Are You an Effective Leader? Ask Yourself These 5 Questions

The end of the year allows is a natural time to reflect on your leadership style. 2019 was a challenging year for recruiting new employees, and most leaders realize their approach to their job had an impact both on the organization’s ability to bring in new talent and keep them. Most polls show that employee engagement is still low and a key reason people leave their jobs is due to leadership—or a lack of it. So, as we near a New Year, what resolutions do you have as a leader in your company? We have five questions to help you reflect on your role as we enter 2020. 

 

#1 Are you leading by example? 

Your employees are paying attention. The best leaders lead by example. They hold themselves accountable before anyone else, setting the accountability standard by living it. Modeling the behaviors that are important to the company start at the top of the organization. It can drive change and improve morale. 

 

#2 Are corporate or team objectives clear and measurable? 

You cannot hold people accountable for rules and goals that haven’t been established. The best leaders ensure that every single member of the team understands what they’re working for. (Hint: It shouldn’t be just a paycheck.) Working with the team to establish measurable and attainable objectives is important. Imposing goals and metrics without buy-in leads to disengagement and frustrated employees. But that’s just as detrimental to team morale as not establishing clarity around what performance is expected. 

 

#3 Are you providing frequent and meaningful feedback?

Performance reviews typically occur once a year. But the best managers provide feedback consistently all through the year. This feedback must come with rewards in the form of time off, schedule flexibility, and even financial rewards. Coaching is constant, or it should be, and the best managers work hard to ensure their employees have the feedback they need to do the job day in and day out. 

 

#4 Are you creating an environment where your employees want to excel? 

The truth is you cannot make your employees excel. But you can create an environment in which they want to give their best effort. Creating a culture of achievement means creating positive accountability models reflecting clear goals and then motivating employees to achieve them. 

 

#5 Are you willing to make these changes? 

Change management starts with your own behaviors. Managers are part coach, part leader, and part hall monitor. But the best managers are self-reflective enough to look closely at themselves first before applying any management techniques to their team. Taking the time to create change starts with the manager’s own behaviors and activities in the job. 

 

As we near the end of 2019, it’s a natural time to reflect on your efforts to lead your organization. If your reflection suggests that you cannot make the changes needed in your organization to be successful, perhaps your New Year’s resolution should be to speak with Blackstone to talk about your career options. Our recruiting team is standing by to help you achieve your goals. Contact us today. 

 

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