Looking for your discount program? Create an account or log in here.

Leadership Beyond the Office

When you think about leaders who inspire you, chances are you aren’t thinking about their job title or their corner office. You think about the inspiring words they spoke when you needed to hear it, the efforts they took to make a change, and the lives they impacted.

leadership-beyond-office

I recently spoke with the Director of Human Resources for a start-up located here in Chicago. She shared insights into what makes their office culture truly unique and hands-down it was the leadership. In fact, part of their on-boarding process for new employees includes a goal-setting session with the CEO. While this might not seem out of the ordinary, the goals are not strictly professional. With a strong financial background, the CEO helps each employee set savings goals such as taking a vacation with their family or paying off student loans. With a high percentage of part-time employees, many do not have the ability to hire a financial planner and chances are, have never received financial advice from an expert. By understanding their needs and using her skills, their CEO helps employees achieve things they never thought possible.

From the human resources department to the CEO to the marketing managers, every leader in an organization is tasked with an overwhelming responsibility to make a difference in their employees’ lives. So while not all of us can become financial advisors, there are plenty of ways we can lead well no matter your job title or area of expertise.

Learn.

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
– John F. Kennedy

True leaders never stop learning. It’s easy to be mediocre, only absorbing information as we need it, but great leaders know that “knowledge is power”. With humble attitudes, they are proactive in seeking out advice and expertise. It can also be said that great leaders should push their employees to seek out knowledge as well. By offering a continuing education program or professional development courses, you and your employees can learn more, together. In fact, many companies offer a “Lunch and Learn” each month where employees get together to learn something new over a meal. They bring experts on everything from financial advice to html coding to business skills. Leading means learning, and pushing others to do the same.

Listen.

When people talk, listen completely.
– Ernest Hemingway

One of the most obvious ways we can lead people well is by listening well. It’s easy to assume as leaders that we know best, but every person has a unique story and perspective. By taking time to first understand and get to know their personalities, their struggles and their strengths, we can push them to be the best version of themselves. Leadership expert, David Marquet, describes listening as using “not only your ears, but your eyes and heart as well.”

Lead the Change.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
– Martin Luther King Jr.

We have unlimited vacation days at PerkSpot. I know what you’re thinking, “But do people actually use them?”. The answer is yes and the reason is our leadership. While many offices claim to have great employee perks, what makes the difference at our company is that our executive team lives out these values. We take vacation days because the leaders do, we participate in charity because our leaders volunteer, and we congratulate each other on successes because our leaders model this behavior. It’s nothing new and nothing crazy, but having leaders pave the way  makes all the difference.

Let Go.

The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.
– Ronald Reagan

Great leaders are the ones who are okay with relinquishing control. While many feel that giving up control is a sign of weakness,  it actually is a great testament to the strength of your leadership. “Control is about power – not leadership. Surrender allows a leader to get out of their own way and focus on adding value to those whom they serve.” Again, humility is key to being a successful leader. By focusing more on who your employees can be and what they can accomplish and less on making a name for yourself, your team will grow to respect you and your authority.

 
Want more insights like these? Fill out the form to the right to subscribe!

Strategic Questions, Higher Engagement

Every Total Rewards professional has the desire to improve employee engagement. But sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start. Should you conduct a company-wide survey? What questions should you ask? What do you do with the information?

strategic questions, higher engagement

The key to a successful employee engagement strategy is asking the right questions. Although you can throw out surveys all day long, unless your questions are centered on the right things, they become just one more document to file and a whole lot of useless information. In fact, a recent article by Deloitte states that “among 80 of the most advanced users of engagement surveys, only half believe their executives know how to build a culture of engagement.”

As leaders it’s important to assist others in their professional development, which means asking intentional questions and listening well.

Here are a few of our favorite strategic questions to improve employee engagement:

Questions for Advancing Careers:

  • Which projects have you enjoyed working on the most?
  • What would others on your team be likely to come to you for help with?
  • Are there strengths of yours that you feel are not being utilized?
  • What new responsibilities would you like to take on in the next few months?
  • What projects would you like to be more involved in?

For more questions about career advancement click here.

Questions for Dealing with Change:

  • What do you think about this new change?
  • How do you feel about this change? (the key here is to get their honest opinion)
  • What is your new role in this change? How does it affect what you’re working on?
  • In what way will this new change be challenging for you?
  • What would help you most in adapting to this change?

For more questions about dealing with change click here.

Questions for Measuring Motivation:

  • Can you see a clear connection between your work and the company’s goals and objectives?
  • What makes you proud to be a member of your team?
  • When something unexpected comes up, do you know who to ask for help?
  • Do you have the appropriate amount of information to make informed decisions?
  • Do you have a clear understanding of processes and procedures within the organization?

For more questions about measuring motivation click here.

While asking the right questions is important, it’s also vital that you listen well to the responses. There are so many ways that listening can improve the employee experience, including creating a trustworthy relationship between managers and employees that “are transparent and breed loyalty.” This is the key to success. You can ask questions all day long, but if you don’t actually hear and respond to employees, it is all in vain.

Are there questions you find more effective than others in improving employee satisfaction? What are some ways you’ve seen listening improve the employee experience? Leave us a comment below!

Want more insights like these? Fill out the form to the right to subscribe!

Be a Better Leader

better leader perkspot culture
Many of us have an innate desire to inspire others like Martin Luther King, Jr., change the world like Bill Gates, or save lives like Marie Curie. But before they became these great world-changers, they all lived very ordinary lives. There are traits each of us can develop in our everyday lives to be a better leader and inspire those around us.

Practice humility.

Humility is a lost art in our culture. We are quick to seek recognition and put our own needs before others. But great leaders start by first serving the people around them. Ask yourself how you can better serve your team. Be transparent and apologize when you make mistakes. Demonstrate a willingness to learn – a teachable attitude goes a long way.

Stay positive.

This can be particularly tough even in the greatest of work environments. The stress of work and home often cause us to focus on the negative. Try starting your day by writing down three things you’re grateful for. This positive attitude will carry you throughout your day and others will be inspired by your optimism. And when issues arise, focus on finding the solution instead of the problem.

better leader perkspot culture

Be yourself.

Having a boss or colleague who is “all business, all the time” gets stale very quickly. Take time to get to know your teammates and share personal anecdotes. Invite them to watch the game or workout together. You don’t have to unload your whole life story, but letting them in is a great way to show you care and you’re interested. They’ll appreciate your vulnerability and respect you more for it.

Challenge the status-quo.

One thing all great leaders have in common is that they push the limits. Don’t be afraid to speak up when you think things (or people) can be better. Great friends and great coworkers challenge each other to think deeper and go farther.

Have tips for being a better leader? Let us know in the comments!