Neil Jurd
Leaders deliver most of their effect through other people by connecting and engaging with them in pursuit of a clear and compelling purpose. To do this effectively, the leader must have a positive impact on the people they lead.
Generally, people feel uncomfortable with uncertainty. The more clarity and reassurance a leader can give to the team, the better. Effective leaders create a sense of safety for their team. The more information and inspiration a leader can give to their team, the safer those people feel, and the more able they are to use their initiative and make good decisions. People do not like or trust detached leaders, and a lack of communication and clarity will lead to mistrust and a poor working culture. There is a real imperative for leaders who want to build and maintain a positive culture to work hard to inspire and be understood.
As a leader, giving people clarity and reassurance about who you are and how you work creates safety and has a positive impact. You will have your own style and preferences, so it really helps other people if they understand how you like to work, and the culture that you are looking to grow. This goes a long way towards preventing misunderstanding and frustration. The better people know and understand you as a leader, the more freedom you will be able to give them and the more initiative they will be able to take.
Who you are and how you work
There is a simple structure that I suggest you use to define who you are and how you work. First, begin by writing a paragraph that will introduce you at a personal level. The more you can share about yourself, the better. Only share things that will encourage connection and allow people to feel comfortable.
Whilst being so open might feel unnatural or uncomfortable, effective leadership is based on personal connection, not positional power; this openness and honesty will help to form the connection and understanding which will allow you to engage others and get the best from them. Teams thrive on human connection.
Start by writing a paragraph that introduces you on a personal level. As long as you are sharing things that will encourage connection and allow people to feel comfortable. Where are you from? What sort of family do you have? What do you enjoy? What matters to you? What do you value in the world? What are your hobbies and interests? The aim of this is to help create personal connection.
Then explain your working style. Establish how you would like things to be (otherwise you will quickly become sucked into accepting the way things are). What sort of culture do you want to work in? How do you want your team to feel? How will people communicate? How important is honesty? Do you value face to face meetings? What is your view on being copied in on messages and being kept ‘in the loop?’ (Personally, I think being kept in too many loops distracts leaders from leading). Can people book you to attend meetings? What level of detail do you want to be engaged in; what matters to you?
As soon as you are ready, pull people together and present this work to them. Find a nice venue, offer refreshments, and present this in an informal chat. Be yourself, not your appointment, and use this occasion to connect with your team and reassure. If you can get this right you will have gone a long way towards creating the conditions for a positive culture.
People need to feel Connected to the Purpose
As a leader, you need to think about and then share what the Clear and Compelling Purpose is, as well as your vision of how you will work towards that purpose. Knowing what is going on and feeling part of the bigger picture is a powerful motivator; conversely, a feeling of disconnection is demoralising. Often the aspirations of organisations are captured and then concealed in turgid five-year plans that are rarely seen by most staff.
On our leadership courses, we run learning projects that are designed to make some members of the team feel disconnected from the purpose, and their feedback after the exercise is always negative. This replicates the reality in many organisations, where the staff on the ground have little or no understanding of what the senior leaders are trying to achieve; without knowing that, it is hard for them to innovate and contribute.
Neil Jurd OBE is the author of The Leadership Book (priced at £15.99 and available from Amazon.co.uk) and founder of skills platform LeaderConnect. Find out more: www.leader-connect.co.uk