Saying something: Part seven

I had an idea to do a little series of posts about things I've learned and applied to my personal and professional life. I'll keep these posts quite short but hope someone reads something they can fit into their own life or they can use to good effect.

Don't really need

I've spent time as a team member and time as a leader of teams and have done it really well and probably quite badly as well; Fortunately I learned from the good and bad moments and have been told I'm a good leader; great, I'll take that. Unfortunately, I've had many bad leaders above me over the years and have operated for organisations that seemed incapable of understanding and delivering what employees and team members really care about and that's led to poor attitudes and productivity.

Speaking generally, team members don't care much about free coffee in the office, office birthday celebrations (which are mostly awkward), fancy offices and workspaces and other superficial things. Sure, they're nice to have and can make a small difference to the overall working environment, but what they really need goes much deeper than that and can have a much more profound effect on the attitude and morale of the workplace and that always translates to a happier and more productive workforce.

Really need

People want to feel empowered by their leaders and managers which makes them feel more engaged with what they're actually doing. Good leaders will focus on this knowing it's one of the most important needs their team has and along with empowerment is recognition when due. Bad leaders do these two things very badly and too many times I've seen leaders and managers take recognition that should have gone to the team. Bad, bad leader.

Fair pay is also high on the list; get that right and people will work a little harder knowing they're well-remunerated for it. This ties in with a work-life balance - this means 100% at work when at work, and 100% not at work when not at work. A good leader, manager or company will find ways to build this in without inhibiting work productivity or the workforce. It's not easy but with some thought there's always a way. A degree of flexibility could be added here also, again it's not always easy (or possible) but if a balance can be struck the magic happens.

There's many things but these are the main ones and most others fit somewhere inside of these...the last two though, these are super important.

A growth, development and progression mindset is something the company and leaders or managers should be focused on. No one likes to slip into the same old boring grind which can be monotonous, mind-numbing and depressing. Finding the ability to help the team members grow and develop personally and as part of the business is something that helps drive the right thoughts and attitudes. Sending a person home feeling empowered through inclusion, growth and development is better than sending them home brain-dead and feeling disenfranchised.

Lastly is great leadership. Again, easily said but not always easily achieved. So often leaders and managers are promoted or placed due to length of service or rank and favouritism but that doesn't make them the right leader or manager. It's sad, but so many teams have failed miserably due to the failings of the leader. That's not to say the team themselves don't have a weighty responsibility also, they absolutely do, but it's on the leader to nurture that and help it bloom. Bad leaders equate to bad teams and great leaders build great ones.

Any thoughts? Drop your comments below.