Hiding things from your employees leads to uncertainty or suspicion which is an erosion of trust and makes them less respectful. There may be a time to hide the fact that there will be massive staff reductions since revealing this too far ahead of time may lead to some very qualified workers leaving for a new job. Other than this very unusual situation it is never good to hide things from your employees.
Being empathetic is a major key of emotional intelligence. If you understand the emotional state of an employee and can address their problem appropriately they will respect you more even if you convey news to them which may not be that pleasant. If you show them that you heard them out and acted accordingly with proper empathy you will not break the bond of trust which should exist and there will be greater acceptance of a circumstance.
The new generation due to technology is rather poor in interpersonal social skills, have bad emotional intelligence, and have an inability to handle interpersonal challenges well. Get them to interact personally with peer groups or communities and network with humans in person as much as possible so that they benefit from older more socially experienced humans.
Face the truth no matter how uncomfortable it may seem to you. It can be the truth about yourself, your workers, your customers, or your product deficiencies. If your product is substandard and your workers are not performing well then try to address the problems and move forward courageously trying to fix things.
Know your own weaknesses and those of your workers. Find or hire workers who will strengthen your deficiencies and those of your workers so that the business moves forward with strengths in all the necessary areas of expertise.
Don’t be emotionally aloof and ignore your worker’s emotional needs. Emotionally intelligent leaders interact with their workers in an empathetic way and express an interest in their personal feelings and interests outside of work. The more that you know about your workers and the more they know about you the more they will admire and respect you and empathize back thus forming a more positive bond of trust with you. It will no longer be an “us” and “them” mentality which is not a cohesive psychological force in the workplace.
You are ultimately responsible for the quality of the work and the esprit de corps of your business. That means hiring competent workers, getting rid of disruptive or incompetent workers, and motivating workers to do their best on the job.
In today’s dynamic and uncertain business environment which is constantly changing the primary objectives or vision of the company should not get lost and should be repeated. Even though the personnel and structure may have to be altered or changed from time to time the primary focus or goals of the company should not change radically. If new software and new products results in customer dissatisfaction then the lines of communication should be open so that appropriate changes can be made in a timely fashion.
The most successful leaders are those who surround themselves with smarter workers than the leader himself. If innovation is a necessity then these smart humans can use their exceptional skills to try new approaches which will keep the company competitive and at the forefront of current practices. The insecure micromanager surrounds himself with workers just like him with limited skill sets which prevent them from contributing much to innovation.
Mentor potential new leaders during relatively long waiting durations for mundane tasks. Using your relatively long periods of inactive free time to mentor young workers is time well spent. Mentor your current workers with leadership potential and hire some workers who will become future leaders. Shaping and molding future company leaders is vital to the overall success of a company in the long duration.
Don’t dwell in the past telling new team workers how great your old team was. They will begin to wonder why you chose to leave if it was such a great experience. Motivate new team workers to work towards future goals without emphasizing your past successes too much.
Have a clear vision of the future, communicate it to your workers, and motivate them to work towards or achieve that vision with your guidance. Knowing WHAT workers are working for in unison is a great motivator.
Competent leaders with good character, emotional intelligence, and integrity are knowledgeable, trusted, admired, and respected and don’t have to force compliance to the rules with threats, intimidation, humiliation, and demands or don’t have to micromanage the workforce to get things done properly.
Confident leaders lead through values, vision, and vulnerability and arrogant leaders often lead with fear, threats, blame, and ego. Emotional intelligence evolves gradually with time based primarily on selfawareness and knowing whether you are motivating workers primarily with positive approaches or resorting to too many negative tyrannical or bossy techniques.
Look like a leader with businesslike sharp posture, clothing, and looks and not an overly casual or disheveled laid back posture and looks.
Practicing curiosity which is basically asking relevant questions and getting truthful answers stimulates learning, collaboration, and potential innovation which is becoming more vital in a rapidly changing business environment. Not being curious favors a judgmental, blaming, telling, and shaming approach to leadership which frustrates workers, creates conflict, and impedes collaboration, innovation, and understanding.
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