Authentic leaders do these 4 things well
Employees crave leaders and managers who are genuine, trustworthy and responsible – or in other words authentic. A truly authentic leader understands that they helm the ship and that their words and actions matter.
People recognize inauthenticity and when someone's words and actions don’t match. Lead Change offers these four tips for leaders looking to better develop their authenticity and build employee morale:
- Build trust and communicate openly: Develop ethical and honest relationships. Lead Change notes that authentic leaders engender happy employees who, in turn, bring more value to the team and better promote organizational goals.
- Build relationships and share appropriate stories: Connecting with your team through commonness helps employees feel valued, which is particularly helpful events such as a global pandemic.
- Honor commitments: Valuing your employees' time and avoiding routine and random shifts in team meetings and commitments helps employees feel appreciated. If there's a certain day of the week that is known to be busy, consider moving commitments to a different day so you don't become known for last-minute cancellations.
- Be Friendly: Communicating with your team through openness and transparency is a strong way to build employee morale. Think about how you build relationships outside of the office. Authentic leaders should use these practices to replace guarded and cautious communications.
Everyone wants to feel appreciated, recognized and valued. Authentic leaders are able to bring everyone together, bring the best out of their team, and bring their best self to each and every team meeting and interaction.
Follow me on Twitter (@BDanBerger)