What does it take to be a great leader? Many qualities determine if someone becomes the type of person others are happy to follow: innovation, tenacity, resilience, compassion, and most importantly, communication skills.

To be a great leader, you must be a great communicator. That means taking the extra steps to connect with your employees beyond the confines of their existence at work. Here are some helpful ways to help you foster a connection with your people.

Why Connect?

Many people like the idea of a dividing line between their work and personal life. However, that border is a myth which organizations need to stop perpetuating. Our work lives impact our existence at home and vice versa. Consider this: if you have a terrible meeting at work shortly before leaving for the day, how does it impact your evening at home? You’re likely stressed and lingering on the events of the day, long into the evening. On the other side of the equation, consider your attitude if you come to work after a great morning at home. You slept well, your children cooperated, and you got to enjoy a lovely breakfast with your significant other. Your whole day is a little brighter.

As a leader, being able to connect will allow you to assess the whole person, beyond the job experience on a resume or the requests you enter in your Online Employee Scheduling Software by Humanity. You learn their values and goals, and ultimately how they can drive your business to greater heights. Remember, someone who feels appreciated will always do more than is expected.

How to Connect with Your Employees

There is no one way to cultivate a connection with your employees, as they’re individuals who will have different motivators and personalities to contend with. There are, however, general things you can do that appeal to the masses and will help you build a strong foundation for effective communication.

Learn to Listen

Taking the time to listen to your people is the most important thing you can do as a leader looking to make connections. Listen actively and attentively: make eye-contact, nod to show your understanding, ask exploratory questions, and summarize the conversation back to the person to ensure you comprehend what they’re trying to convey.

When you listen well, you address an individual’s needs without projecting your feelings on the subject. As a result, people are more comfortable coming to you with concerns and feedback, giving you a better understanding of what’s going on in your organization.

Empower Them

As you create a connection with your employees, you’ll be able to get a better understanding of things they’d like to learn to be able to achieve their long-term goals. Then, you can give them opportunities to help them get there. Empower your employees to make decisions and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Demonstrate your trust in them and give them more responsibility as they show they can handle it.

Empowering your employees creates a two-way street of benefits. They will feel more engaged in their work and productive. That productivity helps the business’s bottom line and creates a positive organizational culture. Furthermore, you’ll be able to delegate tasks and work toward your personal goals.

Authenticity and Transparency

People in a business like to know what’s going on behind closed doors. They like to know if the business is doing well or going through some setbacks. Keeping negative news under wraps fuels speculations and rumors, which can plague the entire organizational culture.

As a leader, the best thing you can do to connect with your employees is to be real. Be your authentic self in a conversation and share whatever information you can. If you are not at liberty to discuss something, tell them so, and let them know whatever you can to put their minds at ease. Take a conversational approach and tell your employees things you would want to know if you were in their position.

To be an influential leader, you must become a great communicator. Maintain an open-door policy and treat your employees with the respect they deserve.

© New To HR