Without these 3 steps, you will never be a good leader
- How do you build trust among your employees as a leader?
- And how do you do this in times of great change?
These were two recent questions addressed at one of the most renowned American Leadership Institutes.
In this era, with the acceleration in technology and innovation, I notice that leaders are increasingly struggling with how to maintain sufficient connection with their team members. So: how do you build trust among your employees as a leader?
Building trust is crucial to managing change successfully.
How do you build trust? And how do you do this in times of great change? The interviews revealed 3 answers and the assertion:
Without these 3 steps, you will never be a good leader:
1. Ask Questions
Lead by asking questions, not by providing answers. It’s about asking the right questions. Leaders distinguish themselves by asking the right questions to their team members. This challenges your employees and brings out the best in them. In times of change, this is even more important.
Moreover, if you, as a leader, ask your team questions about the changes, you gain more support, more answers, and increased engagement. And mutual trust. This means concretely that more collaboration occurs on changes with the people, instead of creating plans behind closed doors.
2. Stand Before the Troops, Be Visible
Visibility as a leader is essential, especially during a reorganization. Are you approachable, open, transparent?
In times of change, it is important to have more frequent contact with employees. Employees are often uncertain: what is changing and what is not? As a leader, you can best provide the outlines and involve everyone in the process.
3. Share the Why
Many leaders do not communicate what is going to happen. This leaves employees with the why question. So, it is important to address this first: Why? Explaining the reason and background of changes or a new strategy gives everyone in the organization a clear goal.
Finally, in my book “Mijn Beste Team Ooit! In 7 stappen naar Golden Leadership” you can read more about this. Curious? You can ORDER HERE or download the first chapter now.
