The benefits of inspiring leadership are clear in business. The modern workforce has evolved, and no longer is a paycheck the primary factor in motivating employees to top performance. Today people want more. Company loyalty over a working lifetime has become a dated practice as contemporary employees continuously jump from job to job in search of more opportunity, additional learning, and greater meaning.
Business leaders who ignore the challenge of retention are faced with the high costs of employee turnover, training, and loss of incumbent knowledge. As more businesses are upgrading salaries, benefit packages, and programs to retain talent, it is important that they also focus on developing strong leaders who are able to provide inspirational leadership to the company at large.
But what does inspiration look like, and how does a leader cultivate it within the workplace? Here are four steps for you to consider:
Be Enthusiastic
It is difficult for a leader to impart a vision if personal passion isn’t in place. How can a leader inspire unless inspired themselves? Enthusiasm is contagious, and should be evident beyond the scope of a mere product to what the product can do for people and contribute to society as a whole. The leaders who love talking about what their companies do and provide naturally engage others who want to stick around to be part of something special.
Sell the Benefit
Inspirational leaders have to answer the million dollar question for all employees: what’s in it for me? If the goals of the company are only to increase revenue and profitability, it will be difficult to engage teams on a more personal and meaningful level. Leaders must paint a picture of success so that employees can really visualize the benefit of that success. What is the big picture and how does the company fit into that? What are we doing to improve the world? How does your specific job contribute to that? These are the questions that employees need answered to find meaning in what they do.
Encourage Innovation
If a business is not constantly evolving, it is failing. Competition is fierce and what worked yesterday will likely become antiquated tomorrow. It is critical that all team members be a part of the innovation process so that businesses can remain on the cutting edge. Leaders should encourage and prioritize innovation, developing a formal process to capture, review, and implement innovative ideas as appropriate at all levels. Mistakes should be tolerated as a natural result of the innovation process, and treated as opportunities to learn and grow. When employees are free to come up with and help implement their own ideas, they become invested in the future and success of the company.
Collaborate with Others
Leaders do not succeed on their own, and businesses do not fail in a silo. Everyone contributes, and therefore the ideas and opinions of everyone are critical to a company’s success. No leader should be too busy or important to communicate with his/her team members. Participation should be invited as open lines of communication are maintained between leaders and employees. Not only does this help leaders better understand the inner workings of their businesses, it speaks to their level of integrity and wins employee trust and respect. The employee that doesn’t feel included or important enough will eventually leave for a company where they will.
While by no means all inclusive, these tips should help towards cultivating inspirational leadership within the workplace. This requires acknowledgment and a conscious effort to include, empower, and elevate team members beyond thinking about a simple paycheck to a more meaningful pursuit in their lives.
For more information on this topic, please reach out to Genesis HR Solutions at AskUs@genesishrsolutions.com or 800-367-8367.
Genesis HR Solutions is the premier PEO provider for Massachusetts based businesses.
