Last updated: 4 December 2021
All the employees’ collective performance defines how well a business does during its venture.
If every worker performs at their peak capacity with motivation, there’s nothing to stop the organization from achieving success.
However, employees can’t work at their peak capacity until the leadership performs even better.
You see, the leadership style deeply affects the mental elements of the workforce.
If the leader is a great personality with remarkable people skills and motivated behavior, the workforce is much more likely to perform effectively.
In this article, we take a peek into how you can mold your leadership style to hire top-talented individuals and keep them for a long time.
Let’s get started.
1. Set clear and reasonable expectations
Many inexperienced leaders make the mistake of expecting unrealistic results from their employees.
For instance, if a marketing task can be done 7 days early, you can’t push your team to complete it in 4 days.
If you do push them, the team won’t take it positively and may develop a negative image of you in their minds.
Furthermore, if you push them enough, they may even suffer from workplace burnout.
To attract the top talent and retain for longer periods, you need to maintain a reputation that speaks “reasonability”.
You should set reasonable and achievable expectations for your workforce that people can achieve without a lot of work pressure.
2. Maintain a positive and humble attitude
Employees don’t like leaders who are too “bossy” or rude. Most employees love working under a leadership that’s humble and kind in communication — and forgiving about work mistakes.
However, that doesn’t mean you have to neglect every mistake done by your employees. If the mistake is small and forgivable, don’t mind it too much. If the mistake is prominent, hold the workforce accountable, but still maintain a humble attitude — rudeness is not the solution.
Practicing a humble and polite attitude will empower your employees to be passionate about working for you.
It will encourage them to be motivated about you, your company, and the work you do.
However, if you’re having difficulty hiring employees in the first place, it’s recommended to partner with an Employer of Record to help you out with the process.
3. Be available when they need you
Your employees are smart — that’s why you hired them in the first place.
If you keep trying to escape from them when they need you, it won’t build a great image of your attitude in their vision. Simply put, they won’t perceive you as a great leader.
A great leader is available to employees when they need assistance or support.
However, we don’t mean you have to be available after work hours, especially during vacations or personal time with friends and family.
You have to be available during work hours; don’t rely on phrases like, “Wait for an hour and come back again”, “I will look at your problem later”, and “Please find a way to deal with it yourself”.
As they are your employees, they will look up to you whenever they need leadership’s help. It’s your responsibility to address their questions and provide assistance whenever they ask for it.
Even if they don’t ask for it, you should be looking for struggling employees and helping them out.
How an ideal leadership style looks
A perfect example of modern leadership style is Steve Jobs’ influence on Apple.
Apple has the highest retention rate of any company today, and that’s made possible due to the positive leadership influence Steve Jobs created in his lifetime.
People who worked under Steve Jobs describe his attitude as “bold, innovative, but kind”.
Furthermore, many Apple employees looked up to him as their “personal mentor”, explaining why maintaining an ideal leadership style is incredibly important.
The Bottomline
Considering how impactful a leader’s attitude towards their workplace is, it’s safe to say leadership styles are underrated.
The way you approach and handle your employees makes a huge difference in how your company is perceived and how eager new candidates are to join it.
This article gives you an insight into the importance of leadership styles, and how you can mold your personal leadership style into an ideal one.
Guest Author: Sam McRyan
Sam McRyan is a business analyst providing top-notch analytical and resource management advice to small and midsize companies.
With a sharp acumen and a logical mind that easily grasps new business concepts, Sam is known for his ability to complete deliverables ahead of schedule and thoroughly. He got his start in business analysis at a young age, helping with his uncle’s small community store.
