“Great leadership usually starts with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference.” – Mac Anderson
As a leader you are responsible for the emotional well being of your employees and also customer satisfaction, both of which are equally essential for the success of your organisation. In relation to employees the work environment prevalent in your organisation plays a huge role in determining their job satisfaction and emotional well being. The more positive and encouraging the work environment the happier your employees will be with their job and this translates into better productivity. So let us look at a few recommended positive leadership traits that you can enhance or adopt in order to promote the overall level of positivity in your organisation.
Enabling Employee Empowerment
A key aspect of positive leadership lies in facilitating job satisfaction for employees by matching their individual skills and unique talents with corresponding jobs or tasks. Working in a specific field where their strength and interest lies helps create a sense of purpose and enthusiasm on the part of an employee for the task assigned to them, thereby increasing both their efficiency level and sense of responsibility towards their work commitment.
In addition when you as a leader show your employees you trust them to do their job and do it well, by granting the necessary powers for them to carry out their responsibilities, it will empower them to take ownership of their work and put their best foot forward. This feeling of empowerment among your employees will definitely create a positive work environment in the organisation.
Showing Support and Appreciation
In addition to empowering your employees, it also helps if you let them know you are there to lend a helping hand whenever they encounter any issues with their work. This can be done via regular one-on-one reviews where employees are encouraged to discuss their challenges and successes.
When your employees achieve success in a project or a milestone in their career, being wholehearted in your appreciation of their success will let them know that you truly appreciate their contribution to the organisation.
Knowing you have their back in times of need and are the first to appreciate them when they exceed expectations, helps your employees approach their work with a sense of confidence and positivity.
Enabling the Human Connection
In every walk of life people need the support and encouragement which is provided by having a connection with the people around them. This connection plays a very important role in ensuring the emotional and physical well being of people, therefore making it an integral part of everyday life.
In relation to organisations, good interpersonal relationships help lighten the work environment and create stronger working relationships. There are numerous ways interpersonal relationships can be fostered among employees, for example:
- By organising team-building activities
- By establishing an effective organisation wide communication system
- By creating an effective conflict management plan
- By ensuring managers interact with their team members on a regular basis
- By organising impromptu events to enable the entire organisation to interact in an informal setting
Strengthening interpersonal relationships between employees by these means will help establish a more positive work environment.
As the above mentioned quote by Mac Anderson mentions these positive leadership traits will definitely go a long way in creating a more conducive and positive work environment.
