Being a great leader requires more than just technical skills. Having an MBA or an engineering degree may help you build a business, but they won’t exactly teach you how to be a good boss.
Leadership isn’t a one-time endeavour. As with other skills, you constantly need to improve and practice it. Starting with your employees, of course.
Everyone can agree that a great working environment is necessary for business growth. And when your employees feel heard and valued, their productivity increases.
But where (and how) should you start?
If you’re an introvert like me, you know how difficult it is to start conversations. Addressing employees during meetings is tolerable. But small talk? Cringe. That’s more intimidating than launching a new product or presenting to a potential client.
Contrary to what you may think though, many of the world’s great leaders are introverted. In fact, as many as 40 percent of executives consider themselves as such. And they still manage to deliver results and build meaningful relationships with their employees.
As for extroverts, this can be relatively easy since building relationships comes naturally for them. However, unlike casual conversations, workplace communication needs to be well-thought of and intentional. Hence, it can still be challenging even if you identify as a people person.
Whichever you are, here are four simple ways to help you get started:
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
As a leader, you’ll need to provide your employees with constant support and encouragement. (Not to mention conflict resolution every now and then.) Hence, you need to know what you can bring to the table.
What are your strengths? Are you good at providing advice? Or are you better at listening? Can you keep a cool head during confrontations perhaps?
By zooming in on your strengths and weaknesses, you can identify which skills you’re good at and which ones need improvement. For example, if you have a hard time listening, then that’s what you should work on first.
Schedule Time To Develop Relationships
Building work relationships must be intentional. And one of the best ways to go about it is by making it a priority on your calendar.
To start, find 20 minutes to talk to a random employee. If 20 minutes is too long, you can always start with five or 10. Try asking about their interests outside of work and of course, don’t forget to share some of your interests too.
If you want it to be more interactive, you can invite everyone on the team to join in as well. Aside from getting to know each other better, this also gives your staff more time to chill and engage in some rapport-building banter albeit remotely.
Ask Questions – and Listen to the Answers
Should you get around to talking to your remote workers, make sure to really listen. Ask questions because you’re genuinely interested in their motivations and aspirations. If you can find common ground while you’re at it, all the better.
When you ask questions, it shows your interest in their personal and professional growth. Smart leaders are a dime a dozen, really. But one that’s also empathetic? Now, that’s something else. And guess which one your employees will appreciate more?
Thus, cultivate enough trust and rapport with your employees and create a safe space for them to share their thoughts and ideas. That way, when they come up with something groundbreaking or need to bring up something important, they won’t hesitate to reach out.
Appreciate Your Employees
Lastly, don’t forget to appreciate your employees’ contributions. Keep in mind that they have different tasks and talents, so don’t compare them with each other. It also doesn’t help if you make them compete for your attention or appreciation.
Remind yourself (and your team) that you’re working as one. Your tasks may be different, but everyone should have the same goal.
We’re still in the middle of a pandemic, and we need healthy interactions and professional relationships more than ever. Fortunately, building these doesn’t have to be complicated.
Remote Staff has been helping Australian entrepreneurs like you find and recruit skilled remote workers from the Philippines for the last 15 years and counting. Aside from hiring, we also provide assistance in onboarding so you won’t have to build good relationships on your own.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s start building your dream team.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
