Supporting Leadership
The Cure is a phone call away.
Support Leaders to Become Models for Change
Primary Key leaders have a unique role in transformational change. They are the foundation of the company and must provide cues about what really matters for everyone in the organization to follow. We lead the primary key leaders to make the transformation personal, become the role-model for change, openly engage others, and spotlight the successes. We also help build commitment and alignment within the leadership team. In difficult times, leaders must keep their people motivated while laying off some and cutting resources for the rest. Leaders struggle with that combined challenge – some knowingly and some not, some effectively and some not. This challenge illustrates the problem for leader credibility that now exists.
Employees that view their leaders as credible will more often rise to the occasion. However, if they don't believe their leaders or trust them, employees tend to simply go through the motions or even resign from their job. When workers perform, are they fully engaged? Do you see them putting their heart into what they do? Do they bring all their personal resources to the job at hand? Do they add the discretionary effort that the engagement experts talk about? Over the past few years, leaders have lost many of the motivational controls they've counted on such as rewards that reinforced their words of recognition and acknowledgement. Many companies have had to suspend pay increases, spot bonuses or promotions, monetary recognition, along with training and development budgets. At some companies, pay cuts are the new norm, as is the refrain – either spoken or unspoken – "You should feel fortunate to have a job." Over the past few years, many leaders have lost numerous motivational levers they've counted on.
The Problem with Words and Promises
Leaders who want to provide encouragement and reassurances to employees can find themselves forced into taking actions they previously affirmed never to do. They may also make promises to programs or particular actions, but later find themselves constrained or cancelled by others in the company more superior to them. Leaders at all levels are in a difficult place. It seems that the only control left is their ability to establish behavioral integrity for building a reputation for impeccable follow-through and honest communication. Leaders need to speak openly and live up to their words to gain trust and commitment from their employees.
Like trust, credibility and trustworthiness is slow to build and fast to fall. People recall the promises they believe to be broken. The promises kept only become revealed when they're unexpected. What defines Credibility in your Company? Credible employees are those whom others perceive to be:
• Competent – Knowledge and understanding of how things work. They exhibit subject-matter expertise even without needing to be technically minded.
• Composed – Keep their cool when faced with adversity.
• Honorable – They have integrity and are honest and stand by their word.
• Likeable – You enjoy being around them and they are pleasant. You may not want them as a best friend, but you do not mind having a meal with them.
• Action Oriented – They get things done and do not get stuck in an analysis/paralysis mode.
Leaders are credible if others recognize their combined technical expertise with competence for developing strong relationships. More importantly, they do what they say they will do. They live by their “due diligence” motto and demonstrate the same values they talk. With the current economic climate creating messy and confusing times for everyone, leaders often fail to sustain their credibility through it, even with the best of intentions.
Consider these seven actions that you can do to Demonstrate Credibility within your own Company..
1. Be Conscious about Making Promises, and be Willing to Say "No."
Don't make promises outside of your control that you can't commit to or keep. A great example is never say never about more layoffs or splitting pieces of the business. Under promise and over deliver.
2. Be Aware about Your Communication.
Think about your intent first and then determine the right approach. Deliver communication that is content-rich rather than content-free. Meaningless reassurances don't add anything. If you don't have new content because of all the uncertainties, be clear about the uncertainty that exists. Also, use the time as an opportunity for listening more than talking. Many leaders effectively compensate by what they have cut back from sharing by disclosing their personal feelings. In doing so, always make sure leaders are walking their talk, as people will believe actions over spoken words.
3. Be Personal.
Leaders need to get out and about and not isolate and insulate themselves. Employees want to see and hear leaders and not just read their words. Verbal and vocal cues are critical for understanding the tones of the messages. This full communication helps build relationships that support credibility and shows that the leaders are human. If you're concerned about travel budgets and time, at least do video conferencing and record short videos and podcasts for your communication.
4. Cautiously Display Vulnerability.
Support leaders to be real for the times. Don't let them act as if they know all the answers and teach them to show humility. Talk about how the challenges are being faced, what is being done, in light of their technical expertise. What indicators are being followed? What signs are being tracked? What customers are being communicated to? What has been said? Bring the outside in. Provide perspective by using everyday simple language. Find humor in what is being done so you can share some laughs. Demonstrate a balance of showing a leader's professional competence with letting his or her personality come through.
5. Evaluate Credibility.
Most leaders think they're acting credible all the time, but credibility depends on whether employees perceive the leaders to be credible. To find out you’re your employees feel about the credibility of your leaders, include some questions in your regular employee surveys or discuss in team meetings. Here are just a few examples of questions that may be used to reliably measure leader development and track the bottom-line impact of credibility in your company. For example, you can ask:
• When my boss says he or she is going to do something, he or she will.
• My boss shows the same values he or she describes.
• My boss practices what he or she preaches.
• My boss delivers on his or her promises.
6. Focus on Depth, not Breadth.
Focus on the three to five challenges, goals or values that will drive the business. Narrow you focus down to the vital few, not the trivial many. Converse regularly about those key issues, not those in the margins. Too many adopted values lead to shame and blame of falseness. Being focused lets you really drive home the key messages and lets employees know what leaders expect from them. The best practice is to promise less and act more often.
7. Reflect and Respond.
Take time on a consistent basis to reflect how a leader is performing on these three key components:
• Keep Promises – do what they say
• Show Competence – complete knowledge and understanding of how things work
• Are Consistent - words and actions as seen by others match
