Great leaders do not just focus on tasks and goals. They also need to make sure their colleagues are inspired, motivated and remain engaged at work.
If your employees do not feel connected with you as their leader, it could cause companies to lose their top talent, allow toxic attitudes to fester, or even imperil the entire business.
In this article, we share 3 different ways for leaders to better connect with employees successfully.
Create a two-way connection
In order for leaders to successfully connect with their employees, a system of communication must be established. However, more importantly, it has to be structured as a two-way system. This means that both the employers and employees must be able to equally participate and contribute to the conversation at hand.
Conducting meetings by arranging for communication platforms that match your employees’ needs could be the first step that leaders want to consider taking in the future.
Adjust communication set-ups to a physical meeting, audio call or a video conference depending on your colleague’s preferences. This will allow employees to feel more comfortable in their interactions with you and also allow them the opportunity to better retain information transferred over the meeting.
As such, it’s important to know which communication channels your employees prefer to use so that leaders can better connect with employees.
Lead By Example
As leaders, one of the best ways to successfully connect with your employees is to simply walk the talk. According to an article published by Mindtools.com, when you lead by example, you create a picture of what is possible.
This action, in turn, will inspire your colleagues to believe in themselves and better contribute to the project they are working on. Leading by example can also build “organisational cohesiveness” between employers and employees.
When a leader participates in the same work his employees are engaged in, employees tend to drop the individualistic mentality to take on a rejuvenated team-spirit. The establishment of a proper working-relationship between these two parties subsequently reassures the achievement of organisational targets too.
As such, leading by example is yet another way leaders can better connect with their employees in the future.
Recognise And Praise Employees’ Efforts
One other strategy that leaders can use to effectively connect with their employees is through timely recognition and appraisal of their colleagues’ efforts at work.
As supported by an article from Command Recruitment Group, the role that positive affirmation plays within the workplace cannot be overstated since motivation functions as a powerful tool.
Furthermore, a study conducted by Gallup also found that employees who received praise and recognition on a regular basis where applicable were more productive, engaged, and loyal to their organisations. This form of motivation led to higher employee retention rates within organisations too.
As such, leaders can better connect with their employees by regularly recognising and praising their colleagues for the efforts they put into their projects.
Creating a two-way connection, leading by setting examples and regularly recognising and praising your staff will allow leaders to better connect with their employees at work. Engaging in these simple practices will also build your colleagues’ trust and cooperation when working with you.
When leaders and employees are better connected, organisational achievements become a common goal for both parties to work towards and this could lead to endless opportunities of growth for everyone involved.
StrengthsAsia has helped many individual and corporate clients all throughout the region in empowering leaders by enabling breakthrough experiences for both leaders and followers. If you want to learn more about the Strengths Leadership Program, feel free to reach out to us here.
Reshma is StrengthsAsia’s content writer and research contributor. She enjoys spending her time writing anything from poems to screenplays, and everything in between. She also finds joy in reading novels, baking and catching movies with her family. Participating in creative activities helps her find inspiration and new ideas for her work.
Aly is StrengthsAsia’s marketing and communications guru and lead editor. She's over the top inquisitive and everyone in the company knows her as “The Googler” as she practically googles everything. Honestly, we all worry for her… She is also the Principal Trainer for our one of a kind ice cream team building workshops in Asia.