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 end 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.
