Bringing Perspective on Individuality in Management Culture

To become a progressive leader or organization that sets the standard and advances a culture of excellence in management and leadership, you must start with your workforce built of individuals—the value-add. Keep your finger on their pulse and check it regularly. If you learn to sincerely and successfully manage people, they will make you a leader.

While most managers know and can repeat expressive lines of pleasantries or cordial clichés throughout the day on a regular basis, it is quite possible to be out of touch with the workforce unintentionally due to the vast responsibilities and demands of a leadership position. How do you avoid becoming this kind of manager? Stay engaged with your humanity and understand that you are in a relationship. Now that’s a mouthful…

Relationships can be challenging in our personal lives, so we often try to avoid them in professional settings or we bring the dysfunction in. Either way, workplace dynamics have similar rules of engagement or in some cases, they are the same. It is a partnership. We cannot avoid this reality or the understanding that we are in a relationship. Human capital management should be centered on the health and wellness of your workforce. The keys to successful management; and thereby leadership are respect, communication, empowerment, and space for grace.

1. RESPECT

True respect is precious and hard won. It is not given.  But, it is earned through touching lives and hearts. You will know it when others admire and want to emulate you for things, which have nothing to do with material gain. It will bring loyalty and commitment akin to a personal, platonic relationship. If you respect your employees and what they bring to the table, no matter the measure, they will give you their best.

How do you go about doing so? Focus on loving who you are and the skin that you’re in. You are your own benchmark, so compare yourself to no one else. Keep a constant check on your behavior and the vibe you’re giving off. Be open to change. Set the right example and your staff will follow suit.

2. COMMUNICATION

Monitor your communication and interactions. Don’t say something permanently hurtful because you’re temporarily upset. Words matter and you cannot take them back. They can cause you to lose respect. Learning what to say, what not to say, when to speak, and when to listen are skills of discipline that will carry you far, as well as make you a GREAT leader. In short, demonstrate genuine care and concern but learn to control your feelings and emotions. Take care not to shoot yourself in the foot.

3. EMPOWERMENT

It is human nature to desire encouragement and fulfillment through finding purpose. Choose empowerment. Management culture can do this in the smallest but most meaningful ways. It is important in your workforce. Empower your human capital by allowing them to see themselves involved. Become a part of the vision and mission to be more than human capital, but individuals and walking spokespersons with a winning testimony of your organization.

When developing or revisiting your vision, make sure it is exactly a vision your people can buy into with a functional and supportive mission. Educate them, certify them, and develop them. Acculturate your people through empowerment.

4. SPACE FOR GRACE

We are all imperfect beings with our quirks, so space for grace is required for functional, productive relationships. Live there. Once you understand the connection between individuality and the law of attraction, it will become your second nature. The combination will transform your thinking, perspective, and organization. It will discover talent, reveal synergies, and open your eyes to endless possibilities. You may have internal issues but space for grace will help you acknowledge them, work on them, then work them out for a superior performance.

If you can find your way to adopting and integrating these concepts into your business model and/or management culture in a purposeful way, the value-add will be exponential!

TAKEAWAYS

If the tires fall off the car, the car will only roll for so long until the metal wheel bends and the car stops. It may continue rolling for a bit once the tire goes out, but it will not be without sparks and repercussions to the car. Your company is the car and the tires are your workforce. If you do not take care of your people, your business will suffer. Consider a cost-benefit analysis. When you lose employees, you lose know-how, expertise, money, and time.

Time is invaluable any way you slice it. It takes more time, energy, and resources to replace the experts you lose when meaningful consideration is not given to ensure their health and wellness. You no longer become a “value-add” in their management of reality. Do not become “that” manager who leads from behind. That manager is not a leader.

• Approach your management style from a 360⁰ leadership viewpoint.
• Understand that you are in a relationship with the workplace. Albeit, professional, but you are in a relationship.
• Focus on the health and wellness of your work partners from compensation and benefits, schedule, environment, and other incentive areas.
• Give your partners a voice and a chance to be a part of the process, even dissenters. Everybody has a value. Ownership goes a long way toward buy in and changes management support. Empowerment can change dissenting opinions.
• Consider what you’re doing and what you could do to demonstrate company understanding of individual value and contribution. The quickest way to end the relationship? Ignore a partner and/or treat them disrespectfully.
• Provide opportunities for leadership experience and professional development. It’s important to keep staff engaged and minds stimulated for growth.
• Embrace change. Change is a part of life. It is always most effective when it comes from the inside out. Leaders must put skin in the game, literally and figuratively. Words are meaningless without sincere action.