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    You are here Home » employee engagement

    10 Traits of Great Leaders in This New World of Work

    Last updated on Aug 2, 2018 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Guest
    post from Glenn Elliott and Debra Corey:

    The world of work has and continues to
    change. Our workforce, which now consists of five generations working side by
    side, expects and demands different things from its organization, its job, and
    most certainly its leaders. 

    We conducted a study to better understand
    these new expectations of leaders, asking 350 millennials the question: What do
    you want and expect from your leaders? We asked the respondents to name and
    prioritize the leadership traits that they most respected and valued. 

    The results show that what employees are
    looking for in a leader has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. These
    are the 10 traits that employees expect -- and I strongly believe that
    companies need -- from their leaders:

    1. Own and live the company values. Leaders
    need to be role models for their company’s values. They should take every
    opportunity to communicate and apply the values constantly, incorporating them
    to guide and help make better decisions.

    2. Communicate openly and early. Leaders
    need to be open, honest and transparent with their employees. They should
    communicate news and information early, not shielding them from bad news.

    “Be as open with your people as you can,
    as early as you can. Employees are much more likely to go to bat for something
    they understand.” --Helen Craik, Reward Gateway Co-founder

    3. Inspire people to reach higher. Leaders
    need to create an environment where employees are able to do their jobs well,
    and a culture where they want to do their jobs well, inspiring
    them to be the best they can be each and every day.

    4. Own their mistakes. Leaders
    are no longer expected to be perfect. They are expected to be human and
    positive role models, which includes owning mistakes when they happen. Leaders
    should also think of mistakes as learning or teaching moments, using them as
    opportunities and not obstacles.

    5. Recognize big wins, small wins and hard
    work.
     Leaders build a culture of employee recognition
    by modeling continuous recognition and where saying thanks is an everyday
    occurrence.

    6. Trust people. Leaders
    should always default to trust and accept that most people are good and
    trustworthy. They must lead in a way that’s respectful and honors other’s good
    intentions, and not presume that their employees’ have malicious intentions.

    7. Make the right decision, not the
    popular decision.
     Leaders need to prioritize doing
    what’s right over what’s popular. They should be accountable to their people
    and act as servants, being prepared to be unpopular when necessary, and
    striving to do what’s right for the business, the customer and their people as
    a whole. 

    8. Add value to their teams, helping them
    to succeed.
     Leaders who deliver visible value to their
    teams, helping them bring their creativity, ideas and judgment to work,
    overcome the challenges of the new world of work and of more complex jobs.

    9. Have the courage to be genuine and
    visible.
     Leaders need to bring their whole selves to
    work, having the courage to be authentic and to show vulnerability.

    10. Take care of people. Leaders
    need to lead with compassion and kindness, showing their employees that they
    truly care about them and have their best interests in mind.

    Great leaders understand and embody all of
    these qualities, and don’t just pay them lip service. They understand that in
    this new world of work they need to eliminate the barriers that separate them
    from their people, using every tool they have at their disposal to cut through the
    hierarchy and bring themselves closer to their people. By doing this, they will
    significantly improve upward feedback and employee engagement. And, they’ll
    earn the loyalty of not only millennials, but every generation they have the
    privilege to lead.

     

    Glenn Elliott is founder and Debra Corey is group reward director of Reward
    Gateway
    , a world leader in integrated employee engagement technology
    with more than 1,800 clients worldwide. Elliott and Corey's new book, Build it: The Rebel Playbook for
    World-Class Employee Engagement
     (Wiley, Feb. 27, 2018)
    highlights practical improvements that organizations can make to build a highly
    engaged company culture.
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