Three Effective Functions of a True Leader

According to Parker Follet: "The power of integration is the power of leadership. The leader brings out the best in us, bringing together and concentrating what we only feel gropingly and shatteringly. He is a person who gives shape to every man's uncoarctate vitality. The person who has the greatest influence on me is not the one who performs great deeds, but the one who makes me believe that I can perform great deeds."

There are many sources such as podcasts and books available suggesting the effective characteristic of a great leader. However, leaders are made and not born. With proper mentoring and hands-on experience with an added daily dose of leadership knowledge, you can become an effective leader for any organization.

True leaders work side by side with the people they lead to get to know and care about the people they lead. Leaders may lift and encourage their teams by working alongside them. Teaching people involves people management. Team members follow a leader with his instructions and as a role model, and his management style should include the following:

ENGAGE PEOPLE

A true leader can bring people together. They do not want division. Thecommunicate and coach subordinates for optimum performance of a variety of tasks assigned. The mother of contemporary management, Mary Parker Follet, felt that management was the art of getting things done via people. A true leader should engage people in a team. These involve listening to employees' feedback, responding to show empathy, using positive communication between the group, and finding the right solution to a given problem with team effort. Managers and supervisors are leaders where the success of the business is in their hands.

Understand that people you lead want to be valued and challenged.

ENABLE PEOPLE

Companies should have leadership that will enable the full potential of others. Helping people to develop to their full potential is ideal for the success of a business. Leadership is about allowing others to reach their best potential; this is a crucial characteristic of a strong leader; they understand how to get the most out of others. Great leaders become one as great top leaders have mentored them.

ENERGIZE PEOPLE

People may get tired in the daily routine of their job. It is essential to tap on what inspires them, reward their achievement by appreciation, show respect, listen to them and lead by example. Make their daily work energizing. Help people leap from what is impossible to possible. As a leader, be enthusiastic and encouraging with your people. Before implementing some company plan or changes, let the people think out of the box. The people's suggestions and ideas can spark their flame of passion for work. People will get great enthusiasm with the compelling vision from an enthusiastic leader.

STEPS TO CREATE AN INNOVATION-DRIVEN LEARNING CULTURE

Every industry and aspect of our life is being disrupted by increased technology, and work is no exception. A shift in demand for human expertise is one of the most significant professional consequences of the digital revolution. It's worth noting that half of today's most in-demand work skills and abilities didn't even appear on the list three to five years ago.

Today, intellectual curiosity and learnability are valued highly. To remain employed, you must be willing to improve and adapt to new skill sets quickly. That is why learning is an essential aspect of the talent management strategy of successful companies like Google and American Express. In a report by the HR industry leader Josh Bersin, he pointed out that "The single biggest driver of business impact is the strength of an organization's learning culture."

What is Innovation Culture?

The work atmosphere leaders create unconventional thinking, and its application is known as innovation culture. Workplaces that promote an innovative culture believe that innovation does not have to flow from the top down and can originate from anybody in the organization. Organizations that compete in marketplaces defined by fast change prize innovation cultures; sustaining the status quo is insufficient to compete effectively, making an innovation culture necessary for success.

What is Innovation Management?

The process of managing an organization's innovation method, from the first step of imagination to the last stage of successful implementation, is referred to as innovation management. It includes all of the decisions, actions, and procedures involved in developing and implementing an innovation strategy. This can apply to an innovation-driven learning culture.

Here are the Steps For Fostering A Learning Culture

Continual Learning Should Be Rewarded - According to a Bersin report, the typical employee got only 24 minutes per week for formal learning among the more than 700 firms studied. It's important to note that rewarding curiosity entails more than just applauding and promoting those who make an effort to learn and grow; it also entails cultivating an atmosphere that encourages critical thinking, challenging authority, and speaking up, even if it leads to conflict. This is especially vital if you want your team to develop something new.

Provide Thoughtful, Helpful Feedback - People, especially those not very skilled, are not conscious of their lapses, ignorance, and limits. Others' advice and feedback are crucial in helping them improve. Negative feedback must be delivered constructively and delicately, as individuals are less receptive to it than praise and admiration.

Manager Or Leader Should Lead By Example - You should do what you teach as a manager or leader. Begin by demonstrating some learning and unlocking your curiosity. Don't expect your employees to perform anything you wouldn't do if told. Take on the novel and demanding duties yourself if you want them to take on fiction and challenging things. Here are some behaviors that can assist: learn a new skill, volunteer to work on a project unrelated to your primary profession, or take on duties outside your comfort zone even if you aren't very good at them - you'll be able to demonstrate that with a bit of curiosity and dedication, you can improve, and this should inspire other people that you lead.

Choose to Hire Curious People - Managers often focus on training and development. They tend to undermine the importance of the proper selection of people to hire. When selection works, training and development are significantly less necessary, and successful selection makes training and action far more effective because it is far easier to augment potential than against someone's nature. You won't have to worry as much about their readiness to learn or be on their case to unlock their curiosity if you hire naturally curious people and maximize the fit between their interests and the function they are in.

To summarize, there's no need to rely on your company's official learning and development programs if you want to foster curiosity and learning in your employees. Reinforcing positive learning behaviors, providing constructive and critical feedback to align employees' efforts with the right learning goals, displaying your curiosity as a leader, and hiring people with high learnability and a hungry mind are all likely to help your team and organization develop a more robust learning culture.

Four Ways to Avoid Burnout and Improve Work Productivity

As a leader of a company, you need to acknowledge the existence of burnout. Unfortunately, managing employees' burnout in the workplace is often forgotten if not neglected by a company. According to a recent survey, even though the organization supplied appropriate resources, only 20% of employees rated high engagement and significant burnout.

Burnout Meaning

Excessive and sustained stress can lead to burnout, a state of emotional, bodily, and mental weariness. When you're stressed, emotionally tired, and unable to meet constant demands, it's called burnout. As the tension mounts, you begin to lose interest in and motivation for the role of your work which you took on in the first place.

The Impact of Burnout in the Workplace

Employee burnout can result in job discontent, a loss of interest, and a lack of happiness at work. Employees that are burnt out may experience physical tiredness after their workday. They may be unsure of how to advance and better their careers. Job burnout is caused by several factors, including poor work culture, lack of work recognition or appreciation, and a lack of work-life balance. Employee burnout is an organizational issue that can affect your business if not dealt with at an early stage.

As an employer, you need to know that burnout is avoidable if you provide your company with the proper working conditions, company culture, and employee support. It would be best if you understood that burnout of employees doesn't happen overnight; it can develop gradually. It is best to implement in your company these four burnout prevention strategies that can at the same time improve the work productivity of your employees:

1. Wellness Activities

Employee wellness programs and activities can help your organization attract high-performing employees and keep them happy and productive while simultaneously reducing employee turnover. Every employer should provide wellness programs that promote mindfulness, exercise, and healthy eating. Through some wellness programs, employees can break and avoid the work burnout that just started to creep on them. There are available comprehensive resources you can implement as wellbeing support for your employees. These can build your employees' mental resilience and reduce their stress levels. In addition, employees can learn the strategies you can provide to manage the different areas of their mental and physical health.

2. Open Door Policy Company Culture

Open door policy company culture will allow the employees to come to the company's managers or upper-level management to speak about their work frustrations; this can help alleviate their stress. An open-door policy is a great way to help employees speak whatever is on their minds. You may never know they are struggling with their work assignments. Often employees may feel hesitant to approach the upper management. But, with open-door policy culture, employees may feel a strong connection that will make them happier and improve their work performance. Advisable is the one-on-one feedback meetings to make them aware that you care and value them.

3. Promote Professional and Continuous Development

As a company leader, you need to address continuous professional improvement through seminars and workshops for your employees. This is a responsibility to address any issue for the betterment of your employees. They can participate in the seminars and workshops you provide. It will make them better employees. They can perform their best in the job with the gained skills and knowledge.

4. Ignite Employees!

Let your employees shine. This will ignite their spirit and make them feel appreciated and inspired. Keep them excited about their work. Give them an appreciation for their accomplishments. Some existing companies provide their employees' recognition as a top employee of the month or employee of the year. This will work for your company too.

Dealing with employee burnout is manageable in your organization if the top leadership of the business organization at first hand provides some strategies. Burnout can be avoided by investing in the systems and standards that keep people healthy and surrounded by helpful coworkers and leaders. As a business owner or manager, it all starts with your plans and strategy.