Why You Should Encourage Your Employees’ Leadership Skills
Posted December 2nd, 2016
When most people think of leadership skills, they often assume this is the domain of members of management. While it is vital that supervisors and managers have leadership skills, employees also benefit from skills development in this area. To help your employees shine, encourage the development of their leadership skills. If you do, you can find yourself working with a more capable staff that generate better results.
Planning and Strategy
Effective members of management have skills in the areas of planning and strategy development. They coordinate projects and organize the efforts of a larger team based on shifting priorities. Employees also need these skills to succeed in their position. Properly plan their activities and coordinate with other stakeholders will help them be more successful in their work.
This also includes negotiating skills. If you rely on your staff to negotiate with vendors, developing skills in this subsection of communication should be seen as a priority.
Innovation and Change
Effective leaders need to embrace the concepts of innovation and change as stagnation is often the enemy of success. Encouraging your employees to adopt the same mindset can help ensure that everyone is working well as a team. It may also lead to more creative thinking on their parts. A great idea can come from any level within the organization. If you provide a safe environment for your staff to explore ideas, you may find innovation comes more easily.
Additionally, the members of your team will learn to be open to potential changes in how things are done. When members of your staff actively resist change, it can cause others to have doubt. If everyone is on board, change will feel more comfortable. And, not only can this help your business today, it can help turn your employees into the leaders of tomorrow.
Emotional Intelligence
Many leaders focus on intellect when selecting new team members. However, emotional intelligence is just as critical as book knowledge or experience. Being aware of one’s emotions, and the ability to keep them appropriately under control is not just a trait for a great manager. Employees who understand how their emotional responses affect the group and are able to handle themselves professionally will work better with supervisors and co-workers alike.
Additionally, the ability to recognize signs of stress in oneself before the negative effects can be felt allows them to take action before it becomes unmanageable.
Effective Communication
Strong leaders know that listening skills are more important than speaking ability when communicating with others. While it is important to be able to convey information to other parties in a meaningful way, it is also critical to be able to hear what someone else has to say and truly consider their point of view.
When many people end up in a conversation, they simply wait for their turn to talk and don’t necessarily listen. By encouraging your employees to develop this key leadership skill, they will work better together. And feeling as though everyone has heard what you have to say can help make your staff feel more respected in the workplace.
If you want more information about how to encourage your employees to develop their leadership skills, or are currently looking for your next great staff member, the professionals at Bayside Solutions are here to lend a hand. Contact us today and see what we can do for your business.
