Leadership at all Levels is a simple concept that means just what it says. It’s about organising a business to allow all staff to lead in their sphere of influence regardless of the role they hold.
Yes, you read that right: All staff.
Too often the leadership dialogue focuses at the senior or management level. And of course leadership at the senior level is important. It’s just that it isn’t the only level leadership is needed.
When Staff Don’t Feel A Part of They Feel Apart From
Ever walked into a store, phoned a call centre, or dealt with a customer service representative who was anything but customer focused? Ever worked in a team where watching the clock, surfing the net or finding reasons to not do something seemed liked an organizational past-time?
What all of those examples have in common is staff who feel separate from the business they’re part of. In fact, staff with those kind of behaviours probably don’t feel part of the business at all.
Money Only Goes So Far
Perhaps in days gone by, the way business gained loyalty from a workforce was monetary: you pay someone a good wage, you give them a raise or a bonus when they do well and they keep doing what they do.
In a changing labour force where self fulfilment is as important (if not more so for some) than a pay-cheque; where a job candidate is as likely to ask about a prospective employer’s environmental policy as much as their benefits package, companies who ignore the ambitions and drivers of their workforce could do so at their peril.
Involvement = Engagement
Leadership at all Levels is about changing that dynamic. It’s about giving staff a reason to want to be a part of your business. But how does that happen?
What we’re not talking about is staff at all levels setting strategy for the entire business. That’s neither sensible or practical.
What we’re saying is senior leadership can and should set a direction, even set objectives for the business, the What and the Why, so to speak. And with the parameters set they can then turn over the practical steps to making those objectives happen to those who’ll do it. The How to continue the theme.
After all, when you hire a new pair of hands, you get a free brain. So why not use it?
The result? Without even trying to engage staff, getting them involved means it happens anyway.
Involvement Means Leadership
And because developing and delivering our own ideas means investing something of ourselves, a by-product of creating involvement is creating leaders.
And when they lead, people work harder to make their own ideas succeed. They take personal responsibility for what they’re doing. They feel personal satisfaction when something succeeds and a personal sense of challenge when problems loom.
Creating Leadership at All Levels With Innate Leaders
Our Team Coaching works with you to create teams with the drive and ability to lead themselves.
To find out more, drop us an email and we’ll talk about how Innate Leaders can work with your business.
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What to dive deeper?
Check out The Six Attributes of a Leadership Mindset by Joe Britto
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