acknowledge mistakes:

• What didn’t go according to plan?
• Where were the key challenges or failures in your leadership approach?

Leadership Example:
On the positive side, I maintained my composure and ensured everyone had a chance to voice their opinions. However, I struggled to guide the conversation towards resolution. The conflict lingered, which affected team dynamics.

Stage 4: Analysis

Now you can analyse why things happened the way they did. Look for underlying causes, patterns, and dynamics that influenced the outcome.

Analyse causes:

• What were the root causes of the problems or successes?
• How did your actions influence the situation?
• Did your leadership style or behaviours help or hinder the process?

Leverage frameworks:

• Use leadership models, theories, or past experiences to deepen your analysis.

Leadership Example:
The conflict escalated because I focused too much on being neutral rather than assertively steering the conversation towards a solution. My democratic leadership style worked in the past, but in this scenario, a more directive approach may have been necessary.

Stage 5: Conclusion

At this stage, take time to reflect on what you learned from the experience and consider how you might approach a similar situation differently in the future. It may sometimes help to explore these questions with a coach.

Lessons learnt:

• What should you continue doing based on this experience?
• What could you change or improve?

Explore alternative approaches:

• How could you have approached the situation more effectively?

 Leadership Example:
In hindsight, I should have intervened earlier and more decisively. I could have proposed a compromise or set clear expectations for resolving the conflict. I also realized that I need to improve my skills in conflict resolution.

Stage 6: Action Plan

This final stage is about turning reflection into action. It’s about creating a plan for how you will apply your insights to future leadership challenges.

Develop a strategy:

• What steps will you take to improve your leadership in similar situations?

Set goals:

• Identify key leadership skills you want to develop, such as communication, conflict resolution, or assertiveness.

Leadership Example:
Next time, I will adopt a more structured approach to conflict resolution, setting clear guidelines for discussions and stepping in earlier to mediate. I’ll also seek out training on managing difficult conversations to strengthen my skills in this area.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle Example

Here’s an example of how to integrate Gibbs’ model into your daily leadership practice:

1. Set time for reflection: Regularly set aside time—whether daily, weekly, or after major events—for structured reflection using Gibbs’ cycle.
2. Record your reflections in a journal: Writing down your reflections at each stage helps clarify your thinking and track your leadership growth over time.
3. Solicit feedback: Ask for feedback from peers or mentors to gain different perspectives on your leadership. This can inform your reflection and action planning.
4. Review and refine: Periodically review past reflections to identify recurring patterns or persistent challenges in your leadership. This will help you adjust and continuously improve.
5. Practice self-awareness: Stay mindful of your emotions and thought patterns as you lead. This self-awareness is essential for meaningful reflection.

Benefits of a Reflective Model in Leadership Development

Enhanced Self-Awareness: By systematically reflecting on your actions, feelings, and outcomes, you develop a deeper understanding of your leadership strengths and areas for improvement.
Continuous Learning: The cycle encourages a mindset of lifelong learning, helping you evolve as a leader through every experience.
Improved Decision-Making: Reflecting on past decisions enables you to approach future situations with more clarity, confidence, and better judgment.
Increased Emotional Intelligence: By recognizing and analysing your emotions and those of others, you become more adept at managing interpersonal relationships and team dynamics.
Adaptive Leadership: The cycle helps you fine-tune your leadership style, making it more flexible and responsive to different challenges and contexts.

Reflecting on your own performance and outcomes is a critical part of improving leadership effectiveness; unlocking the power of reflection to cultivate resilience, insight, and adaptive leadership.

If you’d like to subscribe to receive regular practical coaching tips you can sign up to our Constant Coach series.

How to Motivate a Team: 7 Effective Ways

Leading via the link between team motivation and engagement

Many studies, surveys, and polls have concluded that employee engagement is key to building a successful business, leading change initiatives, and developing high-performance teams. To answer the question of how to motivate a team effectively, it’s essential to foster engagement. In its eighth meta-analysis measuring the effects of employee engagement, Gallup found that:

“Work units in the top quartile in employee engagement outperformed bottom-quartile units by 10% on customer ratings, 22% in profitability, and 21% in productivity. Work units in the top quartile also saw significantly lower turnover (25% in high-turnover organizations, 65% in low-turnover organizations), shrinkage (28%), and absenteeism (37%) and fewer safety incidents (48%), patient safety incidents (41%), and quality defects (41%).”

Given so many positives of employee engagement, it is little wonder that organizations are continually finding ways to increase employee engagement and create a productive work environment. Connecting team members to the company’s mission can enhance their sense of purpose and belonging, ultimately influencing their performance and morale within the workplace.

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement describes how people are committed to the work they do and the values and mission of the organization for whom they work. They are happy team players who are invested in their colleagues, their team, and their organization, and employees feel motivated to contribute their best.

In other words, they are motivated to turn up, help others, and do the best work they can. However, engagement is not quite the same as motivation, but a complimentary quality – a key ingredient in employee engagement. For example, motivated employees feel that their work is meaningful, while engaged employees are emotionally committed to their work. Good leaders motivate their employees to be engaged. A lack of motivation and engagement can lead to poor performance, reduced productivity, and a toxic work environment.

Setting the Foundation for Success

Setting the foundation for success is crucial for motivating a team. Maintaining good air quality and including indoor plants can enhance overall employee well-being and motivation. A motivated team is more productive, engaged, and committed to achieving their goals. To set the foundation for success, team leaders should establish clear expectations, provide necessary resources, and foster a positive work environment.

This includes setting SMART goals, providing regular feedback, and recognising team achievements. By setting the foundation for success, team leaders can create a motivated team that is equipped to achieve their goals.

Understanding Team Motivation

Understanding team motivation is crucial for effective leadership and achieving business objectives. Team motivation is the driving force that encourages individuals to take action and achieve their goals.

Recognising that each team member has unique goals, aspirations, and motivations is essential. By understanding what drives each team member, leaders can create a positive work environment that fosters motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Team motivation is influenced by various factors, including clear goals and expectations, recognition and rewards, autonomy and flexibility, opportunities for growth and development, a positive work environment, open communication, and fair compensation and benefits.

Addressing these factors can help leaders create a motivated team that is committed to achieving the company’s mission. A motivated team is not only more productive but also more engaged and satisfied with their work.

How to engage employees with motivational tactics

Many motivational techniques will serve the simultaneous objectives of engaging employees and developing a high-performing team. Here are seven of the techniques used by successful managers and leaders.

1. Share the big picture to give them feel valued

Share your vision with your employees, helping them to see how they fit into the achievement of that vision by providing tasks that help the team progress toward its goals. This will provide the purpose they need to engage with the big picture. Keeping employees up to date with the latest developments and how their roles contribute to the overall vision can further enhance their sense of purpose. Connecting team members to the company’s mission can also enhance their sense of purpose and belonging, ultimately influencing their performance and morale within the workplace.

2. Motivate individuals to motivate the team

Each member of a team will have individual aspirations, goals and objectives. It is a manager’s responsibility to learn what makes their employees tick, and how to create the environment where the needs of individuals can be activated to improve the team, ensuring each team member feels valued and motivated. Providing positive feedback to acknowledge achievements and efforts can uplift employee morale and drive engagement.

Listen to ideas, learn from their experiences, and recycle into the team environment, showing how individual success can propel the team to greater teamwork. This personal and individual approach will help to incentivize employees with a clear understanding of the power of collaboration.

3. Give trust

A team leader should give trust to their employees and show that they trust their abilities by handing over responsibility. This responsibility may be given through providing specific tasks that challenge, or by asking an employee to manage a project sub-team, or perhaps requesting that a team member act as chair in a team meeting. There are many opportunities to share responsibilities and give trust each day – these should be used.

4. Motivate with milestones

Lofty goals often remain unaccomplished because they seem so far away, and unachievable. This serves to demotivate and disengage. Focus instead on smaller, challenging but achievable milestones that will help individuals and teams progress.

Reward achievement of each milestone, and reinforce how much nearer it takes the team to its final target, thereby boosting team motivation. Additionally, fostering team camaraderie through various team-building activities can keep team members motivated by allowing them to bond personally and enhance their collaborative spirit.

5. Reward performance based upon feedback

Value performance and attitude by recording, measuring and rewarding feedback from clients, suppliers, colleagues and other stakeholders. Seek to reward the expected behaviors that help to drive teamwork and promote the organization.

6. Energize the team by exampling expected behaviors for a productive work environment

Employees follow the lead of their managers and the organization’s leaders. An enthusiastic, energetic leader who exudes positivity toward work and the organization’s values and goals is more likely to keep the team motivated and create that energy within his or her team.

7.  Communicate openly

Be transparent about company goals and progress. Hide nothing, so that there are no surprises. Allow people the opportunity to voice concerns and ask questions, and provide honest feedback. Always show respect in the communication process, and include team members in the decision-making process, valuing their contribution and helping them to understand their value to the organization. Additionally, organizing team building activities can further enhance open communication and strengthen team bonds.

Empowering Team Members

Empowering team members is essential for team motivation and success. Empowerment involves giving team members the autonomy to make decisions, take ownership of their work, and providing them with the necessary resources and support to achieve their goals. When team members feel empowered, they are more likely to feel motivated, engaged, and committed to their work.

Empowering team members can be achieved by providing them with clear goals and expectations, recognising and rewarding their achievements, and offering opportunities for growth and development. Additionally, leaders can empower team members by providing them with flexible schedules, allowing them to work independently, and giving them the freedom to make decisions. This sense of autonomy and trust can significantly boost team motivation and drive the team towards success.

Setting Clear Goals and Expectations

Setting clear goals and expectations is essential for team motivation and success. Clear goals and expectations help team members understand what is expected of them and what they need to achieve. When team members have clear goals and expectations, they are more likely to feel motivated, focused, and directed.

Clear goals and expectations can be achieved by setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Leaders can also provide team members with regular feedback and coaching to help them stay on track and achieve their goals. Additionally, leaders can use goal-setting frameworks, such as OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), to help team members set and achieve their goals.

By setting clear goals and expectations, leaders can create a motivated team that is committed to achieving the company’s mission. Clear goals and expectations also help team members track progress, receive honest feedback, and feel motivated to go the extra mile. This clarity and direction are vital for maintaining high levels of team motivation and ensuring the team’s success.

Fostering a Positive Work Environment

Fostering a positive work environment is essential for motivating a team. A positive work environment encourages team members to feel valued, motivated, and engaged. To foster a positive work environment, team leaders should promote open communication, encourage teamwork, and provide opportunities for growth and development. This includes creating a healthy work environment, providing flexible schedules, and offering work-life balance. Investing in the team’s professional development through workshops and online courses can further enhance employee engagement and effectiveness.

By fostering a positive work environment, team leaders can create a motivated team that is productive and committed to achieving their goals.

Investing in Team Development

Investing in team development is critical for motivating a team. Team members feel motivated when they are learning and growing in their roles. To invest in team development, team leaders should provide opportunities for training, mentorship, and coaching. This includes providing regular feedback, recognising team achievements, and offering opportunities for advancement.

By investing in team development, team leaders can create a motivated team that is equipped to achieve their goals.

Measuring Success and Adjusting Course

Measuring success and adjusting course is essential for motivating a team. Team leaders should regularly track progress, solicit honest feedback, and make adjustments as needed. This includes setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and recognising team achievements.

By measuring success and adjusting course, team leaders can create a motivated team that is productive and committed to achieving their goals.

Conclusion

Employee engagement and employee motivation work hand in hand to energize teams in the work they do and the goals of the organization. When team leaders, supervisors and managers employ effective motivation strategies, the team should become a more collaborative and cohesive unit, fixed on the achievement of individual and team goals. This level of engagement could transform a team’s results.

Contact us today, and discover how we could help your managers to redefine their own behaviors and embed the leadership techniques to build high-performing teams.

The Pros and Cons of Employee Empowerment

Research published in the 2011 Journal of Applied Psychology (Antecedents and consequences of psychological and team empowerment: a meta-analytical review – Siebert, S.E.; Wang, G.; Courtright, S.H.) provided a number of pressing reasons for organizations to encourage employee empowerment. Fostering an empowering work environment through a strong company culture can significantly boost morale and initiative among staff, while also enhancing resilience during challenging times.

By understanding that there are two sides of the coin when instigating an employee empowerment strategy, an organization will be better positioned to maximize the advantages and minimize any disadvantages.

What is employee empowerment?

For an organization operating in the fast-paced, modern business environment, passing some responsibilities to employees enables quicker decision-making at a lower level. At lower levels, people generally have a closer and deeper understanding of many of the basic processes and procedures that ‘get the job done’ and help the strategic vision of the organization to be achieved. It would appear to make sense, therefore, to give people more autonomy in their decision-making: in a word, empowerment.

A key aspect of this empowerment is the management philosophy, which emphasizes granting autonomy and support to employees. This philosophy promotes independent decision-making and contrasts sharply with micromanagement, highlighting that a culture of empowerment significantly enhances job performance and employee satisfaction.

Empowerment is viewed by seven in 10 employees as an important element of engagement, and employee engagement produces a range of benefits, including:

• Improved productivity, with 22% higher profitability
• 41% lower absenteeism
• Employees who are 4.6 times more likely to perform at their peak

Because employee empowerment is so highly connected with employee engagement, it is little surprise that many of the advantages of empowerment are directly related to the benefits of employee engagement.

The advantages of employee empowerment

There are several definite advantages of embedding a strategy and culture of employee empowerment. These include:

Employee empowerment is crucial for a company’s success as it leads to increased morale, productivity, and tangible benefits like higher profits and better employee retention rates.

Faster problem solving

First, because empowered employees are so close to issues and problems that require resolution, response times should decrease. Faced with a problem, people who are close to it have a natural affinity for it and a definitive reason to find solutions rapidly – it aids their work, making their time easier and more productive.

Executives are often detached from the shop floor, and lack the depth of knowledge required in the solution-finding process.

Increased morale and productivity

People who are given the autonomy to make their own decisions feel trusted and that their contributions are a direct factor in their company’s success. This is a direct determinant of employee morale. For example, 91% of Google’s employees say that they carry meaningful responsibilities within the organization: for six years running Google has been ranked by Fortune as the best company to work for.

Empowered employees working without continual oversight from a manager or supervisor tend to feel more respected. Artificial obstacles to progress of tasks are removed when employees no longer need their supervisor’s approval to move from one stage to the next. Motivated employees contribute to increased moral and profitability per employee improves accordingly.

Additionally, people own the responsibility given to them, and the manager/employee relationship benefits accordingly.

Greater involvement leads to greater commitment

With the greater involvement engendered by their increased responsibility, engaged employees become more involved in organizational strategy. They begin to look at colleagues and customers differently, and their commitment to the company and its future grows. Satisfied employees lead to satisfied customers. Such commitment also leads to decreased staff turnover and reduced costs of hiring and training.

Lower levels of management stress

When employees are empowered with responsibility, managers become freed to concentrate on strategy and the bigger picture. Instead of becoming enmeshed with day-to-day decision-making, managers can concentrate on strategic objectives, project planning, professional development, and customer-centric activities.

Empowering employees invigorates leadership by removing the stress of day-to-day management responsibilities.

Improved staff retention

Empowerment leads to greater employee satisfaction and improved staff retention in the workplace. The 2013 empirical study ‘Employee Empowerment and Job Satisfaction in the U.S. Federal Bureaucracy: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective’ found that empowerment practices (such as information sharing, access to job-related knowledge and skills, and discretion to change working practice) have a positive and sizeable effect on job satisfaction.

In a study of 19,700 exit interviews, the Saratoga Institute found that job dissatisfaction factors were among the top seven factors for people searching for a new job.

Clearly, people who are more satisfied at work are less likely to want to change jobs – and improving staff retention has an immediate and sizeable impact on the bottom line. The Society for Human Resource Management has calculated that replacing a member of staff costs an average of between six to nine month’s salary in recruitment and training costs. For an employee on a $50,000 salary, this is between $25,000 and $37,500.

According to the Work Institute, more than 41 million employees voluntarily left their jobs in 2018. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculating average salary as $48,672, poor staff retention is costing the U.S. economy an incredible $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion per year.

The disadvantages of employee empowerment

Lack of experience increases risk

While the handing down of responsibility promises to improve speed, agility and productivity, a concern is that decisions are now being made by less experienced and less expert personnel. This can increase the number of mistakes made and put reputation at risk.

The risk of work practices falling into chaos must be tackled by proper training, and by ensuring that supervisors maintain organizational standards. These standards must incorporate an organization’s values and beliefs: care must be taken that employees do not work in accordance with individual values that may be divergent to the corporate mission and vision. Effective employee development is crucial in mitigating these risks by providing the necessary resources, support, and opportunities for professional growth.

Potential for decreased efficiency

When people are given the autonomy to make their own decisions, those decisions cease to be uniform. This lack of coordination can lead to problems down the line.

It is also the case that autonomous employees may decide to work slower on days when they feel distracted or lack the energy to forge ahead. Where some workers are performing more productively than others, without being rewarded for doing so, internal friction can increase. If not dealt with, this can cause confrontation or a spiral to the bottom as all workers decide to work at the pace of the slowest and least productive team member.

Blurred relationships

Empowerment inevitably leads to a flatter, more streamlined management structure. The risk here is that professional relationships become blurred, and boundaries of authority become broken. This might require greater control over employees, not less.

Accountability issues may arise, leading to a blame culture that, if left unchecked, will lead to further discontent and an environment of mistrust. In such a situation, it is likely that employees will decide to take less responsibility for fear of repercussions should things go wrong.

Poor decision-making

If a team lacks the individuals with skills commensurate to the project, tasks and work required, decision-making will be poorer. This will be to the detriment of the organization, as poor solutions lead to decreasing productivity and internal conflict.

Overcoming Barriers to Empower Employees

Empowering employees is a crucial aspect of any organization’s success, but it can be challenging to implement. Several barriers can hinder the empowerment of employees, including lack of trust, inadequate communication, and insufficient training. To overcome these barriers, organizations must create a culture of trust, open communication, and continuous learning.

One way to build trust is to give employees autonomy and ownership of their work. This can be achieved by providing clear expectations and goals, and then giving employees the freedom to decide how to achieve them. Additionally, organisations should encourage open communication by creating a safe and supportive environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.

Another barrier to empowerment is inadequate training. Employees need the skills and knowledge to perform their jobs effectively, and organizations must provide them with the necessary training and development opportunities. This can include workshops, mentoring programs, and online courses.

Finally, organizations must recognize and reward empowered employees. This can be done through employee recognition programs, bonuses, and promotions. By recognizing and rewarding empowered employees, organizations can reinforce the behaviors and attitudes that lead to empowerment.

Empowered Employees in Action

Empowered employees are more productive, engaged, and motivated. They are also more likely to take ownership of their work and strive for excellence. Here are a few examples of empowered employees in action:

• A customer service representative who is empowered to make decisions and take action to resolve customer complaints. This employee is able to provide excellent customer service and resolve issues quickly and efficiently.
• A software developer who is empowered to design and develop new products and features. This employee is able to use their creativity and skills to create innovative solutions that meet customer needs.
• A sales representative who is empowered to negotiate prices and terms with customers. This employee is able to build strong relationships with customers and close deals that meet the company’s goals.

In each of these examples, the empowered employee is able to take ownership of their work and make decisions that drive results. They are also able to use their skills and creativity to innovate and improve processes.

How can you improve employee empowerment?

Empowering employees is a cultural issue. Organizations that promote an environment of trust, clear communication, delegation and accountability tend to be good at employee empowerment. Here are five key practices that will help your managers and leaders empower their employees.

1. Share your organisation’s vision

Clear communication of vision is central to embedding a sense of ownership in your workforce. People who understand the vision and how their work contributes to achieving that vision are more likely to feel a part of something rather than just another number on the staff rota.

2. Share more responsibility

Delegating responsibility for work that is designed to improve the capabilities of your employees helps them develop professionally. This will strengthen your team’s ability to work autonomously and lead to lesser need for direct management.

3. Stop micromanaging

People become stifled in their work when they are micromanaged. Instead of managing tasks, delegate the responsibility for them, setting expectations clearly and providing guidance on responsibility. Decisions will be made autonomously but in line with organizational needs.

4. Be open to input

Especially when engaging people in transformational change, being open to ideas and involving people in decision-making helps ensure employees feel empowered and brings out innovative thinking.

5.  Be constructive and recognize good performance

Ensure that you recognize people for their effort and good performance, providing positive and constructive feedback to aid continuous improvement. It’s important to be specific when giving feedback and to highlight how positive behaviours have had a positive impact on colleagues. Positive feedback and recognition encourage people to be more creative problem solvers.

The bottom line

Weighing up the pros and cons of employee empowerment, the potential benefits to individuals, teams and the organization are clear and tangible. The potential drawbacks can be controlled by good management techniques, including:

• Positive leadership
• Coaching, training, recognition, and rewards schemes
• An open and transparent communicative environment

Within a culture of employee empowerment, organizations will develop higher-performing teams that think for themselves, developing innovative solutions as they work toward shared goals – and not a robotic workforce consisting of people who do what their managers tell them and now more.

Emotional intelligence among leaders is also associated with the ability to embed a more empowered workforce, helping people to take the initiative and evaluate their own performance.

In short, if an empowerment strategy is well managed, your people will become partners in your success. They will become a transformative force that will jumpstart change and ensure the goals of your strategic vision are accomplished.

Complete this short Employee Experience Assessment to help identify the key areas you need to focus on as a company.

7 Strategies for Overcoming Resistance to Change in the Workplace

Organizational transformation is difficult

In today’s world, change is the only constant that surrounds us. In business, it’s no different. For employees, this can be difficult to manage and upsetting. When striving for a successful transformation we must consider the different perceptions of those initiating change, implementing it, and being impacted by it.

In this article, you’ll learn techniques to manage resistance to change more effectively. We explore the types of change, discuss what makes people react the way they do to transformational efforts, and describe strategic and tactical approaches to overcoming change resistance in the workplace.

Understanding Employee Resistance

What is Employee Resistance?

Employee resistance refers to the natural human tendency to oppose or resist changes in the workplace. It is a common phenomenon that can occur at individual, team, or organizational levels. Employee resistance can manifest in various ways, including decreased productivity, absenteeism, and negative attitudes towards the change. This resistance is often rooted in a fear of the unknown, a desire to maintain the status quo, or concerns about job security and personal impact.

Understanding employee resistance is crucial for any organization looking to implement change initiatives. By recognizing the signs of resistance early, such as a drop in morale or an increase in absenteeism, managers can take proactive steps to address concerns and foster a more supportive environment for change.

Why Does Employee Resistance Occur?

Employee resistance occurs due to a combination of psychological, emotional, and practical factors. Some of the common reasons for employee resistance include:

• Fear of the unknown: Employees may resist change because they are uncertain about the impact it will have on their job security, roles, or responsibilities. This fear can lead to anxiety and a reluctance to embrace new processes or technologies.
• Loss of control: Change can make employees feel that they are losing control over their work or environment. This perceived loss of autonomy can result in resistance as employees struggle to regain a sense of stability and control.
• Fear of failure: Employees may resist change because they are afraid of failing or not being able to adapt to new processes or technologies. This fear can be particularly strong if the change requires them to develop new skills or take on unfamiliar tasks.
• Lack of communication: Employees may resist change if they are not adequately informed about the reasons for the change, the benefits, and the impact on their work. Clear and transparent communication is essential to help employees understand and accept the change.
• Cultural or social factors: Employees may resist change if it challenges their cultural or social norms, values, or beliefs. This type of resistance can be particularly challenging to overcome, as it often involves deeply ingrained attitudes and behaviors.

By understanding these underlying causes of employee resistance, organizations can develop more effective strategies for managing resistance to change and fostering a more positive and supportive environment for change initiatives.

Creating collaborative teams with collective goals

A short while ago I discussed the challenges and attributes of high-performing teams. In modern organizations with flatter hierarchical structures, these high-impact teams are smaller, more agile, and themselves structured to benefit from individual specialization without regard for a ‘pecking order’. Even though these teams are designed to provide maximum flexibility in a constantly changing environment, it is likely that an organization will still experience resistance to change.

Overcoming resistance to change in the workplace doesn’t have to be a constant battle in a market environment where businesses are in constant flux. With a forward-looking and proactive strategy, resistance is first reduced and then eliminated.

Types of change: operational change vs social change

There are two facets to organizational transformation. The first is operational (or technical) and the second is social. Understanding the difference between the two is critical to managing resistance to change in an organization.

Within the organizational context, operational change can be explained as what we do and how we do it. For example, in an auto manufacturer a production worker may use a manual spanner to fit wheels to an axle. If that worker is then given a technologically advanced tool to do the job, that change is operational. Instead of using his strength to tighten the nut on the bolt, the worker uses different skills. He must learn these skills, but the operation is the same – fixing the wheel to the axle.

In such transformation, you may also witness social change – the way the worker interacts with others and the relationships they have. It is this type of change that evokes the most severe resistance to change.

Let’s consider that the auto worker is asked to do things differently. This involves him learning a new skill. However, the reporting line and responsibility remain unchanged. The worker is responsible for his routine. He remains responsible for reporting issues. He continues to liaise with the department’s manager. The only thing that is really changing is that the worker must learn a new technical skill to do the job he has always done. This may cause some resistance to change among those who are unsure of their ability to develop new skills, but there is no resulting social change.

Now, let’s consider that the worker is not only required to do things differently but also must adhere to imposed working routines and has a new line of report – to a supervisor rather than the senior manager as before. This is a social change that completely alters the perspective of the worker.

4 Reasons for Resistance to Change

In their work on resistance to change theory, John P. Kotter and Leonard A. Schlesinger concluded that there are four common situations in which people’s resistance to change germinates and grows:

1. Self-interest
2. Misunderstanding and lack of trust
3. Different evaluations
4. Low tolerance for change

Using our example of change, we can see how different types of resistance to change develop.

1. Self-interest

When someone believes they may lose something valuable as a result of the change, they are likely to resist the change. People focus on their own self-interests (every stakeholder has their own agenda) and not the best interests of the organization. Eventually this develops into group resistance to change.

In our example, the worker is losing his direct relationship with ‘the boss’. He feels that his voice is no longer heard, because of the new reporting line put in place. The worker will come up with reasons why the new way of doing things will not work, and small errors and any downtime will be blamed on the change.

2. Misunderstanding and lack of trust

A lack of understanding about the implications of the change is also a driver of resistance to change. An existing lack of trust between the manager initiating change and the workers expected to implement it exacerbates this misunderstanding.

For example, if the auto worker believes that the new technology he is being asked to use will reduce the time it takes to do the job, he may believe that his job is threatened – or that he will lose overtime and experience a cut in earnings – no matter what the manager says. Trust is crucial when making organizational change.

3. Different evaluations

This situation arises when people assess the impacts of transformation differently to their managers or others who initiate the change.

In our example, it may be that the manager initiating the change has access to information that the workers don’t have. The reorganization of reporting lines may be needed because of the need for closer collaboration with the engineering department. However, the workers on the shop floor view the change as another (unnecessary) layer of management and are suspicious that the supervisor’s real role is to micromanage the department as it prepares for redundancies.

4. Low tolerance for change

Some people fear change because they worry that they cannot develop the skills and abilities needed. This is particularly true of projects that require rapid change – the bigger and faster the change, the harder it is for people to come to terms with.

In the book ‘The Planning of Change’, authors Warren G. Bennis, Kenneth D. Benne, and Robert Chin also discuss how personality affects individual ability to cope with change – a theme that also runs through Peter Drucker’s theories on management.

The Change Curve

The Change Curve is another important model to consider when navigating organisational change. It highlights the emotional stages that individuals typically go through during the change process, from initial shock and denial to eventual acceptance and commitment. At the beginning of the curve, resistance is high as employees may feel uncertain or fearful about the change. As they move through the stages of frustration and depression, productivity often dips. However, with proper support and communication, employees begin to explore the benefits of the new approach, leading to gradual acceptance.

By the time they reach the final stage, commitment, employees are fully engaged, and the change becomes part of the organisation’s new way of working. Understanding this emotional journey helps leaders provide the right support at the right time, ensuring a smoother transition for everyone involved.

6 Strategies for overcoming resistance to change

Change can be a difficult process, but Kotter’s 8 Change Accelerators offer a framework to help organisations navigate it more effectively. By using these accelerators, leaders can address both the human and structural challenges that come with transformation.

For example, when a sense of urgency is created, people are motivated to take the first steps toward change. Without this urgency, complacency sets in, and efforts can stall. Building a guiding coalition is also essential – a diverse group of leaders is needed to champion the change, ensuring it is supported at every level. A clear vision must be formed to provide direction, allowing everyone to understand the goals and reasons behind the change. Employees across the organisation are then enlisted as part of a volunteer army to help drive the transformation.

When considering the strategies and techniques for reducing resistance to change, there are six broad areas in which organisations must operate.

1. Communication and education

Common issues that cause resistance to change include fear of the unknown and a misunderstanding of why change is needed.

People will only accept change if they believe the risk of doing nothing is higher than the risk of changing direction. Similarly, if people don’t understand why change is needed, they will question why you are changing something that they believe works well.

Communication and education about the change should begin before it is initiated. This will help your people to rationalize the change, and ensure that individuals and teams receive adequate information to make positive judgements, significantly influencing how much resistance to change will occur.

2. Participation

A lack of belief that the organization can make effective change leads to resistance to change. Likewise, when people aren’t consulted and change is forced upon them, there is likely to be more resistance. This is especially the case if people believe their jobs will be at risk.

It is critical that the stakeholders and those implementing change are involved in its design. A collaborative effort will engage people in the change, and in the identification of potential issues and solutions. People are far less likely to resist change that they have helped to create.

Many studies have shown that participation has wide-ranging positive effects during periods of organizational change. For example, a 2011 study (Change Recipients’ Reactions to Organizational Change: a 60-Year Review of Quantitative Studies) found that participation reduces resistance to change and leads to positive effects such as change readiness and acceptance, a sense of competence, a sense of control and better trust. Participation will reduce the stress that snaps your people’s desire to change.

Another participative strategy is to employ socialization, putting people before practice and ensuring that shared values crush resistance to change.

3. Support

Organizational transformation is usually accompanied by a change to routines, taking people out of (long-established) comfort zones. This may also lead to exhaustion, especially if the organization is subject to frequent change or business evolution.

Even if people appear to be accepting of change, it may be that they are simply resigned to it. Understanding how to overcome resistance to change is crucial; they must be given the support needed to enable new skills to be developed and ensure that change burnout does not become a reality.

Support requires managers to develop their emotional intelligence and connect with their people. Offering adequate support is also time-consuming, requiring trained managers and leaders to employ coaching tactics to be most effective when managing change in an organization.

4. Agreement

Resistance to change is also precipitated when people feel they will be negatively affected by its consequences. This may be because of a perception that their earnings or career potential will be harmed or that the rewards of the change are not worth the effort required.

To combat this type of resistance to change, an organization may consider offering incentives. Such incentives may include extra pay, improved benefits, or offering structured career plans. This strategy requires negotiation to reach agreement. The drawback is that such agreements can be expensive and do not guarantee engagement with change.

5. Co-opting

People become connected to the way that things have always been done. There are often strong emotional connections to processes and procedures that employees may have been at least partly responsible for developing. To bond with the old may require a Herculean effort.

One strategy is to co-opt those who may be most resistant to change into central roles in the implementation of change initiatives. This can gain the support of would-be resistors relatively cheaply, though it does come with a caveat – placing people who are deemed to be resistant to change in such positions could give them a position from which to influence greater resistance across a wider audience.

6. Coercion

Sometimes it is necessary to coerce people into accepting change. This is often the case where people feel they cannot learn the new skills needed or if they feel that change is a temporary fad that will be reversed.

Techniques for implementing change include wielding the threat of disciplinary action while insisting that people fall into line with required behaviors and actions. If speed of change is critical, coercion may be the only viable option.

A major drawback of this strategy is that it does not remove resistance to change, which may continue to bubble under the surface and result in a destructive atmosphere at a later date (particularly if the proposed transformation does not produce at least the outcomes promoted by the initiator of change).

Implementing Change

Implementing change in an organization requires a structured approach to overcome employee resistance. Here are some strategies to consider:

Communicate the reasons for change

Clearly communicate the reasons for the change, the benefits, and the impact on employees’ work. Transparency is key to building trust and helping employees understand the necessity of the change. Use multiple channels of communication, such as meetings, emails, and newsletters, to ensure that the message reaches everyone.

Involve employees in the change process

Encourage employee participation and involvement in the change process to build ownership and commitment. This can be done through workshops, focus groups, or feedback sessions. When employees feel that their opinions are valued and that they have a say in the change process, they are more likely to support the change.

Provide training and support

Provide adequate training and support to help employees adapt to the change and develop new skills. This can include formal training programs, on-the-job coaching, or access to online resources. Ensuring that employees have the tools and knowledge they need to succeed will reduce anxiety and resistance.

Address employee concerns

Address employee concerns and fears directly and provide reassurance and support. This can be done through one-on-one meetings, Q&A sessions, or anonymous feedback channels. By acknowledging and addressing concerns, managers can build trust and reduce resistance.

Celebrate successes

Celebrate successes and progress along the way to build momentum and reinforce positive behaviors. Recognize and reward employees who embrace the change and contribute to its success. Celebrations can be as simple as a team lunch or as formal as an awards ceremony.

Lead by example

Leaders and managers should model the behavior they expect from employees and demonstrate a positive attitude towards change. When leaders are visibly committed to the change and exhibit the desired behaviors, employees are more likely to follow suit.

By understanding employee resistance and implementing change in a structured and supportive way, organizations can overcome resistance and achieve successful change initiatives. This approach not only helps to minimize disruption but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability.

7 Tactics to overcome resistance to change

Having identified the causes (or potential causes) of resistance to change in your workplace and the strategic approaches that your organization should take to overcome this resistance, the next step is to consider specific tactics and techniques for reducing resistance to change that your organization and its managers can utilize to eventually eliminate that resistance.

Leadership is an organizational imperative when managing change, and leaders who inspire a cultural shift in their staff have the greatest success in managing resistance to change in an organization.

In a 2013 PwC survey, nearly two-thirds of staff surveyed felt that a top leader is in charge of change management, and almost half felt that top leaders should be in charge of cultural change.

The good news here is that the same number of people felt that cultural change is also their responsibility.

The bad news is that only 14% saw any responsibility for change management falling on their shoulders. The harsh reality is that effective change is determined by having in place a corporate culture conducive to continual transformation. It is here that inspirational leadership in flat hierarchical structures is, perhaps, at its most potent.

Here are seven techniques for overcoming resistance to change in the workplace and helping to embed engagement in your change process.

1. Structure the team to maximize its potential

After communicating the change initiative, consider the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.

In one-to-one sessions, establish how the team member is best suited to aiding with the change initiative, and consider ways in which it may help the individual improve personal weaknesses while simultaneously taking advantage of their strengths.

Give team members appropriate roles and responsibilities that use skills to their best advantage, while also providing the potential for personal and team development. Such a personal collaboration within the team effort will help engage each team member in the change effort.

2. Set challenging, achievable and engaging targets

Be clear in guidance about goals and targets. Break change projects into smaller milestones, and celebrate achievements. Goals should be progressive and in line with values and beliefs.

Don’t limit the creation of milestones and measurement of goal achievement to the overall effort. While these are important team milestones that will help to motivate the team to continue with maximum effort, it is also important that you consider individual progress. Seek ways to anchor personal development to the creation and continuation of team goals along the change journey.

3. Resolve conflicts quickly and effectively

Utilize the seven methods of care-fronting to regulate and control communicative breakdowns. Encourage openness and honesty and engender an environment of mutual trust and respect.

It is imperative to engender a good team spirit, so you should consider ways in which you can do so. During periods of change, tensions may run high and personal anxieties will be heightened. Team meetings and team bonding sessions will help your people to understand and appreciate their colleagues more easily, especially if you ensure transparency of communication and a systematic approach to problem solving that encourages frank exchange of view to reach a collective and collaborative partnership.

4. Show passion

Communicate passionately and be an example of belief in the future vision. When other people see leaders’ behaviors emulating those required by change, they more quickly come into line with the new behaviors and become change advocates themselves.

‘Where leaders tread, others follow’ is an apt edict for executives to live by. Only by being the change can you expect others to onboard the new values and behaviors expected.

5. Be persuasive

Engage employees in change by being an energized leader. Focus on opportunities, and persuade rather than assert authority. Share experiences as you persuade change through stories that focus on positive change.

Train your storytelling brain to discover ways to explain culture, brand and the future vision with similes that help employees relate to organizational motives and goals.

6. Empower innovation and creativity

Give opportunities for feedback and remain flexible as you alter course toward your change goals. Encourage people to be creative, to discover solutions to unfolding problems, and to become part of the change process.

Remove the fear of taking risks by framing failure as an experience from which to learn, and a necessary step on the path to success. Help people to be accountable for their own actions, while also encouraging collaboration across silos. This will aid pollination of innovative ideas in an environment in which people develop greater knowledge and expand their professional capacity to think more creatively.

7.  Remain positive and supportive

People find change unsettling, even though change is a constant in personal lives as well as professional environments. They will need the support of a positive leader who inspires free thought, honest communication and creativity, as personal and team development is encouraged.

Employees expect leaders to manage change. Inspirational leaders create a culture where change becomes the remit of all.

In Summary

Research has shown that resistance to change is a psychological and physiological reaction (“The Neuroscience of Leadership” by David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz). In short, you should expect resistance to change. Managing resistance to change requires you to first understand why people resist change, then identify the causes of their resistance, before considering your strategic approach and formulating the tactics and techniques for reducing resistance to change.

Equipping your leaders with a deeper understanding of the emotional effects of change is an essential first step. With better self-awareness and social awareness, leaders and managers are more able to inspire and influence through change – and develop a winning project change team.

How to Foster Purposeful Leadership

In my twenty-year career in the field of purposeful leadership, I have read, digested and repeated many quotations from leaders past and present. If I had to identify the one that has impacted me most it would be this:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom” – Viktor E. Frankl

There is so much depth and wisdom in Frankl’s words, especially when his personal experience is considered. Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist and a Holocaust survivor. He survived Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Kaufering and Turkheim. He was uppermost in my mind when I personally visited Auschwitz and Birkenau last month (June 2019). He was also uppermost in my mind when I chose to follow the footsteps of several of Primeast colleagues by enrolling to become a practitioner in The Leadership Circle, a powerful diagnostic to help leaders tap into the wisdom identified by Frankl.

The Leadership Circle is a 360 degree instrument to give leaders feedback on the extent they are creative (top half of the circle) or reactive (the bottom half). It is grounded in leadership research from not one but many respected sources. Having gone through the process as a participant, I can speak first-hand on the profound effect it had on me. But that’s another conversation that I’m very happy to have another day with interested parties.

The reason for writing this article is simply to make the connection between Frankl’s wisdom and this modern-day leadership development tool,emphasising the importance of understanding one’s leadership purpose.To what extent do we really make use of the space between stimulus and response?’

I am aware of the profound difference between being reactive (not using the space) and being creative (using the space).’ I catch myself frequently failing to use the space, reacting to stuff that happens, at work, at home, in restaurants, you name it. I also notice that, when I’m busy, the chances of ‘reacting’ are increased.

Let’s face it, in today’s busy world of work, is anyone not busy? Is there anyone that wouldn’t benefit from understanding their leadership gap (between reactive tendencies and creative capability)?

Understanding Purposeful Leadership

Purposeful leadership is more than just a management style; it’s a commitment to leading with a clear sense of direction and intent. Purposeful leaders are driven by a strong sense of purpose that guides their decision-making and behavior. They are not just focused on achieving business goals but are also dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of their employees and stakeholders.

These leaders inspire and motivate others by creating a positive organizational culture where everyone feels valued and engaged.

Research has shown that purposeful leadership is linked to numerous positive outcomes. Employees who work under purposeful leaders often exhibit higher levels of engagement and job satisfaction. This, in turn, leads to improved organizational performance. By fostering a sense of purpose within their teams, leaders can create an environment where everyone is working towards a common goal, resulting in a more cohesive and productive workplace.

Discovering Your Purpose as a Leader

Discovering your purpose is a deeply personal journey that requires introspection and a willingness to explore your core values and passions. It’s about understanding what drives you, what you stand for, and what you hope to achieve in your leadership role. Your purpose should resonate with your personal values and align with the organizational purpose, serving as a source of inspiration and motivation.

To embark on this journey, take time to reflect on your values, passions, and strengths. Ask yourself what kind of leader you want to be and what kind of impact you want to make. Seek feedback from trusted colleagues and mentors to gain insights into your strengths and areas for growth.

By aligning your purpose with your personal values and the broader organizational goals, you can lead with authenticity and make a positive difference.

Framework to use to discover your purpose as a leader

These steps provide a practical framework for leaders to discover their unique purpose, enabling them to lead with clarity, authenticity, and lasting impact.

1. Deep Self Reflection
   • Set aside dedicated time and space to think.
   • Reflect on your life experiences, key moments and personal achievements.
   • Ask yourself: What drives me? What do I stand for as a leader?
   • What impact do I want to have on others and the organization?
2. Clarify Your Core Values
   • What are your top values (e.g. integrity, growth, empathy, impact)?
   • When have you felt most fulfilled or proud — what values were present?
   • Write down 5-7 core values that describe you and how you lead.
3. Your Passions and Interests
   • What parts of work or life get you fired up?
   • What types of problems or challenges do you enjoy solving?
   • What am I naturally drawn to in my role as a leader?
4. Define Your Leadership
   • Imagine the type of leader you want to be and the legacy you want to leave.
   • What leadership qualities and characteristics do you most admire in others?
   • Write your personal vision for leadership in 3-5 sentences.
5. Your Strengths and Unique Abilities
   • Take an honest stock of your strengths, skills and natural talents.
   • Use self-assessment tools or ask for feedback from trusted colleagues, mentors or coaches.
   • Where do your skills and passions overlap — these are often clues to your purpose.
6. Seek Feedback and Perspective
   • Have open conversations with mentors, coaches and trusted colleagues.
   • Ask for feedback on your leadership style, strengths and areas for growth.
   • Use their feedback to challenge your own assumptions and discover blind spots.
7. Align with Organizational Purpose
   • How does your personal purpose support or align with the organization’s purpose?
   • How can you contribute to something bigger than yourself?
   • Where can you create more meaning and impact in your role.
8. Write a Personal Purpose Statement
   • Combine your values, passions and leadership identity into a purpose statement.
   • Make it simple, memorable and inspiring (e.g. “To inspire others to reach their full potential through empathy, courage and continuous learning”)
   • Review and refine this statement as you grow as a leader.
9. Live Your Purpose Daily
   • Live your purpose in your daily actions, behaviors and decisions.
   • Stay true to your values and purpose even in tough times or uncertainty.
   • Use your purpose as a “North Star” to guide your leadership journey.
10. Revisit and Evolve Your Purpose
    • Your purpose may change as you grow or as your role changes.
    • Review your purpose periodically and ask if it still aligns with your values and goals.
    • Let your purpose evolve as your leadership journey unfolds.

The Importance of Vulnerability for Purposeful Leaders

Vulnerability is a cornerstone of purposeful leadership. It involves being open, honest, and transparent, even when it feels uncomfortable. Vulnerable leaders create a safe and supportive environment where employees feel empowered to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback. This openness fosters trust, collaboration, and innovation, as team members feel valued and heard.

By embracing vulnerability, leaders can connect with their employees on a deeper level, understanding their needs and concerns more effectively. This connection enables leaders to make more informed decisions that benefit the entire organization. Vulnerability also demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn from mistakes, which can inspire others to do the same. In a culture of openness and empathy, everyone can contribute to the organization’s success.

Leading with Purpose

Leading with purpose means using your sense of purpose as a guiding star for your decision-making and behavior. Purposeful leaders are driven by a clear direction and are committed to making a positive difference. They inspire and motivate others by creating a positive organisational culture and making tough decisions that align with their purpose.

To lead with purpose, start by crafting a clear purpose statement that encapsulates your values and goals.

Use this statement to guide your decisions and actions, ensuring they align with your purpose. Communicate your purpose to your team, helping them understand the “why” behind your decisions. Additionally, prioritize your own well-being and development, recognising that your purpose is closely tied to your personal values and passions. By leading with a clear purpose, you can create a meaningful and impactful leadership journey.

Overcoming Challenges

Purposeful leaders often face significant challenges, from resistance to change to limited resources and conflicting priorities. To navigate these obstacles, leaders must be resilient, adaptable, and creative. They need to be willing to take risks, experiment with new approaches, and learn from their mistakes.

Staying focused on your purpose and values can help you overcome these challenges. By keeping your greater purpose in mind, you can make decisions that align with your long-term goals, even in the face of adversity. Inspire and motivate your team to work towards a common goal, creating a sense of collective purpose and direction. By overcoming challenges with resilience and creativity, purposeful leaders can make a lasting positive impact on their organizations and the people they lead.

Find out more about how Primeast services can support you and your organization to achieve greater success here: Leader and Leadership Development.

How to Improve Employee Experience Initiatives

Understanding Employee Experience

Employee experience is a multifaceted concept that encompasses the various interactions and perceptions an employee has with their organization throughout their tenure. It is a critical aspect of modern workplace culture, as it directly impacts employee engagement, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.

Definition of Employee Experience

Employee experience refers to the sum total of an employee’s interactions, perceptions, and feelings about their job, workplace, and employer. It includes every touchpoint, from the initial recruitment process to the exit interview, and encompasses various aspects such as company culture, technology, physical workspace, and employee benefits.

Importance of Employee Experience in the Workplace

Why is the employee experience so important? If the overall employee experience is good, then employees are likely to enjoy their job. Unhappy employees are likely to look for another job.

Employees who enjoy a great employee experience are more engaged at work. This translates into improved business outcomes: better innovation, customer satisfaction, and increased productivity ─ as well as an employer brand that attracts talent and produces higher profits.

The pandemic and the Great Resignation have accentuated the need for organizations to focus on crafting the employee experience and delivering moments that matter. It’s a wake-up call ─ an opportunity to deliver a renaissance that creates a more engaged, productive, cohesive, and loyal team.

Benefits of a Positive Employee Experience

A positive employee experience has numerous benefits that can significantly impact an organization’s bottom line. One of the main benefits is increase employee engagement.

Increased Employee Engagement

Engaged employees are more productive, motivated, and committed to their work. They are also more likely to provide excellent customer service, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. A positive employee experience is critical for driving employee engagement, as it creates a sense of belonging, purpose, and fulfillment among employees.

When employees feel valued, supported, and empowered, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. This, in turn, leads to improved productivity, better job performance, and increased employee retention. Moreover, engaged employees are more likely to become brand ambassadors, promoting the organization’s values and mission to customers, clients, and the wider community.

By prioritizing employee experience, organizations can create a positive and productive work culture that drives business success. It is essential to recognize that employee experience is not a one-time event but an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and attention. By investing in employee experience, organizations can reap numerous benefits, including increased employee engagement, improved productivity, and better customer satisfaction.

Three Steps to Improve the Effectiveness of Employee Experience in Employee Retention Programmes

Step #1: Set expectations

Employees have different expectations for their individual employee experiences. Each employee has a unique life, background, career goals, and personal values. People are motivated by factors that are personal to them, and influenced by their subjective experiences.

Employee engagement refers specifically to the level of involvement and commitment an employee has towards their work. It includes factors such as satisfaction, purpose, and alignment with organizational goals, and it ultimately impacts productivity and workforce well-being.

Therefore, it’s crucial that organizational leaders set realistic expectations on what is achievable within this context, and that these expectations align with business goals and the desire to retain employees more effectively to help achieve these goals.

At departmental and team level, managers should meet regularly with their employees to ensure that individual and team expectations align with those of the organization.

Step #2: Personalizing the day-to-day workplace experience

Within the approach laid out by an organization’s employee experience programme, managers must collaborate with their employees to deliver experiences that matter. Employee feedback is crucial in personalising workplace experiences, as it helps managers understand and act on the needs and preferences of their team. To do so, managers will need to:

Share information that helps employees see places to make improvements

First, identifying the tasks to be accomplished is key. Employee engagement surveys can be a valuable tool for gathering insights to help employees see areas for improvement. Breaking down work into small, manageable steps helps to clarify the scope. Second, having a process for managing and recording progress will allow employees to know where they stand and what is left to do. Lastly, allow employees autonomy to craft their work practices, enable risk-taking, and coach employees to learn from mistakes

Provide employees with a safe environment for discussions

It’s important for employees to feel safe when discussing sensitive subjects with others. To ensure this, it’s necessary to establish clear guidelines, encourage openness, and be transparent and honest in all communication.

Employee surveys can also be used to gather feedback in a safe and anonymous manner, providing valuable insights into the employee experience.

Provide a set of relevant choices to keep employees from being overwhelmed

One of the most crucial factors in retaining employees is to make sure they are happy and satisfied with their work. One way to do this is to provide them with a set of choices so that they are not overwhelmed by the experience ─ and to help them to tailor their employee experience so that it matches their needs and preferences.

Understanding the employee journey is essential to tailor experiences to match employee needs and preferences.

Step #3: Shape memories ─ both good and bad for a positive employee experience

Not all experiences will turn out as planned. There will be both good and bad moments. Therefore, it’s crucial that managers focus on shaping memories ─ reframing the negative and reinforcing the positive.

Measuring employee experience is essential to understand and improve employee experiences over time.

Communication is the key that unlocks the potential of workplace culture and employee experience programmes

Throughout each step, communication is crucial. It’s essential that leaders and managers understand teams and individuals to craft successful employee experiences. Therefore, employees must be given channels in which to express their opinions, perceptions, needs, and wants ─ and leaders must listen. Employee experience management is a dynamic process that requires ongoing investment and refinement throughout the employee lifecycle.

Managers must share information honestly, be courteous and attentive to feedback, provide support and guidance, and celebrate positive employee experiences.

6 Factors that affect the employee experience

As an organization builds back better, in its culture and work practices, it must consider these six factors that affect the employee experience it delivers:

1. Transparency and open communication to develop greater trust
2. The creation of a frictionless work environment that embeds digital experiences in a collaborative workflow
3. An organizational culture of inclusion and belonging
4. Leadership that promotes engagement of employees in an environment in which employees are recognized by management and peers
5. Learning and development opportunities, to help employees upskill and advance their careers
6. Corporate social responsibility

When an organization develops employee experience programmes that align with business goals and engage employees effectively, the benefits ripple throughout the organization ─ helping to gel teams, boost productivity, and improve employee retention.

Where do you start? Complete the Personal Values Assessment to get a comprehensive insight into your organizational culture – the insight that will help you make more effective decisions, and aid in alignment with team members and colleagues.

Values-Based Leadership & Finding Your Why

The Power of Purpose in Values Based Leadership

When you read Simon Sinek, ‘Find your why’’ becomes a rallying call to leaders and organizations that want to inspire the key attributes of alignment. These include trust, a shared vision, greater collaboration, focus, motivation, transparency, harmony, and much more. This is where core values-based leadership comes into play, aligning actions and decisions with personal values to foster a strong organisational culture. Leaders who embrace this approach are more likely to feel aligned with their purpose enhancing resilience during challenges and inspiration during opportunities.

Sinek’s theory of the Golden Circle encompasses three rings:

• • What: The outer ring – what you do or what you make. Everyone knows what they do.
  • How: The middle ring – how you do what you do. Some people know this
  • Why: The heart of the framework – describes why you do what you do. Very few know this.

Think about it. You know that your organization makes widgets. You have a good idea how these widgets are made. Now, do you know why your organization makes widgets?

What is Values-Based Leadership?

Values-based leadership is a powerful approach that enables leaders to align their actions with their core values, resulting in a positive impact on organisational culture and performance. It involves establishing a set of guiding principles that reflect the core values and beliefs of the organisation, which serve as a framework for decision-making and shape the behavior of employees.

By leading by example and embodying the principles they espouse, values-based leaders create a culture of trust, transparency, and authenticity, driving employee engagement, motivation, and productivity.

Values-based leadership impact on organizational culture

Values-based leadership has a significant impact on organizational culture, fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and authenticity. When leaders act in accordance with their core values, they demonstrate authenticity and integrity that employees can respect and trust. This leads to increased employee engagement and loyalty, as well as a more positive workplace culture.

Values-based leadership drives innovation and creativity by encouraging employees to think creatively and take risks, leading to a competitive advantage and increased success over the long term.

Leading by Example

Leading by example is a crucial aspect of values-based leadership. Leaders must be willing to hold themselves and others accountable for adhering to the guiding principles they have established. This involves being transparent, approachable, and open to feedback, as well as being willing to make tough decisions that align with the organization’s mission and values.

By leading by example, values-based leaders create a culture of accountability, responsibility, and integrity, inspiring employees to do the same.

Benefits of Values-Based Leadership

The benefits of values-based leadership are numerous. It fosters a culture of trust and transparency, driving employee engagement, motivation, and productivity. Values-based leadership also drives innovation and creativity, leading to a competitive advantage and increased success over the long term. It enables leaders to make authentic decisions that align with their personal values, leading to greater alignment and a sense of purpose.

By implementing values-based leadership, organisations can create a positive and supportive work culture, driving business success and sustainability.

Creating a Values-Driven Organization

Creating a values-driven organization requires a clear and consistent approach. Leaders must start by identifying their core values and communicating them clearly to employees. They must then provide opportunities for employees to share their thoughts and feedback on the values, and provide training and development opportunities to help employees understand and apply the values in practice.

By embedding values-based leadership into the organization’s culture, leaders can create a culture of trust, transparency, and authenticity, driving business success and sustainability.

To understand the challenges your organization faces, and the opportunities for change, complete the Primeast PrimeFocus™ assessment.

The importance of discovering your core values

What you do is probably not unique. If you differentiate your organization, or yourself, on what you do, it won’t be much different to a million other companies and people. You make widgets. So do companies all over the world. You lead a team. So do millions of others.

What you do is grey. It melts into the background. Very rarely will your job title excite and enthuse someone to hear more. “I’m a managing director,” does not make a crowd fall over themselves to learn more.

The same can be said about your ‘how’. Describing how you do something may be interesting, but it’s unlikely to be awe-inspiring. The manufacturing process is pretty much the same if you make clothes or shoes or cars – it’s a production line on which people work machines to turn raw materials into finished goods. Have you fallen asleep yet?

There are notable exceptions, of course. You could be a deep-sea diver whose next job is to travel into space to explore why the moon is rusting.

What makes you stand out is your why. Your purpose in life. The values that prompt you to do what you do and how you do it. Now that’s a story that people want to hear. When Simon Sinek says ‘Find your why’, he makes a big point.

Why you must discover your why for organizational culture and performance

‘Why?’ is the question that many find hard to answer. It’s there, but it is abstract. It’s a collection of ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs that a values-based leader embodies. Yet it is there. It connects who you are to what you do. It has huge power, too. It is what makes you unique and creates loyal employees, customers, partners, and other stakeholders.

The difficulty in explaining your why is its intangible nature. You can’t see it or touch it. When you discover your why as an individual, it will help you decide on the type of organisation you want to work for and the type of work you want to do. Genuine humility plays a crucial role in this discovery, allowing you to remain grounded and empathetic.

For organisations, being able to describe your why will help you identify the problems you want to solve, who you want to solve them for, and attract talent that aligns with your purpose.

Exploring your why

The question now is, how do you find your why through self reflection?

The starting point is to explore the reason you get up in the morning, the reason you go to work, the reason you do what you do. What is your story? It is that that will engage, excite, and inspire. Implement values-based leadership to ensure that your actions are aligned with your core values, helping you navigate challenges effectively.

This may sound an easy exercise, but only when you begin the discovery process will you learn how difficult finding your why can be. A partner is often essential. They will help you to identify the thread that connects your stories together, the experiences that have had most impact on you, and why your tangibles help you realise the intangible nature of your purpose.

Understanding your why will allow you to clarify your direction. It will give everything you do its purpose. It’s the reason why people are loyal to their manager and their employer. It’s the reason why customers don’t source their products based on price.

Start your journey to finding your why by completing this short Personal Values Assessment. Once you have your results, you can dive deeper with the ‘Understanding your Purpose’ free virtual workshop by Sarah Cave. Client Partner & Primeast Director, Sarah is an accredited coach and certified practitioner of the Leadership Circle™.

Inclusive vs Exclusive Leadership: Which Leader Are You?

Understanding Leadership Styles

Leadership styles are the approaches that leaders use to manage and motivate their teams. Among the various styles, two of the most prominent are inclusive and exclusive leadership. Inclusive leadership is characterized by valuing diversity and involving everyone in the decision-making process. This approach fosters a sense of belonging and encourages diverse perspectives, leading to more innovative solutions.

On the other hand, exclusive leadership focuses on top-down decision making, where the leader maintains control and authority. This style can be effective in situations requiring quick decisions and clear directives but may limit employee engagement and stifle creativity. Understanding the differences between inclusive vs exclusive leadership is crucial for making effective management decisions and fostering a positive workplace culture.

Ways to motivate employees in the workplace by leading appropriately

Two overarching styles of leadership are inclusive and exclusive, and good leaders know when and how to employ each style as they seek ways to motivate employees in the workplace. However, when a leader’s unconscious bias leads to ineffective exclusive leadership, the results on individual employees, teams and the organization can be devastating. Developing greater leadership skills, particularly in inclusive leadership, can significantly enhance a leader’s effectiveness and the overall performance of their teams.

Effective human resource management plays a crucial role in retaining highly qualified team members by fostering a sense of belonging and value.

In this article, you’ll learn the differences between exclusive and inclusive leadership and when you might decide to use each style. You’ll also learn how unconscious bias may be shaping your management decisions with unintended consequences.

What is exclusive leadership?

Exclusive leadership is autocratic in its nature, with the leader taking sole responsibility for decision making. While he or she may invite ideas and discussion, the final say is the word of the leader. In this style of leadership, the leader accepts full responsibility and accountability.

When examining ways to motivate employees in the workplace, exclusive leadership may not spring to mind. However, this style of leadership enables rapid decisions to be taken during periods of chaos or change. This said, autocratic leadership limits employee engagement and individual development during change, potentially increasing resistance to change and inhibiting the progress of a change project.

What is inclusive leadership?

Inclusive leadership encourages participation in decision making and problem solving. This democratic style allows employees to feel part of the problem-solving process. This feeling of being a part of something can aid employee motivation, and it aids inclusivity and diversity.

In an inclusive environment all employees feel accepted, irrespective of their cultural background. Highly inclusive leaders will employ an influencing strategy, providing coaching and mentorship as they encourage individuals and teams to embrace accountability. Essential leadership skills needed by inclusive leaders include:

• Energy and enthusiasm
• Integrity
• Humility
• High emotional intelligence

Being a highly inclusive leader is an extremely important skill that can significantly enhance leadership effectiveness and team dynamics.

Inclusive leaders will listen with focus, and they will speak openly and honestly. They will put people at ease, helping others to know that they are understood. They will be receptive to opinions and ideas, and seek to aid the personal development of their employees.

Inclusive leadership can motivate people to engage with collective goals and organizational vision, though it can also slow down decision making and the achievement of goals.

Characteristics of Inclusive Leaders

Inclusive leaders possess certain characteristics that set them apart from exclusive leaders. These traits include high emotional intelligence, empathy, open-mindedness, cultural intelligence, courage, and a strong commitment to inclusivity. Inclusive leaders are acutely aware of their own biases and actively work to minimize them. They create a culture of inclusion and diversity by being good listeners and making their employees feel valued and understood.

Inclusive leaders are not afraid to share the spotlight and give credit where it is due, recognising that their success is built on the contributions of their team. By fostering an environment where everyone feels accepted and appreciated, inclusive leaders drive higher levels of engagement and innovation.

The Benefits of Inclusive Leadership

Inclusive leadership offers numerous benefits, including higher levels of engagement, satisfaction, and productivity among team members. By involving everyone in the decision-making process, inclusive leadership fosters better collaboration and communication.

This approach values diversity and recognizes the unique perspectives and experiences that each person brings to the table, leading to more creative and effective solutions. Inclusive leadership is also better equipped to handle conflict and build strong relationships, promoting trust and cooperation among team members. Ultimately, inclusive leadership creates a more dynamic and resilient organization, capable of adapting to change and achieving long-term success.

Exclusion by unconscious bias

The feeling of being excluded can leave an employee questioning his or her ability, value and self-worth. It causes disengagement at work, and dissatisfaction with the boss – a direct consequence of which is an increase in staff turnover. It follows that good leaders turn to autocratic methods only when needed. However, unconscious bias can lead to unintended exclusive behaviours.

We all have biases, and most of us have subconscious people preferences that align with our own interests, perceived knowledge and expertise, status, background and outlook.

When a leader chooses to act exclusively, he or she makes conscious decisions and controls their actions. When exclusion is because of unconscious bias, there is no control over these actions. Unless a leader is able to identify and resist unconscious bias, then the damaging effects of unintended exclusiveness will persist and could cause potentially irretrievable damage to individuals and teams.

How do you eliminate unconscious bias toward exclusive leadership?

Inclusive leadership styles motivate employees and encourage greater employee engagement. It is, therefore, a goal for most leaders, especially in today’s flatter organizational hierarchies. An inclusive leader actively involves team members in decision-making processes and values diverse perspectives. But if your leaders don’t know that they are being exclusive, how do you put them in control of their actions so that their leadership behaviour is appropriate in all circumstances?

The answer is to help your leaders become more self-aware. By developing an understanding of their own values, actions and reactions, leaders will be better able to employ an unbiased, democratic style as they:

• Listen to the opinions of all individuals
• Treat every employee with equivalent empathy, and appreciate differences of opinion
• Lead by coaching and mentoring, with the aim of developing all team members to reach their potential
• Communicate transparently, in an environment that encourages people to be open and honest
• Offer opportunities for people to take responsibility and work on their own personal development

Developing Inclusive Leadership Skills

Developing inclusive leadership skills is essential for effective management and fostering a positive workplace culture. Inclusive leadership is a learnable skill, and leaders can enhance their emotional intelligence and influence through targeted training and development programs. By developing cultural intelligence, leaders can better appreciate and leverage the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of their team members.

Additionally, inclusive leaders must cultivate courage and commitment to creating an inclusive environment, as well as open-mindedness to consider different viewpoints and ideas. By continuously working on these skills, leaders can become more inclusive and effective, driving better outcomes for their teams and organizations.

For further insight into how to develop your leaders and eliminate their unconscious bias, contact Primeast today. We’ll help you discover how our Management Development Series could help your managers and leaders become more emotionally intelligent and better influence performance.

Developing Leadership from Employee Value Propositions

What is an Employee Value Proposition?

An Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is a statement that defines the unique benefits, rewards, and values that an employer offers to its employees in return for their skills, experience, and commitment. It is a promise that outlines what an employee can expect from working for an organization, including opportunities for growth, development, and well-being.

A strong EVP is essential for attracting and retaining top talent, as it sets an organization apart from its competitors and provides a clear understanding of what it means to work for the company.

Learning Organizational Leadership from Employee Value Proposition Examples

It’s no secret that energized employees perform at their peak, and employees who feel disengaged can be a destructive element that no employer wants. As part of engagement strategy, organizations are finding that a strong and sustainable employee value proposition is invaluable. Here I look at two different employee value proposition examples before describing the steps to creating an organizational environment that emulates the best employee value proposition examples.

Why a Strong Employee Value Proposition is Important

A strong Employee Value Proposition (EVP) offers numerous benefits to an organisation, including:

• Attracting and retaining top talent: A clear and compelling EVP helps to differentiate an organization from its competitors and attracts the best candidates.
• Improved employee engagement: When employees understand the value they bring to an organization and what they can expect in return, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated.
• Increased productivity: A strong EVP can lead to increased productivity, as employees are more focused on their work and more committed to the organization.
• Reduced turnover: A well-defined EVP can help to reduce turnover, as employees are more likely to stay with an organization that offers them a clear understanding of what they can expect.

Key Components of an Employee Value Proposition

A strong Employee Value Proposition (EVP) typically includes several key components, including:

• Compensation and benefits: A clear understanding of what an employee can expect in terms of salary, benefits, and rewards.
• Career development: Opportunities for growth, development, and advancement within the organization.
• Work-life balance: A commitment to supporting employees’ personal and professional well-being.
• Company culture: A clear understanding of the organization’s values, mission, and culture.
• Recognition and rewards: A system for recognizing and rewarding employees’ contributions and achievements.

By including these key components, an organization can create a strong EVP that attracts and retains top talent, improves employee engagement, and drives business success.

Employee value proposition examples in action

An effective employee value proposition will act as a magnet to the best talent, and help retain them. If your company is finding it difficult to hire top people, or is losing its best people to competitors, it could be that you need to look inward and reassess your employee value proposition.

When TNT Express found itself losing out in the talent employment race, it did exactly this. It canvassed employees and asked why they felt disengaged. From these results senior management on-boarded middle management to align these employee wishes with the organization’s strategy, culture, and investment in human capital management. It is crucial to address the needs of both potential and current employees to create a compelling EVP. In its study, the factors identified as important to employees included:

• Health benefits
• Vacation benefits
• Manager quality
• Communication
• Respect

Among almost all employee groups surveyed, compensation came some distance behind other factors identified as important. TNT referenced its developing employee value proposition to three of these elements that most aligned with its strategy. Prime of these was the quality of its leaders and the methods and depths of communication within the company.

Netflix created an open and inviting culture as its employee value proposition (EVP), as perhaps you would expect. It emphasizes that it values diversity in the workforce, and empowers employees with freedom and responsibility. It doesn’t have a vacation policy. Nor does it dictate on clothing, and its policy on expenses is simple: “Act in Netflix’s best interests.”

The company also encourages its people to consider the long-term view, with a strategy that engages employees in their own career development.

How can you profit from employee value proposition examples?

Excellent and sustainable employee value propositions do not come about by accident. High annual employee turnover can lead to significant financial losses, making it crucial to develop an effective EVP. Both TNT and Netflix took deliberate action to create a uniqueness of company brand that appeals to top talent and then retained them. Here are four steps to create your organisation’s unique EVP:

1.     Think Strategically

Whether purposefully or not, your organization does have an EVP, even if it has not been formalized or strategized. In order to create a progressive EVP, think strategically and involve employees in discussions, as TNT did:

• Instigate employee surveys
• Align the EVP with organizational values
• Communicate with employees

2.     Integrate the EVP strategy with leadership and rewards

With the EVP formalized, create a set of objectives to deliver on the promise of the EVP. A compelling EVP can significantly decrease annual employee turnover by attracting the right talent and retaining employees. The elements in the EVP will identify with employee competencies, human capital management practices, career path progression, and compensation.

3.     Communicate the EVP and deliver the internal brand

At this step, the own employee value proposition (EVP) is fully aligned on a companywide basis, and it is now time for strong leadership to engage employees in an environment of mutual trust. It’s now time to discuss strategy in an open and transparent communication style, engaging employees in the process of creating and delivering an internal brand aimed at retaining top talent.

4.     Remain unique in the competitive marketplace

Even within organizations, different segments will have different needs and these can now be defined at micro-levels. Use this increased knowledge to be unique in the marketplace and gain an advantage over competitors.

To benefit from an EVP, take a page out of the TNT and Netflix books and:

• Understand your people;
• Define the value-added rewards based upon this knowledge;
• Deliver those rewards; and
• Communicate continuously

Contact Primeast today to discuss our Management Development Series, including our Energy Leadership Program, which helps develop high-performing managers into inspirational leaders.

7 Traits Used by Leaders to Affirm Culture

Define cultural expectations to design leadership behavior

Wherever you go and whatever you do, there are unwritten codes that determine acceptable behaviors. You will dress differently when you attend a charity ball to the clothes you wear for a family barbecue. Depending on the situation and circumstances, you will act differently, too. Take the example of a family gathering again: acceptable behavior will be different at a funeral when compared to a wedding, even though the same people may be in attendance.

Social expectations extend to the world of work, and the unwritten code that determines acceptable behavior in the workplace is known as organizational culture.

If such expectations are unwritten, how do we convey them to our people? The answer lies within organizational behaviors, and displaying “how things are done around here”. If everyone arrives for work in a suit and tie, it doesn’t take long for a newcomer to understand that the company operates a formal dress code, even if it is not explicitly stated in the employee’s contract.

In this article, you’ll learn about the seven organizational culture characteristics that your leaders should embrace to determine how they inspire action from their people.

Organizational culture and the expectations of leadership

Organizational culture can be defined as the personality of an organization. It is its unique characteristics, enveloped in its values and beliefs, and the shared goals of its people. It defines how its people act internally and externally. There are seven distinct characteristics of organizational culture:

1. Innovation
2. Attention to detail
3. Emphasis on results
4. Emphasis on human capital
5. Promotion of teamwork
6. Competitive nature
7. Stability

Every organization will value these characteristics differently. It is the combination of these values that gives an organization its unique culture. Employees will adjust their behaviors to match those that are expected of them via their perceptions of organizational culture.

How do people compose perceptions of acceptable behavior and organizational culture? By observing how others around them act. In this context, the way in which an organization’s leaders act has a significant influence on these perceptions. We see the evidence of this in behavioral leadership theory. It is therefore imperative that an organization ensures its leaders act to affirm the organizational culture, for their actions will directly influence the behaviors of its people.

How can your leaders affirm your organizational culture?

Leaders must act in line with organizational culture. They must perform how they expect their people to perform. To ensure your leaders inspire action in line with your organizational culture, you must ensure that they understand how your organization treats each characteristic of culture. You’ll need to define your organization’s approach to:

1.     Innovation

To what degree are employees encouraged to take risks, seek creative solutions, and be innovative in their roles?

2.     Attention to detail

Are employees expected to work precisely, and what are the metrics of attention to detail?

3.     Emphasis on results

Is your organization all about the results, or the journey to achieve them? What emphasis is placed on process versus outcome?

4.     Emphasis on human capital

What emphasis does your organization place on people’s wellbeing at work? Does it consider individual success and career progression as important corporate goals?

5.     Promotion of teamwork

How does your organization expect people to work in teams? Are all activities team-based, or are people expected to work autonomously?

6.     Competitive nature

Does your organization expect its people to be aggressively competitive in its markets, and internally? Or does it encourage a more easygoing and relaxed way of working?

7.     Stability

This is the degree to which your organization seeks to promote continuous change versus the emphasis it places on maintaining the status quo.

Once these seven cultural characteristics have been defined, you can coach your leaders to understand them and portray them in their own actions. By matching organizational culture with his or her own leadership traits, a leader will be the conduit that affirms organizational culture and inspires appropriate action of employees.

Contact Primeast today to discuss our Management Development Series, including our Energy Leadership Program, which helps develop high-performing managers into inspirational leaders.

How to Build Trust in a Team: 7 Leadership Traits

What is Trust in the Workplace?

Trust in the workplace refers to the feeling of confidence and reliance that employees have in their leaders, colleagues, and organization as a whole. It is the foundation of a positive and productive work environment, where employees feel valued, respected, and supported. Trust is essential for building strong relationships, fostering open communication, and promoting collaboration and teamwork. When employees trust their leaders and colleagues, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and committed to achieving the organization’s goals.

According to Harvard Business Review, trust is a key element that underpins success at work. People who work in high-trust organizations report greater engagement, productivity, energy, and satisfaction. They have less stress, fewer sick days, and less burnout. Building trust in the workplace is critical for business leaders who want to improve employee engagement, increase productivity, and drive business success.

Creating engaged employees to improve employee engagement

There appears to be a backlash against all authority in the modern world. Governments and media have been roundly attacked, with the public rallying against ‘the establishment’. People simply don’t trust government and media to do the right thing.

If the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer is correct, business could be next in line to face the backlash caused by mistrust. Almost two-thirds of the 33,000 survey respondents said that CEOs are ‘not at all’ or ‘only somewhat’ credible.

In this article, I explore the trait approach to leadership by outlining seven key traits that create trust.

The importance of building trust in business

The importance of building trust in business

The most successful relationships are those founded on trust. When trust disappears, resistance to change in the workplace increases. Collaboration is replaced by corporate infighting. Confidence is replaced by uncertainty. Innovation is replaced by stagnation. Trust is central to business success and longevity.

By employing the 7 traits in their approach to leadership, C-level executives will secure the trust of their employees. That’s good for morale, good for individual and team motivation, and good for the business.

The following seven key leadership traits will help you to develop and maintain trust in the workplace: Maintaining trust is a crucial factor for fostering a culture of honesty and respect among employees.

1. Communicate openly and effectively by listening first

The first rule of conscious communication is to foster an environment where team members can communicate openly during one-on-one meetings and team interactions. Learn to listen to what is being said, both verbally and non-verbally. Discover what they consider to be the most important issues and concerns, and address them individually and collectively.

2. Show that you trust your people

Let go a little, or, better still, a lot. Show your people that you trust in their judgement and their capabilities by allowing them to hold the reins. Back them to perform. Encourage them to be creative. Help them to succeed in the challenges you set. Fostering genuine relationships with employees by extending empathy and understanding is crucial. If the going gets tough or they fail in a task, instead of criticising, help them to learn and improve.

3. Encourage transparency

Promote transparency in the workplace by sharing your ideas and values. Acknowledge that leaders may not have all the answers at all times but expressing uncertainty and willingness to find out information builds trust with employees. Be enthusiastic to do so, and let your people know what it takes to succeed. Explain the future vision of the organisation, and create an environment of engagement.

Be positive about yourself, the organization, its people, and opportunities for advancement. This energy will help to sustain dialogues, encourage innovation, and reduce staff turnover.

4. Be interested in your people

Your employees’ lives do not revolve around work. They have families, interests and hobbies that are of far greater importance. Show that you are genuinely interested in your employees as people, and that you understand that their home lives impact on work, and vice versa.

Support them in what they do outside of work. Mutual respect is a fundamental element of trust within teams and workplaces. Be sympathetic to their personal situation. An hour of empathy can win you a lifetime of loyalty.

5. Be a career advancer for professional growth

Show that you care about your employees’ professional lives as well as their personal lives by helping them to advance. Ask what they want, where they want to go, what type of work they feel they would be best suited to. Understand their motivations, and create a plan of action to help them achieve their personal goals. Meet and review progress regularly, and evolve the action plan to suit them.

6. Always do what you say you will

Nothing destroys trust more than going back on your word. Ensure you follow through on promises made. Of course, there may be times when circumstances change. If this is the case, communicate the change to your people, explain how and why plans have changed, and how this affects the delivery of your promise. They will understand. Whatever you do, don’t leave them in the dark. Building team trust is a foundational element for success in the workplace, enhancing collaboration, increasing productivity, and promoting a positive work environment.

7. Say “Thank you”

Show your people that you value their time and contribution. Say “Thank you”. Demonstrate your gratitude with a small gift – a meal at their favourite restaurant, a book by their favourite author, or a half-day holiday so they can watch their children in their first school play. You’re interested in your people and what makes them tick – what better way of showing your appreciation than a personalized thank you? Emphasizing team building trust is crucial as it enhances collaboration and cooperation among members, fostering open communication and creativity.

Creating a Culture of Trust

Team Meetings and Communication

Team meetings and communication are essential for building trust in the workplace. Regular team meetings provide a platform for employees to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback, and for leaders to communicate the organization’s vision, goals, and expectations. When team members feel heard and valued, they are more likely to trust their leaders and colleagues.

To create a culture of trust, leaders should prioritize open and transparent communication. This includes sharing information, providing feedback, and actively listening to employees. Team meetings should be structured to encourage participation, collaboration, and problem-solving. By fostering a culture of open communication, leaders can build trust and promote a positive and productive work environment.

Psychological Safety and Inclusion

Psychological safety is a critical component of a culture of trust. It refers to the feeling of safety and security that employees have when sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback without fear of judgment or retribution. When employees feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to take risks, innovate, and collaborate with their colleagues.

Inclusive leadership is also essential for building trust in the workplace. Leaders should prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, and create a work environment that values and respects all employees. This includes promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives, providing training and development opportunities, and addressing biases and microaggressions. By creating a culture of inclusion, leaders can build trust and promote a positive and productive work environment.

By prioritizing team meetings and communication, psychological safety, and inclusion, leaders can create a culture of trust that drives business success and promotes employee engagement and well-being.

Contact Primeast today to discover how growing your emotional intelligence will provide the skills needed to inspire a fully empowered and engaged workforce.

7 Ways to Build Collaborative Leadership

More so today than at any other time in history, businesses that foster a collaborative environment are winning the race to competitive advantage. In fact, the evolution to a flatter, less hierarchical structure can be seen at all levels of society:

• Families are more likely to have a family meeting to decide upon important issues than to toe the line as dictated by the ‘head of the family’
• Increasingly, people are helping to formulate discussion in government through online petitions
• Even in the publishing world, the growth of self-publishing and e-readers has empowered people to choose what to read rather than be told what to read by big publishing houses

The benefits of a collaborative leadership approach

A more collaborative approach to leadership in the organizational environment has several advantages and benefits, including:

• With decision-making jointly owned, so too is the organization. This sense of ownership encourages greater commitment to the common goal. A 2014 Stanford Study found that collaboration leads to people sticking to a task 64% longer than those undertaking a task alone.
• Greater willingness to accept responsibility.
• A more open and honest environment where ideas and views are discussed freely.
• Greater flow of ideas and information producing more informed decision-making and comprehensive solutions.
• Better teamwork across the entire organization with elimination of internal destructive competitiveness. In fact, according to a study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity at Babson College, companies that promote collaborative working are five times more likely to be high performing than those that don’t.
• Leaders of the future are more easily identified from within, reducing cost and ensuring leadership continuity.

In an environment of collaborative leadership, organizational change is more easily affected and creates a more caring business. However, shifting to an organizational philosophy that benefits from all the advantages of the collaborative leadership approach takes time and effort. You may also find some resistance (some people may be resentful at the ‘delegation of leadership duties’). Collaborative leaders will need to be adept at conflict resolution (care-fronting instead of confronting, for example) to arrive at solutions acceptable to all.

What characteristics do collaborative leaders have in common?

In a study of 55 organizations, researchers identified five characteristics that all successful leaders enable:

1.     Leaders sponsor collaboration

It is crucial that leaders lead by example, supporting collaboration and making it a core value of the organization. Whatever the size of your organization, it is essential that your leaders generate a perception of collaboration from the top down, instilling it as a shared vision with benefits for all.

2.     Leaders and managers coach actively

The art of collaboration is to embed a culture in which knowledge and experience is shared. However, the study found that collaboration was higher in those organizations which had less formal mentorship and coaching programs. Where leaders and managers are active in establishing ongoing coaching and mentorship because it is something that they want to do rather than something that they must do, collaboration improves within teams and across the organization.

3.     Collaborative leaders build a community

When people feel connected, collaboration improves. Building a community within an organization requires deep thought and planning. It transcends all cultural elements, from leaders managing by example, to communication tools and practices, and even to how you design your building. For those organizations with a high number of remote workers, collaboration tools should enable people to meet at a ‘virtual water cooler’.

4.     Leaders are relationship- and task-oriented

Leaders must communicate tasks clearly, and when doing so they must clarify roles and responsibilities. The collaboration process starts here, by empowering people to discuss their roles and develop a joint approach to moving forward.

However, collaboration relies on relationships. Therefore, collaboration is inspired best by leaders who are good at developing and maintaining relationships with their people and creating the environment in which colleagues develop close working relationships.

5.     Roles are defined clearly, tasks are ambiguous

Although it sounds counterintuitive, the research found that people collaborate better when their roles are clearly defined and accompanied with task ambiguity. This engenders collaboration as understanding of the task improves and people work together to overcome challenges and create shared solutions.

Role clarity reduces friction, as people work together to complete tasks that need to be done.

Resetting your organization for collaborative leadership

Here are seven tips to build an environment that embodies these characteristics of collaborative leadership within your organization:

1.     Build a bridge of trust

Without trust, the collaborative leadership approach will fail. This is the first area in which the leader must lead. Trust is a two-way street, and people who are trusted tend to trust. Encourage your leaders to have trust in their people.

Even in globally remote organizations, leaders can develop trust. Communication is the key here, and it is essential that leaders understand:

• How people with different cultures communicate
• That there are differences in cultural values
• That effective communication styles must be developed

Organisations must agree communication standards, such as acceptable communication methods and how meetings must be conducted, how conflicts will be resolved, and the decision-making process.

An effective way to kickstart the trust building process is to send a motivational email. An example of this is the email that Howard Shultz sent to all 190,000 Starbucks staff in response to a hefty fall in the stock market. He explained that the company’s plans would not be affected by the decline in the stock price, and cited reasons to be confident in the company’s future. He signed off, “I believe in you and have never been prouder to be your partner.”

2.     Encourage the adoption of a shared purpose

There are many challenges that face leaders today, including the challenges of leading multigenerational organizations. Many of these challenges have their roots in the differences between generational values, which can develop into workplace relationship issues.

Leaders no longer lead by command and control. Instead they encourage the adoption of shared values and visions as a motivator of performance. The collaborative leader communicates the future vision through commitment to it. He or she is passionate about the organization’s values and mission and that passion permeates across a flatter organizational structure.

3.     Develop diversity

Collaborative leadership encourages everyone to participate in problem solving, and diverse teams produce more meaningful and long-lasting solutions to problems. The collaborative organization benefits from a range of views, skills, experience and ideas from people working toward the common goal.

However, developing diversity does not simply happen. Organisations must identify opportunities to improve diversity, and leaders and managers must encourage diverse workforces to collaborate effectively. Employing diversity icebreakers will help to develop understanding and encourage inclusivity.

Managers should also be coached to help their employees understand that colleagues from different cultures have different behaviors, thoughts, assumptions and values. These cultural characteristics are, of course, among the strengths of diverse teams – but they must be harnessed effectively.

(Read our article ‘6 Reasons Why Successful Change Hinges on Cultural Diversity’ for more insight into the power of workplace diversity.)

4.     Accept and encourage initiative

Leaders show initiative, and encouraging ownership of problems and their solutions is to encourage initiative. Accept that people should take calculated risks. Encourage creativity and self-improvement. People want to make their jobs as easy as possible. Accept that a degree of risk-taking is necessary to drive change for the better.

One area in which employees excel when initiative is encouraged is sales. When salespeople are allowed to act outside a rigid formula, you’ll find that they are better able to create a collaborative partnership with their customers. Instead of selling the features of the product, your salespeople will sell to beliefs, values, feelings and need. Trust will develop faster and grow stronger, and sales numbers will follow.

5.     Be information sharers, not information hoarders

Flatten the hierarchy by sharing information across all organizational functionalities. Involve people with information and you encourage ownership and collaboration. Your organization will become more adept at change and better at decision-making. Information is no longer power, but rather a tool of inspirational leadership. Share information and you build trust, openness and honesty.

6.     Create transparency in decision-making

Collaborative leadership requires the sharing of information and responsibility. This empowers an organization’s people to contribute to the decision-making process. Collaborative decision-making leads to commitment to implement discovered solutions. Less time is wasted in conflict management, and more energy is focused on understanding the challenges that influence the business. Transparency of decision-making leads to buy-in and acceptance of responsibility for effectiveness of solutions.

To educate and engage with their employees, leaders must include all team members in a joint effort toward a common goal. Key strategies to develop collaboration include transparency, compassionate communication, and building networks. Such strategies help to break down traditional organizational hierarchies and help develop the sense of the shared ownership that creates collaborative teams.

7.     Understand that conflict can be constructive

Diversity will inevitably lead to conflict. Create an environment where constructive conflict is accepted as part of the decision-making process. This conflict must be managed, and will then inevitably lead to greater insight as feedback is sought and given. Constructive conflict will aid creativity, innovation, and problem solving.

Collaborative leaders understand that people handle conflict in different ways. These conflict management techniques are:

• Avoidance
• Competition
• Accommodation
• Compromise
• Collaboration

The best of these approaches is collaboration, though it must be facilitated by the manager. Doing so successfully requires elevated emotional awareness – to know others (and gauge and manage response), you must first know yourself.

For details of the Forward Focus Management Development Series, contact us today and discover how collaborative leadership will drive your competitive advantage through the 21^st century.

Creating a Narrative That Resonates

7 steps to ensure storytelling inspires your organization to achieve its potential

As we’ve established in previous articles, and as is apparent within market-leading organizations around the world, leaders cannot simply order their people to be innovative, or motivated, or to love their jobs. Instead, the new leadership imperative is to embody an influencing style to engage employees. In this context, organizations are learning how creating a narrative that resonates inspires, sets the vision, defines corporate culture, and encourages progress toward collective goals.

To unlock this potential, leaders must develop narrative skills. It’s not a competency that is included in the standard management degree.

In this article, you’ll learn how organizations and leaders can engage and influence their people by using storytelling.

Why does storytelling work as a leadership technique?

People respond to telling stories, provided it is executed effectively. Creating engaging narratives is an essential aid to overcome every leadership challenge. For example:

• It’s essential when influence is needed to engage people in transformational change
• It helps to overcome sensitive situations, resolve conflicts, and manage diversity
• It’s a powerful technique when giving feedback and providing coaching
• It encourages creativity and innovation

What makes a good narrative?

A narrative doesn’t just happen. It must be considered, shaped and refined before it can be used effectively. A story must be relevant to the intended audience, and:

• Be easy to understand – aiding memorability
• Include humour, discomfort, or happiness – elements that create emotion
• Be genuine and truthful – believed by the teller, and real for the listener

Creating tension within the rising action of a narrative arc is crucial for enhancing excitement and engagement.

Effective narratives will answer the questions of why, what, and how. Why are we here? What is our potential? How can we reach that potential?

The Power of Strategic Narrative

A strategic narrative has the power to transform a brand, organization, or individual by creating a compelling story that resonates deeply with its audience. By crafting a narrative that is authentic, engaging, and relevant, a brand can establish a strong emotional connection with its customers, employees, and stakeholders. This emotional connection is crucial as it fosters loyalty and advocacy, making people feel a part of something bigger.

A well-crafted strategic narrative can also help to differentiate a brand from its competitors. In a crowded marketplace, a unique and compelling story can set a brand apart, creating a sense of purpose and direction that drives business results. A strategic narrative can create a sense of urgency and momentum, motivating people to take action and work towards a common goal. By telling a story that is both inspiring and authentic, a brand can build a sense of belonging and community, which is essential for long-term success.

Structuring a Narrative

Structuring a narrative is a critical component of creating a compelling story. A well-structured narrative typically includes a beginning, middle, and end, and is often driven by a central conflict or challenge. This structure helps to create a coherent and engaging story that keeps the audience interested from start to finish.

The narrative structure should include a clear inciting incident that sets the story in motion, followed by rising action that builds tension and leads to the climax. The climax is the turning point of the story, where the central conflict reaches its peak. Finally, the resolution ties up the loose ends and provides a satisfying conclusion.

A good narrative structure should also include a clear character arc, which shows how the main character changes and grows over the course of the story. This can be achieved through character development, which involves creating a rich and nuanced character that audiences can relate to and root for. By focusing on the character arc and development, you can create a story that is not only compelling but also emotionally resonant.

Developing narrative skills to navigate storytelling roadblocks

There are two major roadblocks that stand in the way of leadership narratives. The first is having no stories to tell, and the second is not having the ability to tell them effectively. Utilising a narrative framework can help leaders structure their storytelling process effectively.

The following seven steps will help leaders to develop the narrative skills they require to tell effective stories and inspire their people to greatness.

1.    Gather stories

Listen for stories, observe situations, and pay attention to everything around you. Write down those events that can be used to teach.

2.    Set the story with context

Before telling your story, consider why the listener needs to hear it. What lesson do you want to impart, and how will it achieve that aim?

3.    Use the power of analogies

Explain the story or components of it by comparing to the current situation to clarify how it relates.

4.  Make a story resonate by creating an emotional connection

People make decisions based mostly on emotion, only rationalizing that decision later. Stories appeal to listeners when they appeal to their emotional side.

5.    Make your story specific and brief

Don’t wander off the beaten track, adding subplots, inventing characters, etc. Keep it specific and to the point, and no longer than three or four minutes. This makes it more interesting and easier to remember.

6.    Trigger continued interest with surprise

A surprise or two along the way makes a story more memorable.

7.    Create a participative narrative

Use storytelling to encourage the building of experience. Is there a way in which you can shape your story into a coaching event, encouraging participation and learning by experience?

Creating a Narrative Strategy

Creating a narrative strategy involves developing a clear and compelling story that aligns with a brand’s goals and objectives. This process starts with identifying the key elements of the narrative, including the main character, central conflict, and narrative structure. By defining these elements, you can create a cohesive and engaging story that resonates with your audience.

A narrative strategy should also take into account the audience and the channels through which the story will be told. Understanding the audience’s needs, desires, and pain points is crucial for crafting a story that resonates with them. This involves conducting research and gathering insights to ensure that the narrative is relevant and engaging.

A good narrative strategy should also be flexible and adaptable, allowing for adjustments and changes as the story evolves. This involves being open to feedback and willing to make changes to the narrative as needed. By creating a narrative strategy that is authentic, engaging, and relevant, a brand can create a compelling story that drives business results and establishes a strong emotional connection with its audience.

Lead your organization by leading its narrative

Some of the most successful companies in the world are actively coaching their leaders to inspire through storytelling. Microsoft have sent executives on to lectures about storytelling. Kimberly-Clark has a storytelling process which they impart to their leaders in a two-day seminar. 3M insist that presentations and business plans are made with ‘strategic narratives’. Increasingly, organizations are using external expertise to tutor executives and leaders in the art of storytelling.

Understanding the status quo of the organization is crucial for setting the groundwork for an effective narrative.

A good story will resonate with your people, and become retold time and again. Eventually, these stories define corporate culture, beliefs, and values. The wrong stories, or the right stories narrated poorly, could damage an organization. Contact Primeast today and take the first step to ensuring that the stories you want to be told – those that engage your people and inspire them to reach their full potential – are the ones that are told.

Leadership Theories & Styles That Employees Will Respond To

A recent study by research groups Barna and Leadercast found that only 1 in every five workers thinks their boss is a good leader. A massive 40% of workers think their boss is bad, and the remaining 40% think they have an average boss at best. Complaints that are voiced most commonly about leadership include a lack of vision and a leadership style that is over-controlling and manipulative. A third of workers say that poor leadership is the main factor of stress at work.

Leadership theories and styles vary widely, and understanding different leadership theories can help organizations improve their leadership approaches. Poor leadership leads directly to a disgruntled workforce, decreasing productivity, and higher costs as staff turnover skyrockets. When considering business strategy, leadership theories and styles should be high on the list of things that an organization must get right. But how do these shape up in your organization today, and how would your leaders and employees benefit from a different approach?

Understanding Leadership Theory

Leadership theory is a concept that has been studied extensively over the years. It refers to the various schools of thought that attempt to explain how and why certain individuals become leaders. These theories emphasize the traits and behaviors that individuals can adopt to boost their own leadership abilities. Understanding leadership theory is essential for developing leadership skills and improving leadership effectiveness.

There are several major leadership theories, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most popular leadership theories include the Great Man Theory, Trait Theory, Behavioral Leadership Theory, Contingency Theory, and Transformational Leadership. Each of these theories provides a unique perspective on leadership and can be applied in different contexts.

Effective leadership is critical for achieving success in various fields, including business, politics, and community development. Leaders who understand and apply leadership theory are better equipped to inspire and motivate others, make informed decisions, and develop strategies that drive results.

The natural leader: Trait Theory

The first theory is that leaders are born and not made. This leadership theory has its foundations in history, when aristocracy were the natural leaders of people. Formal leadership theories have emerged to systematically categorize and understand the characteristics and behaviors of effective leaders. Often these led by either fear or motivational style, but certainly because of the greater education and knowledge of the leader.

There may be some truth in the fact that natural leaders appear when the chips are down, but natural leaders from ancient religious figures to Churchill, Eisenhower, and JFK all benefited from a higher level of understanding and access to information than those they led.

Leadership by participation: Leadership Style

Those who lead by participation involve others in the process of decision making. This will include peers, subordinates, superiors, and stakeholders. Highest levels of participation occur when all decisions are made by the team. However, the leader may first sell his or her ideas to team members or describe objectives and encourage the discovery of solutions.

This approach focuses on how leaders behave in collaborative settings, encouraging participation and shared decision-making. This approach helps the leader to empower his or her people, embedding commitment and encouraging a more collaborative workplace.

Leadership by reward/punishment

Among theories and styles of leadership, this is perhaps one of the most controversial. The premise is that people are motivated to perform either by reward for good performance or punishment for bad. This is most akin to authoritative style leadership, in which people understand the chain of command and react to orders handed to them. This transactional leadership style gives the manager full control, and is most commonly portrayed by managers rather than leaders.

Motivational Leadership: Transformational Leadership

Leadership by motivation, also called transformational leadership, is seen when the leader inspires people to follow. This requires vision and passion, with the leader’s own enthusiasm and energy reflected by that of his or her people. This type of leader cares about the people for whom he or she has responsibility, and is a constant advocate of the future vision. He or she is likely to be a good negotiator and benefit from high emotional intelligence.

Motivational leadership requires the leader to be highly visible, empathetic, committed, and visionary. Motivational leadership is often linked to leadership success, as it inspires and energizes teams to achieve their goals. Their concerns are balanced between the wellbeing of their people and the progress of the project. However, motivational leaders thrive on challenge and so, for this type of leader, frustration will set in when working at an organization that wishes to remain unchanged.

Contingency leadership: Contingency Leadership Theory

The last of these five leadership theories and styles is one of the most difficult to execute effectively. Contingency theories highlight the importance of adapting leadership styles to the specific needs of the situation, considering factors such as team abilities, organizational needs, and project demands. The leader takes into consideration the abilities of his or her people, the needs of the organization, the demands of the project, and his or her own leadership capabilities. For example, projects that are severely time constricted may require a more controlling approach whereas projects of a more technical nature may require a more participative style.

Applying Leadership Theories in the Workplace

Leadership theories can be applied in various ways in the workplace. One of the most effective ways to apply leadership theory is to identify the leadership style that best fits the situation. For example, a leader may use a transactional leadership style in a mature organization with clearly defined structure and goals, but switch to a transformational leadership style in a situation where the organization needs to undergo significant change.

Another way to apply leadership theory is to develop leadership skills through training and development programs. These programs can help leaders learn new skills and behavirs that are essential for effective leadership. For example, a leader may participate in a training program that focuses on developing emotional intelligence, communication skills, and strategic thinking.

Leadership theories can also be applied in team management. For example, a leader may use a contingency leadership theory to assess the needs of the team and adjust their leadership style accordingly. This can help to improve team performance, motivation, and job satisfaction.

Leadership Development and Training

Leadership development and training are critical for improving leadership effectiveness. There are several ways to develop leadership skills, including formal training programs, mentoring, coaching, and self-directed learning.

Formal training programs can provide leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. These programs can cover topics such as leadership theory, communication skills, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Mentoring and coaching can also be effective ways to develop leadership skills. A mentor or coach can provide guidance, support, and feedback to help leaders develop their skills and achieve their goals.

Self-directed learning is another way to develop leadership skills. Leaders can read books, articles, and online resources to learn new skills and stay up-to-date with the latest leadership trends and best practices.

Overall, leadership development and training are essential for improving leadership effectiveness and achieving success in various fields. By applying leadership theory and developing leadership skills, leaders can inspire and motivate others, make informed decisions, and drive results.

Contact Primeast today, and we’ll help your leaders realize their true potential by applying appropriate leadership theories and styles.

Poor Leadership is the #1 Reason Your Employees Quit

In 2017, Gallup estimated that employee turnover costs the United States’ businesses a trillion dollars annually. Poor leadership is a significant factor contributing to this issue. In contrast, good leadership can prevent high employee turnover by fostering a positive work environment, enhancing communication, and building trust within teams. Effective leadership skills, including delegation and the creation of a healthy corporate culture, directly contribute to organizational success by promoting employee engagement and collaboration.

Understanding Bad Leadership

Bad leadership is a pervasive issue that can have far-reaching consequences for organizations, teams, and individuals. It is essential to understand the definition, characteristics, and signs of bad leadership to address and overcome its negative effects. Recognising bad leadership qualities is the first step towards fostering a healthier, more productive workplace

Definition of Bad Leadership

Bad leadership refers to a leadership style that is ineffective, inefficient, and often detrimental to the organization, team, or individuals. It can manifest in various ways, including poor communication, lack of vision or direction, micromanaging, and failure to empower team members. Leaders who exhibit these qualities often create a toxic work environment, leading to decreased morale, productivity, and employee retention.

8 Characteristics of a Bad Leader

Bad leaders often exhibit certain characteristics that can be detrimental to their teams and organizations. These characteristics include:

Lack of empathy and emotional intelligence: Bad leaders often fail to understand or care about their employees’ feelings and perspectives, leading to a lack of trust and respect.

1. Poor communication skills: Ineffective communication can result in misunderstandings, confusion, and a lack of clear direction.
2. Inability to delegate and empower team members: Bad leaders tend to micromanage, stifling creativity and autonomy.
3. Micromanaging and control issues: Overly controlling leaders can demoralize their teams and hinder productivity.
4. Lack of vision or direction: Without a clear vision, teams can feel aimless and unmotivated.
5. Ineffective conflict resolution skills: Poor leaders often struggle to manage conflicts, leading to unresolved issues and a toxic work environment.
6. Favoritism and nepotism: Showing favoritism can create resentment and division within the team.
7. Inability to adapt and innovate: Resistance to change can prevent growth and improvement.
8. Low employee satisfaction and engagement: Bad leadership often results in disengaged employees who are more likely to leave the organization.

Recognising these characteristics can help organizations identify and address bad leadership, ultimately fostering a more positive and productive work environment.

5 reasons your managers could be driving your employees elsewhere.

Poor leadership can negatively impact the entire organization, not just individual teams.

In 2018, a Work Institute study found that 27 out of every 100 employees in the United States left their jobs voluntarily. They have forecast that employee turnover could hit 35% by 2023.

Extrapolating findings from the research, an organization with 100 employees and an average salary of $50,000, employee turnover could cost between $1.57 million and $3.5 million each year by 2023.

Clearly, managing employee turnover and retention effectively is a game changer.

Employees don’t leave their employer, they leave their manager

As true today as it has ever been is the saying that employees don’t leave their employer, they leave their manager. Indeed, in its studies on employee turnover, Gallup found that the reasons people quit jobs are mostly within the remit of managers to influence. It found that at least 75% of voluntary turnover is because of factors such as:

• A lack of opportunity for career progression
• Poor fit to the role
• Flexibility and scheduling
• The environment or management directly

Poor leadership qualities are a significant factor in why employees leave their managers.

Here are some types of poor leadership that ‘persuade’ talented employees to quit their jobs.

1. Managers who exhibit poor communication

Your most talented employees will be career minded. They want to develop and grow professionally, and to take on bigger projects and more responsibility. Employees who aren’t provided the vision of career advancement are more likely to leave to advance their careers elsewhere.

Poor leaders offer little to no regular feedback. They fail to discuss individual progress, don’t encourage development, and appear to ignore their employees’ opinions and ideas. Effective feedback should encourage team members to grow and develop, fostering a positive work environment and maximising their potential.

2. Managers who don’t know their employees’ strengths

People want to do work that they enjoy and tasks in which they excel. Effective managers understand the strengths and weaknesses of their team’s members. They take time to learn about their people, and help them develop by providing work that makes them happy and helps them develop their weaknesses while benefiting from their strengths.

People who are in roles that utilize their strengths and engage them in tasks they find interesting are more likely to be connected to their work and engaged with their team and their employer. This helps to improve performance and productivity, as well as developing loyalty. Understanding and leveraging these strengths can significantly enhance team performance.

3. Managers who micromanage

Employees desire autonomy in their roles. They want to be trusted to do their jobs well. Those who micromanage their teams will find that they suffocate their people. Employees under this type of manager will feel stifled. They will stop searching for creative solutions and soon become demoralized. Micromanaging leaders often also exhibit poor conflict resolution skills, further demoralising their teams.

4. Managers who encourage a toxic workplace

A boss who micromanages tends to shape a toxic workplace. Fear replaces motivation and innovation. Work colleagues stop collaborating and a culture of blame evolves.

When good work is not recognized or rewarded, people will stop putting in the effort to work to the best of their ability. Managers who don’t appreciate their employees will be blamed for a lack of career progression and poor pay. It is essential that managers make their people feel their contributions are appreciated, otherwise those employees will look elsewhere for the challenge and recognition they desire. Investing in leadership development can help prevent the creation of toxic workplaces.

5. Managers who exhibit bad leader characteristics

Many organizations promote their best-performing employees to management and leadership positions, believing that they will naturally make good leaders.

The art of management must be learned, and poor managers are often those who have had no training in leadership – excelling at task execution does not translate to excelling at man-management.

Untrained managers often exhibit poor conflict resolution skills, which can lead to unresolved issues and a toxic work environment.

Managers must understand their employees, adapting leadership style to individuals and influencing outcomes. They use their knowledge of their employees to delegate work that suits individuals, and act as a mentor and guide to motivate engagement.

Often, bad managers suffer because of their lack of ability to communicate effectively. A lack of clarity in messages causes confusion and is often a key factor in toxic workplaces. It also leads to higher stress levels.

Signs of Bad Leadership

Bad leadership can manifest in various ways, and it is essential to recognize the signs to address and overcome its negative effects. Some common signs of bad leadership include:

Lack of Vision or Direction

A lack of vision or direction is a common sign of bad leadership. When leaders lack a clear vision or direction, they can create confusion, uncertainty, and a sense of aimlessness among their team members. This can lead to poor decision-making, lack of motivation, and decreased productivity.

Effective leaders, on the other hand, have a clear vision and direction that inspires and motivates their team members. They communicate their vision effectively, set clear goals and objectives, and empower their team members to work towards achieving them.

Other signs of bad leadership include:

• Poor communication skills: Ineffective communication can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of clear direction.
• Micromanaging: Overly controlling leaders can stifle creativity and autonomy.
• Lack of empathy and emotional intelligence: Failing to understand or care about employees’ feelings can erode trust and respect.
• Ineffective conflict resolution skills: Poor conflict management can lead to unresolved issues and a toxic work environment.
• Favoritism and nepotism: Showing favoritism can create resentment and division within the team.
• Inability to adapt and innovate: Resistance to change can prevent growth and improvement.
• Low employee satisfaction and engagement: Disengaged employees are more likely to leave the organization.

By recognising these signs of bad leadership, organizations and teams can take steps to address and overcome its negative effects, and develop effective leadership strategies that promote employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity.

To drive higher staff retention, drive leadership capability

The bottom line is that employees will leave if their boss does not deliver a workplace in which they feel respected, appreciated, and challenged. People want to do work they enjoy, with greater autonomy and accountability. They want to develop careers, and benefit from professional advancement.

A good manager understands his or her employees, their individual situations, strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions. They then use this knowledge to help encourage professional development and foster engagement via values-based leadership that helps to transform workplace culture.

Good managers may be born. Great managers are developed through structured leadership development programs and training. Investing in leadership development helps bridge knowledge gaps and prepares individuals for managerial roles, ultimately improving organizational effectiveness and culture. To learn how we can help you develop your managers to lead more effectively and reduce damaging employee turnover in your organization, contact Primeast today.

Interactional Leadership: Are You a Fluid Leader?

Employing interactional leadership to personalize approach within a dynamic business environment. All leaders and managers have had cause to manage conflict in the workplace. Difficult situations can lead to breakdown

Understanding Leadership Styles

Leadership style defines how a leader approaches their role and interacts with their team. Different styles suit different situations, so understanding them helps leaders adapt as needed. Key styles include autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, transformational, and servant leadership, each with unique strengths and limitations. Effective leaders often combine these styles to reach their goals.

Autocratic leaders make decisions independently, useful for quick action but often reducing team engagement. In contrast, democratic leaders include team members in decision-making, fostering collaboration and ownership, though it can be time-consuming.

Laissez-faire leaders offer high autonomy, boosting creativity and innovation but sometimes resulting in a lack of direction. Transformational leaders inspire a shared vision, driving change and growth, but rely on strong emotional intelligence and charisma. Finally, servant leaders prioritize serving others—employees, customers, and the community—creating a supportive, ethical environment, though this approach can be perceived as lacking authority.

By leveraging different leadership styles, leaders can adapt to their team’s needs and the demands of each situation, becoming more effective.

Employing interactional leadership to personalize approach.

All leaders and managers have had cause to manage conflict in the workplace. Developing strong leadership abilities is crucial for managers to effectively handle workplace conflicts. Difficult situations can lead to breakdown in communication and the need for managers to adopt care-fronting or confronting styles to resolve issues.

Effective leaders can turn conflict into innovation, but to do so they must manage people flexibly. This brings us to the interactional theory of leadership.

What is the interactional leadership theory?

We understand that people react differently in different situations and that their behavior can be out of character. We also expect leaders to be level-headed and non-emotional. Yet, emotion is a human characteristic that cannot be separated from leaders or managers who aren’t (yet) robots.

Charismatic leaders, known for their personal charm and vision, can effectively inspire and motivate their teams in various situations.

Interactional leadership theory acknowledges that a leaders behavior is determined by their own personality and the situation in which they find themselves. These situations can exhibit any one or more elements, including:

• Circumstance
• Events
• People
• Outside influences (such as rules and regulations)

In short, leaders just like others respond to a complex environment in which many elements interact. Reactions are not always constant because:

• People themselves are complex
• Motivations change over time
• Objectives evolve
• Nature of task, ability, experience, and emotional intelligence all play their part

Key Characteristics of Interactional Leadership

Interactional leadership theory suggests that leadership behavior is shaped by the interplay between the leader’s personality and the situation. This approach acknowledges that no single strategy works universally; leaders must adapt to changing circumstances. Key characteristics include:

• Deep listening and understanding: Effective interactional leaders actively seek to understand their team members’ perspectives and concerns.
• Open-mindedness and non-judgment: Interactional leaders remain receptive to new ideas and feedback, avoiding premature judgments.
• Comfort with ambiguity and complexity: Interactional leaders navigate uncertainty and make informed decisions, even in challenging situations.
• Valuing transparency and collaboration: Interactional leaders believe in openly sharing challenges and involving the team in problem-solving rather than providing solutions alone.
• Clear goal-setting and guidance without giving orders: They offer direction but empower team members to take ownership.
• Servant leadership: Interactional leaders prioritize supporting and developing their team, fostering a culture of growth and learning.
• Thoughtfulness before action: They consider the impact of their actions on the team and organization.
• Careful communication: Interactional leaders use empathy and respect to ensure their words build relationships.
• Foresight and intuition: They anticipate challenges and opportunities through intuitive insight.
• Holistic perspective: Interactional leaders understand the organization’s interconnected elements and relationships.

By embodying these characteristics, interactional leaders effectively navigate complex environments and lead their teams to success.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Interactional Leadership

Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in interactional leadership. EI involves self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Leaders with high EI are better able to understand themselves and others, manage their emotions, and build strong relationships with their team members. This enables them to adapt to changing circumstances and lead effectively in a variety of situations.

Effective leaders with high EI are able to:

• Understand and manage their own emotions: They are self-aware and can regulate their emotions, maintaining composure and making rational decisions even under pressure.
• Recognize and understand the emotions of others: They are empathetic, able to perceive and understand the emotions and perspectives of their team members.
• Use empathy to build strong relationships with team members: They build trust and rapport, creating a supportive and collaborative work environment.
• Communicate effectively and build trust with others: They are skilled communicators who can convey their vision and expectations clearly, fostering open and honest dialogue.
• Manage conflict and difficult situations effectively: They handle conflicts with tact and diplomacy, finding constructive solutions that benefit all parties involved.
• Inspire and motivate team members to achieve their goals: They use their emotional intelligence to inspire and motivate their team, driving engagement and performance.

By developing their emotional intelligence, leaders can become more effective interactional leaders, able to adapt to changing circumstances and lead their teams to success.

How to increase your effectiveness as a leader through transformational leadership

Understanding the effects of your environment on your reactions is the first step to understanding that you must be flexible in your approach.

Effective project management requires leaders to be adaptable and responsive to the needs of their team and the demands of the project.

There is a relationship between you and your people, and this develops through two-way communication. This communication affects action and reaction, and your ability to personalize your behavior is key to resolving disputes, inspiring actions, solving problems, and empowering collaboration and teamwork.

Are you task-oriented or relationship-oriented? Exploring different leadership styles.

Leaders who focus on task manage plans and actions to achieve objectives.

Leaders who focus on relationships interact with employees and operate in a culture of trust, open communication, and mutual respect.

A project manager must balance task-oriented and relationship-oriented approaches to effectively lead their team.

To lead effectively you must transition between these two modes, personalizing your approach to situation and individuals. In emergencies, it is likely that you will employ a more authoritarian approach to benefit from quick and decisive action.

Flexibility in your leadership style enables you to be fluid in your approach, matching it to the complex set of elements in the situational environment.

Situations can encourage acceptance of leadership

Situations play a significant role in determining how employees accept a leader’s style.

For example, an authoritarian approach with a touch of stubbornness may seem inappropriate in typical conditions, potentially leading to distrust and disengagement. Yet, in emergencies, this same approach may be essential to guide a team to stability.

Transactional leadership, centered on clear expectations and rewards, is particularly effective in structured environments.

A prime example is Sir Winston Churchill. Before World War II, Churchill was relatively unpopular in Great Britain, seen as stubborn, single-minded, and even dictatorial. However, these qualities made him an ideal wartime leader and one of history’s most revered figures.

However, Churchill was voted out of office after World War II, as the public viewed him as unsuited for peacetime. Had he been more flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances, he might have stayed in office longer.

In summary

To lead different people and teams effectively, through different circumstances, it is essential that leaders are equipped with the ability to be flexible and lead fluidly.

For your leadership to remain authentic, you must not only have the skillset and emotional intelligence to personalize your approach; you must also ensure that your decisions and actions align with your organization’s values and purpose.

To learn more about developing effective leadership and management skills, connect with Primeast today.

Interactional Leadership: Are You a Fluid Leader?

Employing interactional leadership to personalise approach within a dynamic business environment. All leaders and managers have had cause to manage conflict in the workplace. Difficult situations can lead to breakdown

Understanding Leadership Styles

Leadership style defines how a leader approaches their role and interacts with their team. Different styles suit different situations, so understanding them helps leaders adapt as needed. Key styles include autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, transformational, and servant leadership, each with unique strengths and limitations. Effective leaders often combine these styles to reach their goals.

Autocratic leaders make decisions independently, useful for quick action but often reducing team engagement. In contrast, democratic leaders include team members in decision-making, fostering collaboration and ownership, though it can be time-consuming.

Laissez-faire leaders offer high autonomy, boosting creativity and innovation but sometimes resulting in a lack of direction. Transformational leaders inspire a shared vision, driving change and growth, but rely on strong emotional intelligence and charisma. Finally, servant leaders prioritise serving others—employees, customers, and the community—creating a supportive, ethical environment, though this approach can be perceived as lacking authority.

By leveraging different leadership styles, leaders can adapt to their team’s needs and the demands of each situation, becoming more effective.

Employing interactional leadership to personalise approach.

All leaders and managers have had cause to manage conflict in the workplace. Developing strong leadership abilities is crucial for managers to effectively handle workplace conflicts. Difficult situations can lead to breakdown in communication and the need for managers to adopt care-fronting or confronting styles to resolve issues.

Effective leaders can turn conflict into innovation, but to do so they must manage people flexibly. This brings us to the interactional theory of leadership.

What is the interactional leadership theory?

We understand that people react differently in different situations and that their behaviour can be out of character. We also expect leaders to be level-headed and non-emotional. Yet, emotion is a human characteristic that cannot be separated from leaders or managers who aren’t (yet) robots.

Charismatic leaders, known for their personal charm and vision, can effectively inspire and motivate their teams in various situations.

Interactional leadership theory acknowledges that a leaders behaviour is determined by their own personality and the situation in which they find themselves. These situations can exhibit any one or more elements, including:

• Circumstance
• Events
• People
• Outside influences (such as rules and regulations)

In short, leaders just like others respond to a complex environment in which many elements interact. Reactions are not always constant because:

• People themselves are complex
• Motivations change over time
• Objectives evolve
• Nature of task, ability, experience, and emotional intelligence all play their part

Key Characteristics of Interactional Leadership

Interactional leadership theory suggests that leadership behavior is shaped by the interplay between the leader’s personality and the situation. This approach acknowledges that no single strategy works universally; leaders must adapt to changing circumstances. Key characteristics include:

• Deep listening and understanding: Effective interactional leaders actively seek to understand their team members’ perspectives and concerns.
• Open-mindedness and non-judgment: Interactional leaders remain receptive to new ideas and feedback, avoiding premature judgments.
• Comfort with ambiguity and complexity: Interactional leaders navigate uncertainty and make informed decisions, even in challenging situations.
• Valuing transparency and collaboration: Interactional leaders believe in openly sharing challenges and involving the team in problem-solving rather than providing solutions alone.
• Clear goal-setting and guidance without giving orders: They offer direction but empower team members to take ownership.
• Servant leadership: Interactional leaders prioritize supporting and developing their team, fostering a culture of growth and learning.
• Thoughtfulness before action: They consider the impact of their actions on the team and organisation.
• Careful communication: Interactional leaders use empathy and respect to ensure their words build relationships.
• Foresight and intuition: They anticipate challenges and opportunities through intuitive insight.
• Holistic perspective: Interactional leaders understand the organisation’s interconnected elements and relationships.

By embodying these characteristics, interactional leaders effectively navigate complex environments and lead their teams to success.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Interactional Leadership

Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in interactional leadership. EI involves self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Leaders with high EI are better able to understand themselves and others, manage their emotions, and build strong relationships with their team members. This enables them to adapt to changing circumstances and lead effectively in a variety of situations.

Effective leaders with high EI are able to:

• Understand and manage their own emotions: They are self-aware and can regulate their emotions, maintaining composure and making rational decisions even under pressure.
• Recognise and understand the emotions of others: They are empathetic, able to perceive and understand the emotions and perspectives of their team members.
• Use empathy to build strong relationships with team members: They build trust and rapport, creating a supportive and collaborative work environment.
• Communicate effectively and build trust with others: They are skilled communicators who can convey their vision and expectations clearly, fostering open and honest dialogue.
• Manage conflict and difficult situations effectively: They handle conflicts with tact and diplomacy, finding constructive solutions that benefit all parties involved.
• Inspire and motivate team members to achieve their goals: They use their emotional intelligence to inspire and motivate their team, driving engagement and performance.

By developing their emotional intelligence, leaders can become more effective interactional leaders, able to adapt to changing circumstances and lead their teams to success.

How to increase your effectiveness as a leader through transformational leadership

Understanding the effects of your environment on your reactions is the first step to understanding that you must be flexible in your approach.

Effective project management requires leaders to be adaptable and responsive to the needs of their team and the demands of the project.

There is a relationship between you and your people, and this develops through two-way communication. This communication affects action and reaction, and your ability to personalise your behaviour is key to resolving disputes, inspiring actions, solving problems, and empowering collaboration and teamwork.

Are you task-oriented or relationship-oriented? Exploring different leadership styles.

Leaders who focus on task manage plans and actions to achieve objectives.

Leaders who focus on relationships interact with employees and operate in a culture of trust, open communication, and mutual respect.

A project manager must balance task-oriented and relationship-oriented approaches to effectively lead their team.

To lead effectively you must transition between these two modes, personalizing your approach to situation and individuals. In emergencies, it is likely that you will employ a more authoritarian approach to benefit from quick and decisive action.

Flexibility in your leadership style enables you to be fluid in your approach, matching it to the complex set of elements in the situational environment.

Situations can encourage acceptance of leadership

Situations play a significant role in determining how employees accept a leader’s style.

For example, an authoritarian approach with a touch of stubbornness may seem inappropriate in typical conditions, potentially leading to distrust and disengagement. Yet, in emergencies, this same approach may be essential to guide a team to stability.

Transactional leadership, centered on clear expectations and rewards, is particularly effective in structured environments.

A prime example is Sir Winston Churchill. Before World War II, Churchill was relatively unpopular in Great Britain, seen as stubborn, single-minded, and even dictatorial. However, these qualities made him an ideal wartime leader and one of history’s most revered figures.

However, Churchill was voted out of office after World War II, as the public viewed him as unsuited for peacetime. Had he been more flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances, he might have stayed in office longer.

In summary

To lead different people and teams effectively, through different circumstances, it is essential that leaders are equipped with the ability to be flexible and lead fluidly.

For your leadership to remain authentic, you must not only have the skillset and emotional intelligence to personalise your approach; you must also ensure that your decisions and actions align with your organisation’s values and purpose.

To learn more about developing effective leadership and management skills, connect with Primeast today.

Poor Leadership is the #1 Reason Your Employees Quit

In 2017, Gallup estimated that employee turnover costs the United States’ businesses a trillion dollars annually. Poor leadership is a significant factor contributing to this issue. In contrast, good leadership can prevent high employee turnover by fostering a positive work environment, enhancing communication, and building trust within teams. Effective leadership skills, including delegation and the creation of a healthy corporate culture, directly contribute to organisational success by promoting employee engagement and collaboration.

Understanding Bad Leadership

Bad leadership is a pervasive issue that can have far-reaching consequences for organisations, teams, and individuals. It is essential to understand the definition, characteristics, and signs of bad leadership to address and overcome its negative effects. Recognising bad leadership qualities is the first step towards fostering a healthier, more productive workplace

Definition of Bad Leadership

Bad leadership refers to a leadership style that is ineffective, inefficient, and often detrimental to the organisation, team, or individuals. It can manifest in various ways, including poor communication, lack of vision or direction, micromanaging, and failure to empower team members. Leaders who exhibit these qualities often create a toxic work environment, leading to decreased morale, productivity, and employee retention.

8 Characteristics of a Bad Leader

Bad leaders often exhibit certain characteristics that can be detrimental to their teams and organisations. These characteristics include:

Lack of empathy and emotional intelligence: Bad leaders often fail to understand or care about their employees’ feelings and perspectives, leading to a lack of trust and respect.

1. Poor communication skills: Ineffective communication can result in misunderstandings, confusion, and a lack of clear direction.
2. Inability to delegate and empower team members: Bad leaders tend to micromanage, stifling creativity and autonomy.
3. Micromanaging and control issues: Overly controlling leaders can demoralise their teams and hinder productivity.
4. Lack of vision or direction: Without a clear vision, teams can feel aimless and unmotivated.
5. Ineffective conflict resolution skills: Poor leaders often struggle to manage conflicts, leading to unresolved issues and a toxic work environment.
6. Favoritism and nepotism: Showing favoritism can create resentment and division within the team.
7. Inability to adapt and innovate: Resistance to change can prevent growth and improvement.
8. Low employee satisfaction and engagement: Bad leadership often results in disengaged employees who are more likely to leave the organisation.

Recognising these characteristics can help organisations identify and address bad leadership, ultimately fostering a more positive and productive work environment.

5 reasons your managers could be driving your employees elsewhere.

Poor leadership can negatively impact the entire organisation, not just individual teams.

In 2018, a Work Institute study found that 27 out of every 100 employees in the United States left their jobs voluntarily. They have forecast that employee turnover could hit 35% by 2023.

Extrapolating findings from the research, an organisation with 100 employees and an average salary of $50,000, employee turnover could cost between $1.57 million and $3.5 million each year by 2023.

Clearly, managing employee turnover and retention effectively is a game changer.

Employees don’t leave their employer, they leave their manager

As true today as it has ever been is the saying that employees don’t leave their employer, they leave their manager. Indeed, in its studies on employee turnover, Gallup found that the reasons people quit jobs are mostly within the remit of managers to influence. It found that at least 75% of voluntary turnover is because of factors such as:

• A lack of opportunity for career progression
• Poor fit to the role
• Flexibility and scheduling
• The environment or management directly

Poor leadership qualities are a significant factor in why employees leave their managers.

Here are some types of poor leadership that ‘persuade’ talented employees to quit their jobs.

1. Managers who exhibit poor communication

Your most talented employees will be career minded. They want to develop and grow professionally, and to take on bigger projects and more responsibility. Employees who aren’t provided the vision of career advancement are more likely to leave to advance their careers elsewhere.

Poor leaders offer little to no regular feedback. They fail to discuss individual progress, don’t encourage development, and appear to ignore their employees’ opinions and ideas. Effective feedback should encourage team members to grow and develop, fostering a positive work environment and maximising their potential.

2. Managers who don’t know their employees’ strengths

People want to do work that they enjoy and tasks in which they excel. Effective managers understand the strengths and weaknesses of their team’s members. They take time to learn about their people, and help them develop by providing work that makes them happy and helps them develop their weaknesses while benefiting from their strengths.

People who are in roles that utilise their strengths and engage them in tasks they find interesting are more likely to be connected to their work and engaged with their team and their employer. This helps to improve performance and productivity, as well as developing loyalty. Understanding and leveraging these strengths can significantly enhance team performance.

3. Managers who micromanage

Employees desire autonomy in their roles. They want to be trusted to do their jobs well. Those who micromanage their teams will find that they suffocate their people. Employees under this type of manager will feel stifled. They will stop searching for creative solutions and soon become demoralised. Micromanaging leaders often also exhibit poor conflict resolution skills, further demoralising their teams.

4. Managers who encourage a toxic workplace

A boss who micromanages tends to shape a toxic workplace. Fear replaces motivation and innovation. Work colleagues stop collaborating and a culture of blame evolves.

When good work is not recognised or rewarded, people will stop putting in the effort to work to the best of their ability. Managers who don’t appreciate their employees will be blamed for a lack of career progression and poor pay. It is essential that managers make their people feel their contributions are appreciated, otherwise those employees will look elsewhere for the challenge and recognition they desire. Investing in leadership development can help prevent the creation of toxic workplaces.

5. Managers who exhibit bad leader characteristics

Many organisations promote their best-performing employees to management and leadership positions, believing that they will naturally make good leaders.

The art of management must be learned, and poor managers are often those who have had no training in leadership – excelling at task execution does not translate to excelling at man-management.

Untrained managers often exhibit poor conflict resolution skills, which can lead to unresolved issues and a toxic work environment.

Managers must understand their employees, adapting leadership style to individuals and influencing outcomes. They use their knowledge of their employees to delegate work that suits individuals, and act as a mentor and guide to motivate engagement.

Often, bad managers suffer because of their lack of ability to communicate effectively. A lack of clarity in messages causes confusion and is often a key factor in toxic workplaces. It also leads to higher stress levels.

Signs of Bad Leadership

Bad leadership can manifest in various ways, and it is essential to recognise the signs to address and overcome its negative effects. Some common signs of bad leadership include:

Lack of Vision or Direction

A lack of vision or direction is a common sign of bad leadership. When leaders lack a clear vision or direction, they can create confusion, uncertainty, and a sense of aimlessness among their team members. This can lead to poor decision-making, lack of motivation, and decreased productivity.

Effective leaders, on the other hand, have a clear vision and direction that inspires and motivates their team members. They communicate their vision effectively, set clear goals and objectives, and empower their team members to work towards achieving them.

Other signs of bad leadership include:

• Poor communication skills: Ineffective communication can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of clear direction.
• Micromanaging: Overly controlling leaders can stifle creativity and autonomy.
• Lack of empathy and emotional intelligence: Failing to understand or care about employees’ feelings can erode trust and respect.
• Ineffective conflict resolution skills: Poor conflict management can lead to unresolved issues and a toxic work environment.
• Favoritism and nepotism: Showing favoritism can create resentment and division within the team.
• Inability to adapt and innovate: Resistance to change can prevent growth and improvement.
• Low employee satisfaction and engagement: Disengaged employees are more likely to leave the organisation.

By recognising these signs of bad leadership, organisations and teams can take steps to address and overcome its negative effects, and develop effective leadership strategies that promote employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity.

To drive higher staff retention, drive leadership capability

The bottom line is that employees will leave if their boss does not deliver a workplace in which they feel respected, appreciated, and challenged. People want to do work they enjoy, with greater autonomy and accountability. They want to develop careers, and benefit from professional advancement.

A good manager understands his or her employees, their individual situations, strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions. They then use this knowledge to help encourage professional development and foster engagement via values-based leadership that helps to transform workplace culture.

Good managers may be born. Great managers are developed through structured leadership development programs and training. Investing in leadership development helps bridge knowledge gaps and prepares individuals for managerial roles, ultimately improving organisational effectiveness and culture. To learn how we can help you develop your managers to lead more effectively and reduce damaging employee turnover in your organisation, contact Primeast today.

Leadership Theories & Styles That Employees Will Respond To

A recent study by research groups Barna and Leadercast found that only 1 in every five workers thinks their boss is a good leader. A massive 40% of workers think their boss is bad, and the remaining 40% think they have an average boss at best. Complaints that are voiced most commonly about leadership include a lack of vision and a leadership style that is over-controlling and manipulative. A third of workers say that poor leadership is the main factor of stress at work.

Leadership theories and styles vary widely, and understanding different leadership theories can help organisations improve their leadership approaches. Poor leadership leads directly to a disgruntled workforce, decreasing productivity, and higher costs as staff turnover skyrockets. When considering business strategy, leadership theories and styles should be high on the list of things that an organisation must get right. But how do these shape up in your organisation today, and how would your leaders and employees benefit from a different approach?

Understanding Leadership Theory

Leadership theory is a concept that has been studied extensively over the years. It refers to the various schools of thought that attempt to explain how and why certain individuals become leaders. These theories emphasise the traits and behaviors that individuals can adopt to boost their own leadership abilities. Understanding leadership theory is essential for developing leadership skills and improving leadership effectiveness.

There are several major leadership theories, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most popular leadership theories include the Great Man Theory, Trait Theory, Behavioral Leadership Theory, Contingency Theory, and Transformational Leadership. Each of these theories provides a unique perspective on leadership and can be applied in different contexts.

Effective leadership is critical for achieving success in various fields, including business, politics, and community development. Leaders who understand and apply leadership theory are better equipped to inspire and motivate others, make informed decisions, and develop strategies that drive results.

The natural leader: Trait Theory

The first theory is that leaders are born and not made. This leadership theory has its foundations in history, when aristocracy were the natural leaders of people. Formal leadership theories have emerged to systematically categorise and understand the characteristics and behaviours of effective leaders. Often these led by either fear or motivational style, but certainly because of the greater education and knowledge of the leader.

There may be some truth in the fact that natural leaders appear when the chips are down, but natural leaders from ancient religious figures to Churchill, Eisenhower, and JFK all benefited from a higher level of understanding and access to information than those they led.

Leadership by participation: Leadership Style

Those who lead by participation involve others in the process of decision making. This will include peers, subordinates, superiors, and stakeholders. Highest levels of participation occur when all decisions are made by the team. However, the leader may first sell his or her ideas to team members or describe objectives and encourage the discovery of solutions.

This approach focuses on how leaders behave in collaborative settings, encouraging participation and shared decision-making. This approach helps the leader to empower his or her people, embedding commitment and encouraging a more collaborative workplace.

Leadership by reward/punishment

Among theories and styles of leadership, this is perhaps one of the most controversial. The premise is that people are motivated to perform either by reward for good performance or punishment for bad. This is most akin to authoritative style leadership, in which people understand the chain of command and react to orders handed to them. This transactional leadership style gives the manager full control, and is most commonly portrayed by managers rather than leaders.

Motivational Leadership: Transformational Leadership

Leadership by motivation, also called transformational leadership, is seen when the leader inspires people to follow. This requires vision and passion, with the leader’s own enthusiasm and energy reflected by that of his or her people. This type of leader cares about the people for whom he or she has responsibility, and is a constant advocate of the future vision. He or she is likely to be a good negotiator and benefit from high emotional intelligence.

Motivational leadership requires the leader to be highly visible, empathetic, committed, and visionary. Motivational leadership is often linked to leadership success, as it inspires and energises teams to achieve their goals. Their concerns are balanced between the wellbeing of their people and the progress of the project. However, motivational leaders thrive on challenge and so, for this type of leader, frustration will set in when working at an organisation that wishes to remain unchanged.

Contingency leadership: Contingency Leadership Theory

The last of these five leadership theories and styles is one of the most difficult to execute effectively. Contingency theories highlight the importance of adapting leadership styles to the specific needs of the situation, considering factors such as team abilities, organisational needs, and project demands. The leader takes into consideration the abilities of his or her people, the needs of the organisation, the demands of the project, and his or her own leadership capabilities. For example, projects that are severely time constricted may require a more controlling approach whereas projects of a more technical nature may require a more participative style.

Applying Leadership Theories in the Workplace

Leadership theories can be applied in various ways in the workplace. One of the most effective ways to apply leadership theory is to identify the leadership style that best fits the situation. For example, a leader may use a transactional leadership style in a mature organisation with clearly defined structure and goals, but switch to a transformational leadership style in a situation where the organisation needs to undergo significant change.

Another way to apply leadership theory is to develop leadership skills through training and development programs. These programs can help leaders learn new skills and behaviors that are essential for effective leadership. For example, a leader may participate in a training program that focuses on developing emotional intelligence, communication skills, and strategic thinking.

Leadership theories can also be applied in team management. For example, a leader may use a contingency leadership theory to assess the needs of the team and adjust their leadership style accordingly. This can help to improve team performance, motivation, and job satisfaction.

Leadership Development and Training

Leadership development and training are critical for improving leadership effectiveness. There are several ways to develop leadership skills, including formal training programs, mentoring, coaching, and self-directed learning.

Formal training programs can provide leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. These programs can cover topics such as leadership theory, communication skills, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Mentoring and coaching can also be effective ways to develop leadership skills. A mentor or coach can provide guidance, support, and feedback to help leaders develop their skills and achieve their goals.

Self-directed learning is another way to develop leadership skills. Leaders can read books, articles, and online resources to learn new skills and stay up-to-date with the latest leadership trends and best practices.

Overall, leadership development and training are essential for improving leadership effectiveness and achieving success in various fields. By applying leadership theory and developing leadership skills, leaders can inspire and motivate others, make informed decisions, and drive results.

Contact Primeast today, and we’ll help your leaders realize their true potential by applying appropriate leadership theories and styles.