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There are many skills and abilities that make great leaders; last week we shared some common “wants” of a leader and a few of those were that leaders must be authentic, good listeners, manage conflict, build relationships, and provide healthy feedback.

Obviously the list could be endless, but other desired traits that direct reports want from their boss is that they can be trusted, hold confidences, motivate and inspire, have high levels of integrity, and always keep their “cool”.   

Marcel Schwantes, speaker and leadership coach, shares more. He believes that it’s really about being a servant leader, where a leader’s character and integrity are clearly linked with their actions and behaviors.

We’ve previously written about servant leadership, and the underlying theme is to want to help others.

Excerpts of Coach Schwantes’ perspective of the three most prevalent leadership behaviors of a servant leader are: 

1. They display selflessness

• leadership is about meeting the needs of people
• they go against the age-old protocol of putting profits ahead of people
• they put their followers’ interests ahead of their own
• this leads to an unprecedented competitive advantage
• they give their time, energy, wisdom, and knowledge to others
• they help others grow (which makes the leader better)

2. They create opportunities for people to feel a sense of purpose

• they help others find purpose in their work
• purpose improves levels of happiness and boosts productivity
• they encourage employees to connect with those they are serving
• having employees meet the people they are helping is the greatest motivator
• there is a competitive edge when leaders give their people access to customers

3. They serve their employees

• leadership is about service and making those around you better
• they regularly assess what they are doing to improve the life of an employee

Do you consider yourself to be a servant leader? Are your actions and behaviors clearly linked with helping others grow?

Sincerely,

As a leader (and as a person), what impacts your ability to trust someone? Do you start with an even playing field where you are open and accepting, or are you more inclined to reluctantly accept what is being shared and need to learn more?

Edelman Data & Intelligence (DxI) has been conducting annual trust surveys for over 20 years.  For the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, data was gathered from survey results obtained in November of 2021, with input from over 36,000 respondents from 28 countries.   

The findings:

• nearly 60% of the respondents have the default tendency to distrust and require more evidence
• Distrust is now society’s default emotion
• 64% say it’s to a point where people are incapable of having constructive and civil debates
• Gone is the ability to collaborate on differences
• 60% will choose a place to work based on their beliefs and values

Having over half of your colleagues/team members lacking the ability to trust certainly impacts your work culture as trust is the essential ingredient for building strong teams, supporting common goals, and producing results.

As a leader you have the ability to impact trust levels. Some ideas include:

• Be authentic and transparent
• Share your expectations (and live them)
• Mean what you say
• Keep confidences
• Follow through on your commitments
• No hidden agendas are allowed
• Don’t disregard morale issues
• Build relationships and take the time to “know” your colleagues/direct reports
• Listen
• Don’t ignore unhealthy conflict
• Provide healthy, constructive feedback (with specifics)
• Solicit feedback
• Utilize Emotional Intelligence

Invest in building trust. When trust levels are lacking, stress, turnover, morale, gossip, productivity, and satisfaction ratings are impacted. When trust levels are high, the ability to collaborate, achieve results, and be open and vulnerable are also high.

Could you do more to improve the ability to trust?

Sincerely,

Are you part of a professional network? If yes, you likely have a wide circle of business and social contacts that share with you new ideas and growth opportunities, and are what we call your “board of directors”.

QwikCoach from E-Coach Associates shares that “network connections provide critical information, insights, and support that help you or those in your network to learn, grow, and achieve new levels of success and accomplishment”.

To get started QwikCoach suggests to “Take Stock” of your current situation by:

• Listing all of the people in your current network
• Classify the people on your list (ex. innovators, thought leaders, subject matter experts, coaches or mentors, etc)
• Determine if there are any areas you need to add or strengthen

Next, Develop A Plan

• What is your overall approach for building and sustaining your network?
• Ideally you’ll be the recipient of great advice, but also be a “provider” for sharing knowledge and advice
• What do you need to be both a recipient and provider? Utilize social media, attend or speak at conferences, attend industry events, become a mentor or acquire one, etc

Then, Execute Your Plan

• What’s working well?
• Have you successfully connected with those you want in your network?
• What more can be done to achieve the results you’re working towards?
• Keep track of progress and obstacles

Lastly, Maintain, Refine, and Build Your Network
Ask yourself:

• Is your network helping you become and stay energized?
• Are you learning more about yourself and the industry you work in?
• How are you helping others achieve their goal?
• Do you need to change your approach, goals, or develop a different mindset?

It’s also beneficial to maintain relationships with past co-workers/customers/bosses, and utilize your “board of directors” so you are positioned to obtain impactful feedback along with growth and career opportunities.

Happy networking!

Sincerely,

Do you consistently meet with each of your team members and discuss how they view their career, possible growth opportunities, and development needs?

As influential leaders we need to understand where each team member “is” and where they want “to be”.

Some may be comfortable with their current role, with few (or no) aspirations for a promotion or plans to grow their career. If this is the case, invest the time to truly understand why.

Others may be anxious about how quickly they can get promoted. These too require discussions about realistic readiness levels and development needs.

Having a development plan is a great tool for facilitating ongoing discussions and for addressing timelines, progress, and obstacles.

There are many forms and formats for development planning. If you have a QwikCoach license you can find a template in Tools Direct; another option is to use our COMPASS worksheet for ideas for skills and abilities which may need to be developed, and you can also search the web to find dozens of forms to choose from.

Share with team members that they may think they know their greatest development needs but that some may be blind to them. Suggest they review content that was provided from feedback or past performance evaluations and have them document those they choose to action.

You can also help with assigning priorities – which items will most help them achieve their career aspirations? Jointly set timeframes for addressing each development area; some may be short-term but others may require being developed over time, have dependencies, or require a financial investment.

Asking other leaders, peers, business partners (and direct reports if applicable) for their input can also be valuable. Two simple questions can get a response:  1) What am I doing well?  2) What would you like to see me improve upon?

The development plan is great for one-on-one discussions; review the plans monthly and adjust priorities and timelines as needed.

Wishes for success!

Sincerely,