As a leader within your organization, you bear the responsibility for achieving goals and results. In recent years, we have gained a better understanding of what it takes to demonstrate effective leadership and how you can work on your leadership skills as a leader. In this article, I will provide you with practical insights on how to gradually become an even better leader by finding the right balance between different activities and by working on your leadership habits daily.
The Core of Effective Leadership
Insights from various studies, including those conducted by our own HPO Center and various (neuroscientific) researchers, can help you improve your leadership skills. These studies emphasize that effective leadership consists of a harmonious blend of two essential aspects: daring and caring.
The Two Pillars of Good Leadership: Daring and Caring. For detailed information, also see this article: https://www.esthermollema.nl/twee-benen-van-goed-leiderschap
On the one hand, there’s the “daring” aspect of leadership, where you’re responsible for organizing tasks and fostering collaboration to achieve shared goals. Here, you need to be focused and monitor team objectives. It’s crucial to use your position as a leader to create clarity and speed. Decision-making, promoting and supporting collaboration, and providing clarity all play crucial roles.
On the other hand, there’s the “caring” aspect of leadership, which focuses on developing the team and individual team members. It involves inspiring, coaching, and supporting personal growth. Creating an environment where people can thrive, promoting teamwork, learning, and inspiration are all essential. To achieve this, it’s essential to listen to different perspectives within the team to make better decisions.
Striving for Balance
A balanced blend of these two aspects of leadership is crucial. In 2013, neuroscientist Matt Lieberman demonstrated that a one-sided focus on either aspect rarely leads to effective leadership. Leaders who emphasize “daring” have only a 14% chance of becoming outstanding leaders. For leaders who primarily focus on “caring,” this chance is even lower at 12%. The optimal balance between “caring” and “daring” leadership increases the likelihood of becoming an excellent leader to as much as 72%. Only 1% of leaders are highly rated for possessing both qualities, highlighting the rarity of this balance. So, there’s work to be done for many leaders.
The Reality of Leadership
The majority of leaders, therefore, do not meet the expectations of their team members. Worse, a significant portion of employees perceive their managers as the primary source of stress in the workplace. Additionally, 70% of employees indicate that their manager’s influence on their mental health is greater than that of their partner, according to a 2022 study by the Workforce Institute. Despite nine out of ten leaders believing they have a positive impact on their team members’ workplace satisfaction, only five out of ten employees agree. This underscores the discrepancy between perception and reality, unfortunately not in favor of the leader or the employee.
Examples of leadership behaviors that negatively impact workplace satisfaction:
- Not giving enough attention, not listening, and checking their mobile phone during meetings.
- Being consistently late without offering an apology.
- Forgetting agreements or commitments.
- Lack of transparency on certain matters.
- Remaining silent during crucial moments when their leadership is required.
- Sending irritated messages or communications.
- Making derogatory comments or jokes.
- Abruptly ending conversations.
Steps to Improved Leadership
Do you want to enhance your leadership skills? The following six steps are effective:
- Recognize and Acknowledge: The first and most crucial question is whether you, as a leader, are willing to further improve yourself. This is where, I believe, about 50% of all leaders falter. Some resist change because it requires a lot of time and effort. They might half-heartedly entertain improvement suggestions from their team but quickly revert to old habits. Understand that working on your leadership primarily means working on your habits, and that requires time and commitment from you. So, ask yourself first if you genuinely want to become a better leader.
- Collect and Accept Information: Seek feedback about your leadership skills. This can be done through anonymous surveys or in conversations if possible. Ensure that you truly understand what is working well and what needs improvement. Ask about the behaviors that may push your team members away. You’ll often find that when you inquire, your team faces different issues than you might have thought. Don’t dismiss the feedback, don’t downplay what’s said, and don’t treat it as an isolated incident. Instead, carefully document your findings.
- Show Vulnerability: Share the received negative feedback and be open about your weaknesses and insecurities with your team. Share what you already knew and also highlight things that surprised you. By sharing, you create an environment open to feedback and discussion. It also encourages others to be vulnerable and seek feedback.
- Create an Improvement Plan with Your Team: Ask your team for input on which changes in your behavior as a leader would benefit them the most.
- Work on Daily Leadership Habits: Change your behavior by translating the feedback into new daily habits. Don’t take on too much at once but make changes gradually, in small steps that you can sustain. On average, it takes about 66 days to develop a new habit.
- Regularly Seek Feedback: Routinely ask your team for feedback on your performance and improvements. This fosters a shared responsibility for growth and development.
These six steps, while seemingly simple, can be challenging in practice. Persistence pays off and brings rewards in the end!
The Impact of Improved Leadership
Investing in improving your leadership skills is highly worthwhile. As a leader, you have a significant impact on the workplace satisfaction of your team members. This isn’t just a nice-to-have; research has shown that even a slight increase in workplace satisfaction can result in a significant boost in productivity. A joint study by Harvard University and Oxford University demonstrated that a 1-point increase in workplace happiness on a scale of 0 to 10 led to an impressive 12% increase in productivity.
In summary, pursuing balanced leadership, showing vulnerability, engaging your team, and continuously improving your daily habits can all contribute to your development as an even better leader—with impact.