Full transcript
Hello and welcome to LEAD — Leadership Enablement and Development, a new initiative from Nirvedha. This is the show for leaders, all about leadership and its impact. And on this episode: are you wondering how to assess your impact on your team? That's exactly what we are going to help you with on this week's show, where you will learn, as a leader, how to leave a positive impact on your team — and learn about five constructs of a leader and how they impact your leadership. I am your host Sudhakar, a certified executive coach and a business coach.
When was the last time you, as a leader, gave a thought to checking the health of your leadership and how it is impacting the work of your team? When it comes to organisational performance, it is enhanced by creating an inspiring environment. As aspiration stems from how people feel working for a leader or a manager, it is essential to measure and then act on it.
I know that as leaders, more often than not, we get fixated on things that are tied to the bottom line. But we also have what people might think are more peripheral matters that ultimately, in the long term, affect the bottom line. There is research to show that authoritative, direct, almost bullying leaders might get much performance out of people in the short term — but after a while that performance drops off a cliff. People start leaving, which is costly for an organisation, to have a lot of churn.
As individuals, how we value people at a deeper level — that is, subconsciously — reveals that we rely on one core value to do that: fear. Fear, or the lack of it, helps us to do things or avoid things. Fear is fear in any culture, and is the underlying raw human emotion. To measure how we value people, we need to understand how and what gets us to overcome that fear.
If we go more in depth into fear, it reveals that we rely on only two core constructs to do this: trust and empathy. If you want to overcome fear, you need to trust the person you want to work alongside. You also need to realise that the person whom you want to work with is empathetic. As human beings we are wired to treat things with caution — a basic tenet of survival. Hence trust becomes vital, but we don't trust someone straight away. We are also programmed to be empathetic: when you see suffering, or even hear about it, your heart goes out to those who are suffering. Trust and empathy are core to our existence. They are feelings which are not tainted by thought, and they rely on survival instincts which are culturally agnostic.
For a people manager to call himself a leader, he should build on these five constructs of leadership.
The first construct: satisfaction. Satisfaction is nothing but a state of mind. It is the instant gratification we achieve when we complete a particular task, or experience a product or a service. The impact is profound but short-lived. However, repeated episodes of satisfaction can result in loyalty, or commitment, or both. In the experience-shapers category, satisfaction is the last piece of the puzzle. Satisfied employees work harder, contribute more and perform better. Like the other constructs, satisfaction at work is heavily influenced by non-work factors like family and health.
Having looked at satisfaction, let us look at some satisfaction enhancers. One can be initiatives that promote a better work-life balance for your team. The second can be encouraging a healthier lifestyle — for example by offering gym memberships or a healthy meal at the workplace. The third can be incentives that appeal to the specific motivations of each team member.
Now let us look at the second construct: trust. Along with empathy, trust is the most critical core value instilled in us. Our experiences in early childhood profoundly influence our levels of trust. They are refined by life events as we grow up, and by our current environment. Trust is a vital characteristic and shaping experience, as it is the crucial ingredient in any valuable social interaction. While there are varied and confusing terminologies as to what trust means, the first thing it addresses is the feeling of security provided by the leader. An individual's trust levels are enhanced by the behaviours the leader demonstrates, and the processes in place to support individuals to do their job better.
Now let us look at the trust enhancers. One of the enhancers can be consistency and fairness in decision-making and sharing information. The second can be helping team members to manage their own emotions effectively. The third can be creating a safe environment for creativity and failure.
The third construct of leadership is loyalty. As the growth of a more transient workforce increases, so too does the time and cost of recruitment. The benefits of a loyal team are apparent, and ultimately can provide significant competitive advantages for respective organisations. What you do as a leader is only half the picture. Loyalty to you and the organisation could be influenced by external factors, like team members' financial and emotional well-being outside of work. Loyalty is also dependent on the team having a definite purpose. The purpose helps your team to connect at a better and deeper level with the work they do, and the impact it has on the organisation and the wider world. It answers the question of why they do what they do.
Now let us look at some of the loyalty enhancers. Number one can be understanding the individual motivations within your team — for example, money and recognition. Number two can be clarifying the purpose of the team's work. Number three can be clear, long-term personal development plans for each team member.
The next construct of a leader is commitment. If loyalty is about long-term alignment to a person or an organisation, commitment is more about the energy devoted to those relationships, or the tasks associated with them. So you can see how one can be loyal without being committed, and vice versa. It usually evokes a strong sense of intention and focus. It is accompanied by a clear purpose and an action plan. In this sense, commitment does not mean working long hours for you or your team. It means working with integrity and effectiveness.
To encourage commitment you need to understand the quality of the relationship you have with the individual or the team. Many leaders in positions of authority have significant room to improve on their commitment to people. They are committed to the goals and outcomes of their organisational values. They are masterful at understanding and working the technical complexity of modern organisations — but they either do not make the time, or do not have the interest, in making a commitment to the people.
Let us look at some of the commitment enhancers. Number one can be understanding what sorts of tasks team members are best at — for example, creative or process-driven. Number two can be recognising symptoms of low morale and taking affirmative action to remedy them. Number three can be publicly celebrating examples of good commitment.
The last construct of a leader is empathy. Like trust, our natural levels of empathy are shaped in early childhood and refined over time. Though empathy is seen as a fuzzy emotion, it has the power to transform people. Our brains can be trained to be empathetic. However, the journey to becoming empathetic starts by understanding perspectives. Most of us believe that we can see other people's point of view, and actually we can't. So when we meet someone for the first time, we will subconsciously categorise them and their behaviours.
Empathetic communication demonstrates respect, trust, improved teamwork and enhanced human motivation. By appreciating and acknowledging others we increase their state of happiness. One can only enjoy others to the extent that they appreciate and understand themselves. Appreciation is also about self-acceptance. Most of us rarely appreciate who we are ourselves, and self-acceptance accelerates the process of self-development.
Let us look at some of the empathy enhancers. Number one can be understanding and acting upon the limitations your team faces in performing their roles. Number two can be increasing the levels of positive interaction with your team — for example praise and recognition. Number three can be taking the time to understand significant events or people in the personal lives of team members.
Timely leadership evaluation based on the above five constructs not only identifies the gaps, but establishes long-term trust and commitment towards the leader and the organisation.
Thank you all for tuning in.