Leadership. A word so often used, so often abused. There have been thousands of books and articles (possibly even millions) written on the subject, and I have contributed to these. But recently having observed many “so-called” leaders, I realized I was mentally compiling my own list of the principles that I felt made great leaders for their companies.
It is a common phrase and notion that employees do not quit their jobs; they quit their bosses. And it turns out; there’s research to back it up. Statistics from DDI, a leadership consulting firm, showed that 57% of employees who left their company in 2019, did so specifically because of issues they had with their boss.
Furthermore, despite all the thousands of books and articles, we don’t seem to be getting any better at this leadership thing. Research from the Australian Institute of Management with Monash University shows that “83% of the almost 2,000 employees surveyed rated their manager’s leadership skills as average or below average and they also ranked poorly in terms of communication, skills, strategic influence and their ability to oversee staff performance.”
There are many repercussions to poor leadership strategies in our workplace. From unengaged employees, who lack any investment in our company’s culture, to an unhappy workplace with people ready to walk out of the door. So, what are the principles of great leadership?
Here’s what I have observed over the years in my various career roles. Great leaders possess and own the following key principles and adhere to them, come what may:
Empathy
Great leaders really care not just about the business but the people who work for them and with them. They allocate time to meet their people and listen to their views. They take time to enquire about their people’s perspectives and what makes them come to work and what they want from their workplace and their leaders.
Listening
This is a rare commodity that’s seldom found in leaders. Not pretending to listen, but REALLY listening. Real leaders understand they don’t have all the answers but many of their people do, or at the very least a combination of their people’s viewpoints have the solution to many of the problems that are keeping them up at night.
Admitting when they are wrong
No one is perfect and this preposterous view that the boss always has to be right is nonsense. Only by being honest and admitting mistakes will others be open to providing advice and help when it really matters. You can’t build a team if people think the leader believes they walk on water and are always right.
Transparency
Open and honest communication is vital to building an organization that is able to have those tough debates and confront the real issues. Telling people what’s going on, both good and bad is not a weakness, it’s a strength that will build loyalty and commitment.
Delegate
Too many leaders have the view that unless they do it themselves it won’t get done properly. This is a fallacy. Great leaders have the grace to allow people to take on more responsibility and to make mistakes because they understand that’s how we all learn and improve. Furthermore, good people don’t enjoy not having responsibility for their own actions. We don’t like having things taken off us because the boss feels the need to get involved to make sure it’s done better. No company can really grow when one person is doing everything.
Accountability
If you aren’t accountable to yourself, then it’s impossible to hold others accountable. If there’s no accountability, then fingers get pointed and the ‘blame game’ flourishes. Great leaders hold themselves to a high standard of accountability and take responsibility for their actions. This cascades down through the organization.
Most of the leaders I have observed have not changed their style to suit the changing people market. Business has for far too long gotten away with unacceptable methods and behaviour in treating their employees. The market has changed; national unemployment is at 3.5% (2.2% in Minnesota). It is a seller’s market and unless leaders change their style and behaviour and do it genuinely, they and their companies are in for a tough road ahead.
As Richard Branson once said, “You should aim to train staff so they can leave but treat them so they won’t.”
Peter M. Beaumont is the Founder and Principal of ConnXN Consulting and is a Leadership & Organisation Accelerator as well as part of Success Authorities. He is also the author of The Relationship Roadmap, a comprehensive guide to building relationships with strategic clients.