The Importance of Strong Leadership
July 20, 2009 by ProGrad
With so many employees feeling the pressures of working within an economic downturn, there has never been so much need for strong leadership. A strong management team is essential to guide employees during these times. It is too common during these times that employees feel the pressures to generate increased revenue, with limited guidance and shifting pay structures or commissions.
The teams are definitely leaner in the current market, employees are likely to be working harder than previously and therefore it is essential that they remain passionate, loyal and dedicated. The way to ensure this is to unite them with strong management and leadership.
“Motivation” is an over-used phrase in the current market, as its place in the work force becomes more and more paramount. The common misconception is that is costs something to motivate employees…when the truth is that is costs very little to unite a team and point them towards a common goal. Regular group meetings, brainstorming sessions, group lunches and open lines of communication are some of the easiest ways to unite people and reinstill the common goals.
Other great ideas include group training sessions, where team members are asked to prepare topics which they are passionate about sharing with others. This is a great opportunity for new employees to demonstrate their worth within companies; opportunities to present will be harnessed by those individuals looking to impress their superiors.
Even within ProGrad we are guilty of not always communicating with the team. As Managers, we want to protect our employees from the harsh realities of business, and the implications faced when we meet a drop in our revenues. The feedback we received is that they WANT to hear this information. Meetings behind closed doors only fuel insecurities from the team. As a result, we are now implementing regular sessions in an open environment to communicate how we’re doing as a business. We discuss what has been successful, and what we need to do differently the following month to enhance our success.
Sounds simple…naturally, it’s not. It requires joint commitment from a senior management team to openly communicate with their teams. Management need to unite first, then pass the theme down to the troops. And remember, its not about spending money on employees to “motivate” them.
Davinia
ProGrad is a Graduate Assessment, Placement and Training company working with recent University graduates to kick start their corporate careers within the business to business sales/ marketing teams of organisations. If you would like to speak to one of the ProGrad team, please contact them on 02 8235 8300.
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