Leadership

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Empathetic Leadership in the Workplace

Nicole Sithithavorn Blog Leadership, Staffing

In today’s business environment, organizations need to be more than efficient and effective. They also need to be able to adapt quickly to any changes in the industry or economy to stay competitive. Successful teams all pull in the same direction toward set goals led by skilled leadership. This highly desirable management style is referred to as being an empathetic leader.

Empathetic managers know how to maximize their employees’ performance. By putting themselves into the shoes of their staff, empathetic leaders understand the feelings of others and can perceive their emotions. Because of this, these managers can lead with compassion and have understanding for their direct reports, fostering a culture that lets employees know they are valued.

Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Slack and IBM have famously been able to harness the power of collaboration by creating physical workspaces that emphasize teamwork and open communication. In such an environment, team members can work together to solve complex problems.

It has often been said that you never know where a good idea will come from. Collaboration honors every perspective and encourages all voices to be heard. At the center of this are empathetic leaders who can form trusting relationships with their colleagues. The traditional leadership style calls for top-down management with decision-making placed in the hands of one individual: the boss. Communication tends to be formal, with direction flowing from the managers down to the employees. Organizations that value empathetic managers are rewarded with motivated, supported and productive employees.

What does empathetic leadership look like? Here are some key characteristics you can apply to your own manager hiring and training:

Value empathy as part of your corporate culture — Being a task-driven organization is important for getting things done, but being committed to understanding and caring for the emotional health of your employees is equally as important. Let your staff know that their concerns are valid and that they can feel comfortable in speaking with you. Active listening, self-awareness and perspective-taking should be a company priority through training and mentorship programs to cultivate compassion.
Teach empathetic listening skills — Use active listening techniques to let staff know that they are being heard and respected. Empathetic leaders are trained to understand not only what is being said but also how it is being communicated. This means reading nonverbal clues such as body language, eye contact, facial expressions and tone of voice to better understand what is being said or, perhaps, not being said. Coach your team on how to express their thoughts openly with one another and to listen to what is being said. Valuing diverse perspectives can lead to innovative and creative solutions.
Put yourself into another person’s shoes — Build trust so that employees are comfortable enough to bring personal issues that might be hindering their job performance to your attention. Personal problems do not disappear once someone comes to work. Support your colleagues by offering pathways to resolving issues. Perhaps they need a more flexible work schedule or mental health support to reduce the stress in their lives. Check in with your staff members from time to time to show that you support them as they work toward resolutions.

Empathetic leadership is a hallmark of managerial excellence. Companies that have embraced this as part of their corporate culture have successfully retained motivated staff members who feel valued and heard.

Pro Tip: Accountability of the team

admin Blog, Pro Tip Accountability, Growth, Leadership, Management, Margins, pro tip

An often overlooked area of value building for businesses is accountability of the team. Particularly in management, setting up the job descriptions, workflows and compensation structure to allow for transparent accountability that aligns with the company and its strategic trajectory is key for increasing margin. Holding team members accountable is not a negative thing, done right it can be an empowering experience, giving them the tools for growth both within the organization and in their skill set, and allowing them the agency to use them. Unsure how? Let’s talk!

The Workplace Gets Flatter

admin Blog HR, Leadership, Management, Staffing

The Catholic Church is an excellent example of a traditional management structure. The chain of command flows through five layers, from the Pope to cardinals and archbishops to bishops and ultimately to priests and deacons. That pattern has endured for 2,000 years. Another notable model is the Imperial Civil Service that governed India during British rule from 1858 to 1947.

As today’s firms embrace the buzz to democratize management, everything old is new again.

The Earth is not flat (but some firms are)

In the corporate world, flat companies generally exhibit fewer layers between top brass, aka the C-suite, and the ranks of middle management. As a result, fewer buffers separate senior executives and frontline staff. That arrangement means less hierarchy and scaffolding and results in increased autonomy at lower levels. Leadership styles tend to be more participatory and facilitative, at least in theory.

A flat distribution of authority is most common in smaller operations, where communication and directives can be more readily implemented. Yet it is not an all-or-nothing framework. The prototypes run from “flatarchies,” which represent few or virtually no management levels, to more hybrid combinations.

Not all businesses lend themselves to a more level structure. Industry, size and culture are all relevant factors. Larger organizations typically find it more challenging to flatten ranks. However, in response to contemporary management trends, a significant number of larger companies have embraced the effort. Netflix, Spotify, Amazon and Google have joined the wave. Many high-tech leaders, in particular, have been thinning their layers, driven by the imperative to be agile amid fast-moving competition. (Others, however, such as Cisco, IBM and Walmart, have subsequently backtracked some earlier initiatives.)

It is understandable why many managers support flatter profiles. There are fewer and less rigid roles. With reduced red tape and bureaucracy, decisions can be made and implemented faster. Supervisors do not require multiple approvals for simple sign-offs.

Fans and foes of flatter workplaces

Companies appreciate the cost savings of fewer middle management positions, as well as revitalized relationships with staff. When employees are entrusted with responsibility and accountability, they are likely to feel more valued and enjoy job satisfaction. All that spells retention and attracts talent. Trust and transparency flourish between teams and management. It may be especially gratifying for workers to see their ideas reach senior executives without being diluted. They can also respond better to customer needs.

Across flatter environments, information is disseminated more swiftly; decision-making cycles accelerate, as ideas can be shared across teams without getting trapped in the chain of command. Autonomy may lead to innovation and productivity, too, as team members take ownership.

Without supervisors constantly looking over their shoulders, employees’ engagement grows. In hierarchies, it is harder for them to take risks, challenge authority or express their own opinions.

Some, however, miss the old hierarchies. The new processes seem less consistent, with quality and efficiency standards compromised. Promotions are no longer feasible when there is no ladder to climb. Others gripe at time wasted, inexperienced frontline staff, lack of supervision to enhance productivity or difficulties maintaining a work-life balance.

Ways to flatten the terrain

You might balance the new autonomy with fresh structures. Certain companies have successfully implemented proprietary and unique versions. For instance, Netflix uses “boundary systems,” which are simple guiding principles for framing autonomous decisions. Spotify organizes “self-managing circles” — small squads with clear responsibilities.

Here are some practical proposals for making the transition:

Map out a change management plan.
Offer more advanced professional development, such as through projects or instruction.
Encourage open-door policies for questions or concerns.
Provide documentation to clarify.
Communicate rationales for change to counter staff resistance.
Empower teams to make decisions within guardrails.
Establish teams according to projects; some structure is still necessary.
Redefine growth as more lateral, perhaps with new skills or continuous learning.
When hiring, look for candidates with independence and self-discipline.

Companies: Not Helicopter Parents

glevi Blog Accountability, HR, Leadership, Management, Staffing

Many organizations tend to replicate the roles of children, adults and parents. In the workplace, some of those same characteristics can manifest among managers and their team members. Just as a helicopter approach at home can impact a child’s health and independence, raise anxiety and suppress confidence, an overly paternalistic or autocratic style at the office can erode employees’ sense of personal responsibility.

My way or the highway

The classic “my way or the highway” management style was developed in the 19th century, conceived to maximize productivity and efficiency. In that context, an autocratic leadership style evolved, whereby managers exerted tight control according to clearly defined processes, relying on little significant input from lower employees. They set boundaries and imposed discipline. At the same time, hierarchical structures diminished the need to consult large groups of people about decisions. Business structures were built on carrot-and-stick motivations; in other words, in a culture of fear — obey me or else.

In the following century, many organizations became “flatter” and employees became responsible for their own conduct and well-being. Business expanded from the old production lines, particularly in the emerging knowledge industries.

Employers began to realize that the old-fashioned command-and-control practices born in the Industrial Revolution were not designed to promote trust. Ideally, they would prefer to manage empowered staff whom they did not need to train or monitor so closely. Today’s employees have come to expect a more transparent and participatory culture. They now want to be treated as equals and active contributors rather than passive implementers. They do not like clocking in and out, as accountability suggests there should be less reason to cheat.

During and since the pandemic, management practices continued to evolve. The paradox remains that companies clearly desire mature and accountable staff, yet many executives still believe they are adept at delegating and inspiring teams based on principles they have inherited from the old, paternalistic style.

How ‘copter managers behave

Parents who overprotect and micromanage tend to give their children insufficient free, unsupervised time or not treat them as independent agents. Many who grow up and arrive at adult jobs find employers are still operating on a similar fantasy plane.

Kids who have been infantilized sometimes seek permission for every action. They fall victim to learned helplessness. As adults, they might be reluctant to take creative risks and may spend a lot of emotion worrying about job security.

Bosses who fall into ‘copter parenting mode may fear relinquishing the power of ownership or entrusting their position and reputation to someone else. Sometimes the behavior derives from poor modeling based on what they themselves have experienced in the workplace.

Those are the managers who demand obedience, micromanage, constantly remind and pester their teams about instructions, and are hesitant to delegate. Everybody has encountered the boss who insists on doing the work themself because they lack confidence that anyone else reliably can. Or perhaps they are quick to correct and admonish employees in front of the entire team.

It is ironic that each year companies are spending over $100 billion on employee engagement and well-being initiatives with a grand aim to nurture staff in every aspect. Notwithstanding, according to Gallup, engagement has reached an 11-year low.

Be a partner, not a parent

Both bosses and team members should try to hold each other accountable. You might ask, “How can we find a solution together?” Sharing that responsibility can help lighten a manager’s burden.

Trust your staff’s judgment rather than rigid processes.
Permit them to make mistakes as learning experiences.
Assign broader challenges rather than specific tasks.
Provide some structure for them to function successfully.
Recognize they have outside lives, respect their privacy and show appreciation.
Treat them as family and individuals.
Indicate you have their backs and will protect them.

Your team members are your assets, not your liabilities. Make them worthwhile partners.

Is This Your Situation: You Need a Manager at Your Manufacturing

glevi Blog HR, Leadership, Management

Hiring a manager is different from hiring other staff positions, and it is particularly important. Managers not only are harder to find, but also are harder to evaluate. Some manufacturing managers have tons of experience but lack true leadership skills. Others are the opposite — they’re great leaders but don’t have a great deal of experience within the industry. How can you tell if a candidate has the potential to be a great manager in your organization? Here are five key traits to look for.

Confidence

No manager should be overly nervous in an interview. Sure, they might be a little jittery, especially if they haven’t been in the job market in a while. But for the most part, managers should show confidence in their ability to present ideas. Furthermore, they should be exceedingly comfortable speaking about their skills, experience, and accomplishments within the manufacturing space.

Character

Managers can have all the experience in the world, but if they don’t have the character to match, they’ll have a hard time making a true impact within your organization. Someone with strong character will give you a sense of reassurance and trust right from the start. But don’t confuse confidence with arrogance or you could find yourself making the wrong hiring decisions.

Composure

Things can get hectic in a fast-paced work environment like a manufacturing floor. When everyone else is in a panic and frustrated, the manager is the one who should remain calm. In this position, you need someone who not only can keep their composure during stressful situations, but also can find solutions to problems at hand.

Conflict Resolution

In line with composure is conflict resolution. When everyone is sharing ideas and working toward common goals, there will be disagreements. This may be especially true among less-experienced staff whose may not have the maturity to balance emptions in the way that more-seasoned workers can. Managers must be able to mediate and resolve situations for themselves and others alike.

Customer Service

In the end, your customers matter most. When you have a manager who can communicate effectively with customers, it’s a huge advantage. You will have the peace of mind that comes from knowing your company is represented well. Customer service often can require its fair share of conflict resolution, just like any level of management.

There is so much involved in hiring a manager for your manufacturing business. Contact us today, and we’ll gladly assist you with the logistical aspects of your prospective new hire.

Lonely Leaders

glevi Blog HR, Leadership

Harvard Business Review reports that at least half of managers and top executives feel isolated and disconnected, while 61% of those surveyed reveal that the alienation hinders their job performance. Anyone with elevated status, not just the CEO or others in the C-suite, may find it challenging to interact with subordinates.

We should distinguish between solitude and loneliness. Solitude is often prized by busy, active leaders. A few minutes or hours with their thoughts may be a welcome interlude. Loneliness on the other hand takes a psychological toll, even on middle managers, who find themselves in no man’s land between their teams and senior brass.

Why do managers become isolated?

Moving up to management should be something to celebrate, but it might turn out to be a poisoned chalice.

Hierarchy and power dynamics in any organization set up an automatic gulf between team camaraderie and the boss. Once they become authority figures, managers may discover they cannot hang out with the team the way they used to. Suddenly, your reports may start to act differently, perhaps unconsciously.

You are always “on” and under unrealistic pressure to be infallible. As a superior, you become more visible, with less wiggle room, and are judged by harsher standards. Your moods and behavior will now have a wider impact on your former teammates. Although life at the top of the food chain certainly carries its advantages, it also entails obligations and challenges.

Making decisions may become burdensome when you shoulder them by yourself. You must address new interpersonal frictions, like holding team members accountable, dealing with poor performance or resolving conflicts. Where can you turn for support? Your office dilemmas may not be well appreciated at home. You now probably have fewer peers with whom to commiserate. Compounding the quandary, you may now be restricted in what confidential information you can share. The team may regard your decisions as illogical, not being privy to full details.

It would be normal to harbor fears. Impostor syndrome is the private suspicion that your success is undeserved. You may fret that your team is unhappy, that you lack the right skill sets or that you must prove your promotion. You may be distanced from your former office friendships but have not yet developed new peers.

Fight back!

When you recognize your loneliness, you can take constructive action. The unfortunate reality is that many organizations provide little leadership training, so managers are left to fend for themselves.

You will feel more secure if you can establish a peer support group that can perform as a sounding board for you in a safe, confidential setting. Fellow managers can come together to share their experiences and insights. The learning curve can be steep for almost anyone. Remember that all experienced managers had to start somewhere and likely felt lonely themselves once.

You may have to construct a peer network on your own. It may take some time and patience, as it is normal to build trust gradually. Invite them to lunch, organize brainstorming sessions, and schedule regular catch-ups.

Peer groups — sometimes known as “mastermind” groups — at all levels can reinforce each other. Individual members meet in groups of about half a dozen to give and receive advice, share ideas or even discuss personal matters. As members of a supportive community, they elevate one another’s strengths and encourage each other.

Loneliness hacks

Practice some simple habits to keep managerial blues at bay:

Keep up some outside hobbies to preserve a healthy work-life balance.
Solicit feedback regularly.
Ask HR about a mentoring program — or start an unofficial one.
Find an objective person to offload on, ideally not a family member or partner.
Choose one challenge a month to increase your confidence.
Show empathy to other new managers. You have been in their footsteps.
Ask for help when you need it.

Accepting and acknowledging your inner feelings can be a comfort. Maintaining a façade of self-confidence to conceal your insecurities will only wear you down.

The 10-Point Leadership Checklist

glevi Blog Accountability, Goals, Leadership, Staffing

Understanding the traits good leaders have in common is important for your own development as well as for developing future leaders at your company. Businesses change, but basic leadership skills have not changed over time.

Following are 10 essential tasks to improve leadership skills:

1. Set Personal Goals. Being a leader means you need to understand your goals. It does not mean you are required to know all the answers for achieving those goals. Knowing the things you excel at — and those you don’t — is critical to good leadership. Asking for help with things you do not have expertise in is the mark of an effective leader. Delegating, changing, growing and adapting all are part of keeping a company sustainable over the long term. The objective is achieving the goals on your list.

2. Identify Your Sphere of Influence/Areas of Concern. Set clear parameters that divide the things you can influence from those you cannot. Work hard on the things within your sphere of influence because those are the things that will expand your influence on the company and enhance your reputation as an effective leader.

3. Ensure Consistency. Good leaders need to be consistent in their behaviors and reactions, which means they need to be patient, fair and tolerant. This includes treating team members equally and not playing favorites.

4. Demand Accountability. Great leaders are willing to live up to the old adage “the buck stops here.” Success and failure both are part of running a company, and company leaders ultimately are responsible for what happens. That does not mean they oversee every detail, but it does mean they don’t play the blame game.

5. Foster Communication Skills. This skill has several components. Good leaders need to be able to listen well, ask good questions and be able to communicate good news with happiness and bad news with compassion.

6. Model Listening Skills. Listen to everyone no matter their role at the company. Find out how people connect with each other. Learn what motivates employees and how their priorities and concerns affect the company.

7. Develop Questioning Skills. Coupled with listening skills, the ability to ask questions that get to the core of the issue is critical — even when the answer is not what you want to hear.

8. Support Mentoring and Coaching. Coach and develop your team so they can grow and learn new skills. Encourage them to be creative and innovative and teach them how to problem-solve as a team. Allowing your team to learn and grow will help keep them interested in their jobs and involved in the company’s success.

9. Offer Feedback. Let your team know you value their feedback about where improvements can be made. Their suggestions may or may not used, but they should always be taken seriously and evaluated carefully.

10. Measure Success. Item one on this list is understanding your role and knowing the goals you need to achieve. This last item refers to measuring whether these goals were achieved at different points, including timeliness and budget. Celebrate your success, but remember this: Your team’s performance greatly affects this measurement, so be sure to celebrate your success at the team level, too.

Developing strong leadership in your organization is a powerful strategic initiative, if you don’t know where to start, contact us today.

Effective Employee Performance Reviews

glevi Blog Leadership, Staffing

Performance reviews often feel like a one-way, top-down process in which you, the boss, are judge and jury. But if reviews are instead a two-way street, employees feel significantly less defensive. How do you create this two-way process? Let’s look at some ideas.

First, you might ask the employee to write a self-evaluation prior to the review. How well did the employee meet their goals over the past year? How did they feel about their work? What did they do well? Where do they need more support? Ask them to open the meeting by sharing these thoughts. Letting them speak first helps diminish the sense of judgment by indicating that you are open to dialogue.

An additional step is to ask for employee peer reviews. Gathering additional observations, perspectives and comments about the employee’s job performance dilutes the sense that you alone are judging the work.

For the evaluation itself, do not use arbitrary numerical grades, especially without substantiating what they mean. Instead, focus on the job performance. How well did the person meet the goals set last year (or in their job description)? If you are going to use numbers, make sure they assess results (like “increased accuracy by 29%”).

“Meeting the goals set last year” (or in the job description) should be the focus of the review. Evaluate not the person but rather how well the person gets the job done. Shift to a results-oriented review rather than a personality-oriented one and set this focus both when you open the meeting and throughout the discussion. What actions (or attitudes) did the employee engage in that showed good work? What were the results those actions/attitudes achieved?

The discussion should be well-documented. Include any feedback you provide along with a record of the goals. Make sure each goal includes a time frame and a method of measuring whether the goal was attained. Both you and the employee can then determine whether they’ve succeeded in meeting or failed to meet the goal. Encourage the employee to keep a similar written record that they can use the following year in their self-evaluation.

If there’s a gap between your view of the employee’s work and their own, do not insist on your perspective. Instead, listen and talk through issues to try to determine what’s underlying job performance problems. At the end of the discussion, you and the employee should be on the same page.

Do not end the review until you have a plan: What will the employee do in the next year? What will they improve on in the next months? What support do they need to achieve those goals? As above, these plans should be results oriented rather than personality driven. The plan should also outline any training or coaching the employee needs, along with what the employer will do (in terms of money, time or personnel) to support the employee.

And always provide employees with a copy of the completed evaluation form.

Additional details

It’s important to separate a performance review from compensation discussions. Instead, conduct a salary review close to the time when raises are announced. If you conduct performance and salary reviews in the same discussion, the employee is likely to pay attention only to the money and miss the benefits of any coaching you offer.

The person who conducts the interview should be the supervisor or manager who has the most contact with the employee. They are in the best position to accurately assess day-to-day results. They should observe the process outlined above.

Provide notice of the performance review and let employees know that it is not a “judgment day.” Create a thoughtful schedule and publicize it to the company.

If you design and follow a meaningful system of coaching conversations that employees welcome, find useful and see as valuable, you will motivate employees to thrive in their careers. You get better quality work by correcting problems, supporting quality work and laying the groundwork for advancement in the company.

Are You a Strategic Leader?

glevi Blog Leadership, Strategy

You may be hearing lots of talk about the importance of being a good strategic leader. However, if you scratch below the surface, it turns out that the traits that make a good strategic leader are the same time-tested abilities leaders have always needed. Let’s explore what these are.

Leaders look for trends and opportunities. No one can know or monitor everything, especially in this rapidly changing world. Market research can help. Leaders execute research by creating a network of stakeholders — employees, customers, competitors and centers of influence — who keep them in the loop about what they are doing right, where they can improve and what is happening in the industry.

Here are two additional ways to approach this type of market research:

Form an advisory board that includes members from outside the company. This board can bring a different perspective, helping leaders assess and reassess the company’s long-held beliefs. The board can also help leaders set realistic strategies that are sustainable into the future.
If big customers are in jeopardy, meet with them to discuss why they are leaving. Even if the company cannot remedy the situation and the customers are lost, leaders can use the opportunity to gain insight into what other customers may be thinking and make adjustments accordingly.

Leaders have the skill and strength to communicate effectively. Good leaders understand that it is essential that all stakeholders know what the business’s goals are and how they will be accomplished. Leaders know that mindreading is impossible and that assuming people know your thoughts frequently leads to failure. Instead, leaders communicate with and gain buy-in from different stakeholders. This requires communications geared toward gaining and maintaining trust. It additionally requires using all methods available: proactive and responsive, in person and remote, spoken and written, and so on.

An effective way to communicate transparently is giving stakeholders the ability to voice their opinions. Consider this example: The leader wants to expand the company but other stakeholders feel the timing is wrong. The communication chain should start before any steps have been taken so that an open discussion about the pros and cons can take place. The leader’s mind may not change, but all parties will feel their opinion mattered in the decision-making process.

Leaders have a good attitude toward “failure.” No business has a record of 100% success. While no one seeks failure, what really matters is how company leaders handle setbacks when they do happen. Instead of blaming others, leaders work to figure out what went wrong. Under this kind of leadership, a business will foster a culture that values learning and innovation, which helps create a company culture in which mistakes are not repeated.

These three categories are intentionally broad. As leaders dive more deeply into strategic thinking and acting, they will uncover different aspects of their leadership style, how that style impacts company culture and how they can be better leaders.