Being a manager and leader today can be a very difficult job. Surveys and reports are demonstrating that the number one impact on employee motivation and engagement is down to the abilities and skills of the leader they are reporting to. Work related stress, the main cause of sickness rates, is also often attributed to poor leadership.
Targets from senior management have to be balanced with the needs of the team members, with the managers trying to juggle the demands from both as best they can. It can seem like a no win situation for everyone!
Organisations have got to get better at supporting their leaders to develop self-awareness of their behaviours, and recognising their stress and motivational triggers, as well as their teams. A number of my clients have explained the pressures they are under to perform as better managers/leaders, but feel a lack of commitment from their companies in providing or giving time to effective development.
Leaders who are stressed and aren’t totally confidence in their abilities will struggle to provide the organisations the results that they are demanding. If support is lacking, then these will only get worse as the pressures mount from above.
Numerous surveys and reports demonstrate the benefits of an engaged workforce, including statistical benefits of improving productivity, increasing efficiencies, reducing turnover and reducing costs. I’ve summarised the latest survey information into one format, and this information helps build a business case in a language and format of Key Performance Indicators and P&L more familiar to CEOs/Senior Executives.
If you want support from your senior executives, it’s worth finding a way to help them understand the impact and truly buy into the benefits of supporting the development of their leaders. Although it may not be as clearly defined as sales figures, number of customers etc, it’s vital to the overall success and bottom line of the company.
What have you done to demonstrate the benefits of leadership development, or what could you do to get the support you need?
Find out more about how leadership development and executive coaching can help your organisation.