Some of the areas that I identified as needing improvement were communication as well as well as
recognition. These both align with specific line items that were surveyed. Both areas were depicted
through the employee survey data as needing improvement.
“My supervisor shows appreciate for the work that I do”
This is one example of a line item that is mapped back to recognition. Employees need to feel as if the
work they are doing is appreciated by the leadership in the organization. This line item is interesting as
it covers both communication as well as recognition in the sense that the leadership needs to do a
better job providing feedback to the employees and showing appreciation for the work completed. I
feel that this is not a huge ask, as managers should have contact with employees often. Showing
appreciation can be as easy as an email or thanking an employee after a submission of work or at the
end of the shift. Working to show appreciation in these small ways should help to adjust the feeling of
workers in the environment.
"My supervisor gives me useful information on how I can improve my job performance"
This line item is concerning for me as it comes across as if employees do not know how they are doing
in regards to their performance. This also seems to me as a lack of communication between
employees and the leadership in the organization. This can also be fixed with a few steps. I believe that
implementing a system of performance monitoring and review can help to improve upon this.
Employees deserve feedback on the work they are doing, this is an opportunity for the managers to
provide information on how the employees can improve their performance and become more
efficient/better at their tasks, which will provide more value to the organization.
I think that by improving these identified areas, the organization will not only see an impact on the
two-line items identified above, but several amongst the survey. Changing the culture is not an easy
task and will not happen in a short time. This will certainly be a "long game" and will require the
support of the leadership in the organization to succeed. With the management support the
organization can change the culture and drastically improve the scores of the surveyed line items? I
look forward to reading your feedback! Do you think that by addressing certain areas, multiple survey
line items might be affected?
I had identified three leadership and behaviour skills I felt were most applicable were Communication,
Recognition, and Integrity.
Communication can directly impact the question "I believe the company mission and vision drive the
decisions that are made". Better communication around goals and plans for the company can help
staff draw a parallel from what they are doing on the daily basis with what the vision is for the
company over the long term.
Recognition has a direct impact on the question "My work gives me a sense of personal
accomplishment". One of the things employees might feel is they are successful or completed
something but could be self-critical. By recognizing a job well done we can create a sense of
accomplishment for that individual.
Integrity will have the most impact on the line "Provides leadership who act in just and ethical ways".
It is without question that this is a sore spot for the company and likely the single most important bad
result from the survey. Focusing of leadership skills focused around integrity is to alleviate any doubts
employees had that every individual especially at the top will always act appropriately and fair.
For the next survey we will likely see improvement across the weakest categories but from a broader
perspective is a change in the company culture. Company culture is not one singular element but
everything together. From personal experience it is a feel and typically can come down to one
question, "would you recommend someone work here". The changes in leadership here can rise all
boats and create a better sense of being and joy with working at the company. The overarching
narrative is a better experience for everyone and a more cohesive culture.
The leadership skills and behaviors that were identified for improvement were trustworthiness,
empathy, and supportiveness as well as recognition of accomplishments.
Trustworthiness
Specific question(s): “I trust my supervisor” and “Provides leadership who act in just and ethical ways”
Improvements in trustworthiness are vital to any company. Companies thrive because their
employees trust their supervisors. Without trust in supervisors that they can make decisions that are
best for the company, the employees will begin to leave. A company cannot stay open without having
employees. The fact that only 24% of the employees surveyed trust their supervisors make
trustworthiness one of the most important leadership skills that the supervisors need to work on.
Empathy
Specific question(s): “My company cares about its employees”
A company that shows empathy means that leadership shows they care about their employees as well
as their well-being. While 60% of the employees surveyed believe that the company cares about them,
the number of positive responses has dropped 15% over the last four years. Improving empathy skills
would also improve the employees’ job satisfaction. As with trustworthiness, employees will leave the
company if they are not satisfied with the job, thus creating the downfall of the company.
Supportiveness
Specific questions(s): “When I am having difficulty my supervisor is there to support me so I do not feel
abandoned” and “My company cares about its employees”
Supportiveness goes together with empathy. Supportiveness is important to employees as everyone
has trouble in the job. Job satisfaction and performance will decrease as supportiveness decreases.
Improvements in supportiveness will not only help the employees, and supervisors will be able to
understand more about their employees. For both questions mentioned above, 35% of employees
surveyed believe their supervisor is there to support them, and 60% of the employees surveyed
believe that the company cares about their employees. Both numbers are low for a company that
wants to have increased job satisfaction and job performance.
Recognition of accomplishments
Specific question(s): “My supervisor shows appreciation for the work that I do” and “My supervisor
takes the time to praise those who do an excellent job”
Finally, recognition of accomplishments is directly related to job satisfaction. Improvements in
praising employees will greatly increase job satisfaction. When the company surveyed their
employees, 35% of the employees said that the supervisors show appreciation for the work
completed, and the percentage of employees that believe that supervisors take time to praise for an
excellent job is the same. As with the other leadership skills mentioned, these numbers are too low
and could result in employees leaving the company for other companies that praise them for a job well
done. Improvements would help with employee retention as well as job satisfaction among those
employees still at the company.
Improvements in the areas mentioned above will positively impact the survey results by having more
positive responses to each survey question. It may take a little while for the survey results to seem
more positive, but eventually they should get there if the company works on trustworthiness,
empathy, supportiveness, and recognition of accomplishments. The improvement of these areas
would also positively impact the work environment, specifically job satisfaction and job performance.
I have identified the following Leadership skills that need to be improved upon:
Credibility
Leaders need to gain credibility with their team by establishing a shared set of values. “Shared values
are the foundation for building productive and genuine working relationships.” (Kouzes & Posner, p. K-
59). The survey results have made it clear that the relationship between leaders and employees is
severely lacking. While opening lines of communication might help solve some of their issues, per the
Kouzes-Posner First Law of Leadership, “if you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the
message”. It is very difficult to motivate a team if they don’t have faith in their leader. Leaders need to
be more self-aware, affirm their own set of values, and share those with their team to establish buy in.
Once they’ve affirmed a set of shared values with each employee, they need to ensure they follow
through with their commitment to their team. It’s not just enough to say the right things, a leader with
credibility and integrity follows through. The following survey questions align with this leadership skill:
Provides leadership who act in just and ethical ways
I trust my supervisor
Provides an inclusive environment where each employee is considered as an individual
Promotes an environment in which employees feel free to make suggestions and complaints
By establishing credibility with the team, the organization will create an environment of trust in which
employees feel motivated to speak up and share suggestions, issues, or new ideas.
Recognize contributions
Leaders need to acknowledge the work of team members. “Effective employee recognition programs
are built on inclusiveness, communication, and trust… When these three ingredients come together,
the result is an engaged employee who feels that their organization recognizes and appreciates good
work.” (Dickson, 2019). The following survey questions align with this leadership skill:
When people work extra hard to meet our goals they are rewarded accordingly
My supervisor shows appreciation for the work that I do
My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment
Recognizes employees based on merit, i.e., accomplishments, successes.
I feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things
Recognizing employees is one of the easiest things that leaders can do to increase morale within a
company. When employees feel appreciated, they will feel more empowered to share new ideas and
opinions, question the status quo, and seek continuous improvement. Celebrating a job well done
builds a sense of community and builds stronger bonds within the team.
Communication and delegation
Communication is the basis of success in an organization. It is not only the giving and receiving of
information, but also empathizing and observing. Leaders need to actively engage in communicating
with their employees to develop goals and elicit feedback and new ideas. Doing so will help them learn
how to make the best use of their skills and abilities. Leaders also need to be intentional about
delegating tasks to their employees. Learning to delegate can be a very difficult thing for a leader
because it requires TRUSTING others. Trust is a very common them in each of our goals. Delegating
tasks and effectively communicating with team members empowers them to deliver their best and
continuously improve. The following survey questions align with this leadership skill:
My supervisor talks with me to help me determine my training and development goals.
My supervisor lets me know where I stand and what is expected of me
Promotes an environment in which employees feel free to make suggestions and complaints
My supervisor gives me useful information on how I can improve my job performance
Provides employees with a sense of security in their jobs
In conclusion, the three leadership skills that I have outlined above all revolve around two things:
TRUST and COMMUNCATION. Trust cannot be built without effective communication. Employees
cannot effectively develop and grow in their roles without feedback. Team members do not feel
recognized for their work without their leaders showing their appreciation. I am confident that an
organization can make strides in these areas with an effective leadership toolkit that addresses these
primary concerns.
