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Effective Leadership in Times of Crisis and Change
Effective Leadership in Times of Crisis and Change
Leaders…
In order to be an effective leader, it is important to put yourself in your employees’ shoes and think from their perspective. After all, you can’t lead people if you don’t understand what they’re thinking.
As a leader, it is important to develop human-centred habits in order to better understand your employees and what they are thinking. By understanding your employees, you can better lead them and help them achieve their goals. When human centred leaders take the time to develop leadership skills that are people centric, they create a more positive and productive work environment for everyone.
Human centred leaders are curious and strive to understand the people they lead. They actively listen to their teams, ask questions, and seek out different perspectives. Employees at every level of an organisation will have unique insights about the business. Established and developing leaders alike, should understand the importance of building a holistic view of their team from every vantage point possible.
Doing so allows you to collect constructive feedback on how you are perceived as a leader, as well as on the impact that your decisions are having on your team. This level of understanding promotes healthy dialogue, which can help to identify areas for improvement. It ensures that you are able to provide your team with the tools and resources they need to enhance their development, and improve the success of the business. As a result, your own leadership development becomes reflective of what your team requires of you while assisting you in reaching your goals.
Humans centred leaders are clear in their expectations and priorities. They identify where the organisation needs to focus its energy, and then communicate this message effectively through both verbal and written correspondence. By doing so, they make sure that everyone on their team is perfectly aware of what tasks need to be completed, when they need to be done by, and how. This way, the team can work together towards achieving a common goal, reducing confusion and increasing productivity.
Communication is one of the most important leadership skills needed to be a human centred leader. Leadership assessment and profiling tools can help developing leaders to understand their preferred style of communication. They also provide insight into a range of communication styles and how to most effectively communicate with people with those preferences.
People centric leaders strive to create an environment of purpose-driven work. By taking the time to understand both the individual and overall company goals, they are better able to connect each task with its purpose, creating a deeper sense of engagement and meaning within team members. They encourage their team members to think beyond just completing the task at hand and to understand the bigger picture within which that task fits. This will help to create a heightened level of motivation, as team members begin to see the impact their work has.
A leadership skills assessment can help to develop leaders and identify any blind spots they may have in terms of understanding what motivates their team members. Understanding individual drivers, both intrinsic and extrinsic, is key when it comes to creating a purpose-driven workplace. Developing a leadership style that inspires teams to reach exceptional levels of success requires an understanding of how to use those skills to engage, motivate and develop teams.
Leaders need to be able to give meaningful praise that recognises individual efforts, as well as team achievements. Expressing appreciation and recognition helps to keep morale high among employees and encourages them to continually strive for excellence. It is also important to recognise employees for their contributions and make clear how their work is contributing to the overall success of the organisation. This encourages employees to stay engaged and committed to achieving success.
In taking a human centred approach to leadership, developing leaders should also make sure that their team is being recognised for the diversity of its viewpoints. By listening to different perspectives and encouraging participation, leaders can foster an environment of collaboration and creativity.
Human centred leaders lead by example and serve as role models for their team. They don’t just talk about what is expected but also demonstrate it with their own conduct and behaviour. By being a role model, the team is able to see what behaviours and attitudes are expected of them in order to meet the organisation’s goals.
Leadership development programs can help leaders to nurture their developing leadership skills while they lead by example. These programs will equip leaders with the necessary soft skills, such as communication and negotiation techniques in order to be successful. Effective leadership programs also help leaders to understand how their own strengths and weaknesses can influence the team’s performance.
Effective leaders need to be able to encourage purpose-driven work and express appreciation and recognition for individual efforts in order to keep morale high. They also need to lead by example, demonstrating the behaviours and attitudes that they expect from their team. By focusing on these human centric leadership skills, leaders can inspire their team members and create an environment of collaboration, creativity and productivity.
About the Author: The Leadership Sphere
The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and high trust organisation.