Photo of the day: 5 Essential outcomes of an effective leadership survey process

When used in the spirit of continuous improvement, leadership surveys are an effective feedback tool for assessing and improving a leader’s Impact. in the photo of the day we will outline these important outcomes

Table of Contents

In the photo of today: you will learn how leadership surveys are an effective feedback tool for assessing and improving a leader’s impact.

1- Fosters positive accountability for leadership development

In order for a leader and his or her team to succeed, accountability must be woven into the very fabric of a team and its workflow. This cultivated environment of accountability is a foundational tenet built and fostered by the leader, filtering down to each member of the team.

Too often there is a negative view of accountability in organizations. People associate it with consequences for negative behavior or poor performance. When that mindset is left unchecked, it can result in focusing on problems rather than solutions. Often, this leads to frustration and finger-pointing among team members and diverts valuable time and energy away from achieving goals.

How many times have you heard, “It’s not my fault”, or “It’s not my job” or “It’s not my problem”?

Far too many people who don’t get results immediately begin to make excuses, rationalize, or blame others for their performance. A team member lacking accountability is like a car driving with the emergency brake on; it slows the whole team down.

As a leader, it is your job to create an environment that fosters high accountability. Your ability to model high accountability is crucial to building and strengthening a workplace culture & mindset that enables a team to thrive and goals to be met. Creating a set of core beliefs and expectations for accountability doesn’t happen overnight, however, leaders who consistently focus on the seven steps below will get there.

2- Builds Positive work Relationship

Human beings are naturally social creatures. And when you consider that we spend one-third of our lives at work, it’s clear that good relationships with colleagues will make our jobs more enjoyable.

The more comfortable co-workers are around one other, the more confident they’ll feel voicing opinions, brainstorming, and going along with new ideas, for example. This level of teamwork is essential to embrace change, create, and innovate. And when people see the successes of working together in this way, group morale and productivity soars.

Good work relationships also give you freedom. Instead of spending time and energy dealing with negative relationships, you can, instead, focus on opportunities – from winning new business to focusing on personal development.

And having a strong professional circle will also help you to develop your career, opening up opportunities that otherwise might pass you by.

A good work relationship requires trust, respect, self-awareness, inclusion, and open communication. Let’s explore each of these characteristics.

Trust: when you trust your team members, you can be open and honest in your thoughts and actions. And you don’t have to waste time or energy “watching your back.”
Respect: teams working together with mutual respect value one another’s input, and find solutions based on collective insight, wisdom, and creativity.
Self-awareness: this means taking responsibility for your words and actions, and not letting your own negative emotions impact the people around you.
Inclusion: don’t just accept diverse people and opinions, but welcome them! For instance, when your colleagues offer different opinions from yours, factor their insights and perspective – or “cultural add ” – into your decision-making.
Open communication: all good relationships depend on open, honest communication. Whether you’re sending emails or IMs or meeting face-to-face or on video calls, the more effectively you communicate with those around you, the better you’ll connect.

3- Improve leadership Effectiveness

A global leader must cultivate the right set of skills to develop their leadership effectiveness, including:

Time management
Task prioritization
Strategic thinking
Goal-setting ability
Good judgment

These are key skills for a global leader to deliver successful projects and manage the potentially conflicting demands of different tasks. Without them, a leader is likely to burn out from focussing on unimportant things and achieving little of the planned tasks and goals.

4- Encourages open and actional feedback

A good leader takes accountability for the results they want.

If you want more feedback from your team, then you should first focus on the actions you can take to make it happen. These tactics will help you do your part to make your team more likely to give you the feedback you crave.

Ask! Have you asked your team specifically for feedback lately? There’s a big difference between thinking you want feedback and directly asking for it. Ask for specific feedback. If you want more feedback from your team, you have to ask them.
Be grateful and accepting of feedback Think about the last time you gave someone tough feedback. Did they immediately accept it? Or, did they debate and challenge you on it?
Take action When you get feedback from your team, your work is just beginning. They shared feedback with you because they want to see things change. Otherwise, why bother sharing it?
Use reciprocity Are you giving your team feedback? Are you doing things they want or would appreciate? If not, you must learn about the power of reciprocity. Reciprocity is built deep into the psyche of all of us. If you give someone a gift or do something for them, they’ll feel indebted to you and are more likely to return the favor or do something else requested by you of similar value.
Lead by example There is nothing more important than the example you set as a leader. You are always on stage. Your team is watching what you do much more than what you say. If you want feedback to be a key part of your team’s culture and regular habits, then you have to lead by example.

5- Increase Employees Engagement

Achieving employee engagement is a commitment that starts with leadership. Every leader in the organization has an impact good or bad on the teams they lead, and this influences individual engagement. Factors such as the overall success of the business, an individual manager’s leadership style, and specific issues on a team can all affect employee engagement. In order to get every individual to contribute their best efforts, leaders must have the ability to recognize the factors that cause employees to participate and those that cause them to disengage.

Engagement isn’t magic it’s a craft. It requires open communication, clearly articulated goals, and unambiguous expectations. Therefore, if you are wondering how you can improve employee engagement, building strong leadership skills will be key to success. Here’s how they can support the achievement of your goals:

1. Improving Engagement through Communication

Leaders must learn how to communicate clearly and effectively. This includes sharing goals, strategies, and the rationales behind decisions so that employees can understand why they are asked to do certain tasks. It’s also important for leadership to share success stories, both at the individual and organizational levels. For example, recognizing individual achievements on a team can be very motivating for everybody in the company. It’s also important not to assume that everybody in the company is aware of successes at the organizational level, such as awards, news items, or charitable donations.

2. Improving Engagement through Clear Goals

Sharing organizational goals helps employees understand their roles in achieving them. You can then use these larger goals to formulate attainable objectives at the individual level. Setting individual goals that align with organizational objectives fosters better engagement by highlighting exactly how each employee is contributing. This practice also gives every employee something for which to be accountable.

Articulating a compelling vision not only ensures individual alignment with organizational objectives, it also instills a sense of purpose among employees, which contributes to greater job satisfaction.

Practical strategies for improving employee engagement through setting clear goals include:

Writing down the most important organizational goals and posting them in a place where every employee will see them on a regular basis
Frequently referencing company goals in internal communications
Having each employee set individual objectives based on the common company goal, and using those goals to coach against
Following up on each person’s goals throughout the year and seeking ways to support their success

3. Improving Engagement through Unambiguous Expectations

When it’s not clear who is responsible for what, it’s easy for employees to disengage. On the other hand, when individuals know that they are accountable for specific outcomes, they are more likely to fully engage to meet those expectations. Leaders can demonstrate accountability through their own behavior by always delivering on their commitments.

Practical strategies for improving employee engagement through unambiguous expectations include:

Defining the expected outcomes, including timelines, for each employee objective
Tracking progress with regular check-ins between managers and employees
Publicly recognizing individuals when they meet the defined expectations to reinforce the desired behavior