Sad businesswoman

I read in the paper recently how many leaders get really bad leadership scores from their employees.

I’m sometimes amazed that there are people out there who want to be leaders in the first place. It’s not an easy job. The expectations on a leader are high, being a skilled multi-tasker is a must.

And still, that’s just how it should be. As a leader you have a direct impact on how engaged your employees are. And engaged employees is the key to a profitable and healthy company. So the expectations on leaders should be high, because that’s how important the leaders are.

If you run a company, make sure you hire the right people as leaders, make sure they can feel good where they are, develop them continually, so that they have a fair chance to give the employees what they need to feel good and do a good job.

As a leader you need to see each person, understand each person, observe the uniqueness of each person and make sure those unique qualities are maximised and utilised.

So take the time to be a leader. Don’t be so busy with meetings and calls and emails that you no longer have the time to spend with your employees. Listen to what people have to say, take interest in them, make sure they have what they need to do a good job, laugh, encourage, allow for mistakes and learnings, give feedback, help them develop, communicate……

Yes, the list is long – therein lies the leader’s biggest challenge. So if it feels like too much, then at least do this – see and hear each person, make them feel important. You have everything to gain from this – and you will.

No, it’s not impossible to be a good leader – it does take time and interest though. And it’s a rewarding investment!