I believe that with some effort, everyone can improve their leadership skills. Here’s come career coaching for managerial traits that good leaders exhibit. I think it will encourage employees to stick around for the long haul.

Be Supportive

A good manager gives employees the tools they need to be successful. A bad manager assigns tasks with little or no direction, and then becomes upset when the employee doesn’t meet the expectation. Two words come to mind here—lost productivity. Be supportive so your employees feel they can ask questions.

Understand and Harness the Power of Praise

Positive reinforcement is one of the most effective tools for a person in a leadership role. One of the biggest complaints from people that hate their jobs is they never receive any credit for a job well done. If you want your employees to like working for you and to perform their best, try giving them an “attaboy” every once in a while. Nobody likes to work in a thankless environment.

Lead by Example

If you want your employees to take you seriously you must lead by example. If they question your work ethic, integrity, or skill to get the job done, then they are far less likely to do their best work themselves. As a leader you need to be blazing the path for success. If you are one of those managers that comes in late and leaves early, then you might want to rethink the example you are setting for your employees.

Show Appreciation by Hosting Some Team Building Events

Too many companies have cut out the annual holiday party. They should consider events throughout the year to show appreciation and increase morale. If there are budgetary concerns, just do something simple. My company has an employee potluck once every couple of months. It is far from extravagant, but the employees really enjoy it. It is a great way for the employees to get to know one another and feel a sense of community at the workplace.

Listen to Your Employees

Make sure your employees voices are heard. To foster an environment of innovation, management must be open to their employees’ ideas. Nothing stifles progress more than shooting down ideas. Pretty soon employees will not even offer them. This will lead to stagnation within your company.

Also, consider distributing an anonymous employee satisfaction survey. This will measure the temperature of your employees. If there are action items that need to be addressed, they can be identified and action can be taken to improve the work environment. Companies that don’t survey their employees are running the risk of never knowing what the problems are within the company. Thus, they have no way of fixing them.

Be Generous by Offering Incentives for Longevity

Studies show that companies that offer incentives for longevity have a greater retention rate. Whether it is a raise, bonus, additional time off, a better title, or a combination, these incentives for should be a part of your employee retention strategy.

Be Authoritative

Nobody likes a micromanaging jerk. They don’t like a wimpy pushover for a boss either. You can be authoritative and still go about it with integrity and respect. Your employees need to know that there is someone very competent at the helm.

Recognize the photo here? That’s the great Vince Lombardi, head coach and general manage for the Green Bay Packers. He’s the one who wisely said, “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase it, we can catch excellence.”

Beth Kelzer
Follow Beth at LinkedIn.com/in/marybkelzer
CareerToolboxUSA

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