In a perfect world, your team members would always gel perfectly and work seamlessly together to take your business to new heights of innovation, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

But teams are made up of many individuals who need direction and support to feel connected to each other and your company’s mission — in order to perform at their best. 

A high-performance team is driven, works collaboratively, quickly implements constructive feedback, and positively contributes to the whole team and the company.

(Related: Everything You Need To Know About Strategic Leadership).

1. Set Clear Expectations (And Coach People To Achieve Them).

Without properly defined expectations, no one on the team knows how to play or win the game.

Setting expectations starts with breaking down complex strategic objectives into clearly defined areas of accountability while aligning roles with your team members’ core competencies. 

(Related: Is An MBA Worth It?)

I recommend that you start with the big picture and work inwards:

Be sure to use the SMART principle to guide your team’s goal-setting:

Don’t set and forget: maintain team performance through repetition.

Expectation-setting isn’t a one-and-done process.

Repetition is key. ALWAYS over-communicate. Be willing to state the obvious.

Reiterate goals in your everyday communications with employees, always tying strategic company mission to tactical team goals that drive day-to-day activity.

Team performance will improve once employees have internalised how their progress on a small task contributes to a larger mission.

Of course, your job as a leader doesn’t end with setting SMART goals and talking about them:

(Related: Top 21 Ice-Breakers For Zoom Meetings).

2. Re-Clarify Responsibilities During Periods Of Rapid Growth.

Each team member needs to know their area of accountability within a team, how their success is measured and what their future prospects in the company look like.

If your technology business, for example, is growing from $30m to $100m in revenue through international expansion, you can expect a healthy degree of confusion, frustration and even resentment.

As a manager, your job is to accept that some fallout is unavoidable while doing your best to provide clarity and direction.

3 steps to give employees more clarity during periods of transformation:

(Related: Raise Emotional Intelligence In Your Workplace).

3. Lead With Values (Not Rules).

When businesses have no values (or weak values), they fall back on rules. While rules are certainly important and unavoidable, they’re also inefficient.

Let’s say you run a sales team that sells B2B software by cold-calling other businesses. You probably have a 3-page SOP manual that sets out a number of rules:

What do you expect the salesperson to do when they encounter a situation that your rules don’t cover, or requires them to bend the rules?

For example, they discover a hot lead at 5:05pm while scrolling LinkedIn on mobile, walking to their car.

(Related: 100 Thank You Message Ideas For Colleagues).

Should they call from the car or wait until tomorrow (and potentially lose the deal)? Should they call you to ask for permission to call after hours and log the notes in the CRM tomorrow?

No.

Because you have built a winning sales culture underpinned by concrete values below, they’re equipped to make the right decision:

4. Use Feedback To Hold People Accountable.

As a manager, it is your job to let your direct reports know how they’re doing in relation to how they’re expected to be doing.

Yet, a lot of managers don’t like giving feedback. In fact, most actively avoid it because they’re uncomfortable with the idea of conflict.

They rationalise it to themselves with the following:

Wrong.

High-performing teams have a work culture that embraces transparent and regular feedback. 

For them, feedback is an essential mechanism of growth – rather than a source of conflict or criticism.

Regular feedback encourages trust, fosters team cohesion, and improves team performance. It’s your role as a manager to cultivate a workplace culture where team members welcome it, seek it, and (gasp) look forward to it.

(Related: Best Accounting Software In Australia).

You can deliver your feedback in a number of ways, but the essence of effective feedback is always the same:

3 conditions are required for feedback to be effective:

Studies confirm that people who feel heard and supported are more likely to contribute to the team. With proper feedback, you build a positive, transparent, and productive work environment.

Ensure feedback is easy to receive by building a respectful culture.

Employees will find your feedback more difficult to hear if it’s delivered without regard to their knowledge, experience or feelings.

Teams with members who respect each other and interact positively outperform those with disparaging and negative members because they have a genuine desire to help each other and cover each other’s blind spots.

OurWatch confirms that a culture of respect fosters higher standards and organisational performance.

To solidify respect, ensure the following: 

5. Avoid Micromanaging Capable People.

You hired a person into a role because you decided that they were capable of performing the role.

If you find yourself micromanaging this person, you have one of two underlying issues:

If you find yourself in the first situation, you know what you need to do.

But if you’re in the latter, you may be in a habit of putting talented people offside.

If a leader tries to manage every aspect of a project, good team members are unlikely to innovate or take responsibility.

Your desire to prevent failure can, counterintuitively, lead to significantly less enthusiasm, initiative, performance or compliance.

(Related: Best HRIS Software In Australia).

Ultimately, high-performing employees under the scrutiny of a micromanaging boss feel less capable and can slide right into feeling resentful and disloyal. As a manager, remember: 

How can you feel more assured people are working on the right things?

Stay focused on setting expectations at the macro level. That is, clarifying goals and values.

Let your team decide how they achieve those goals, such as how the report is formatted or the size of the logo.

If the report succeeds, offer encouragement. If it doesn’t, hold them accountable.

Instead of being overly involved, your role as a team manager is to:

6. Create Systems That Support Autonomy And Team Productivity.

One way to improve team performance is by encouraging autonomy. Done properly, your team will feel empowered to achieve results.

The foundation of achieving this kind of well-oiled machine has been covered in previous points:

But on top of that, you need to create a system that facilitates independent work while keeping employees aligned with expectations and company objectives.

Effective structures and tools can also reinforce the boundaries you’ve set, reduce unnecessary interruptions and ensure your team remains focused on big-picture goals rather than getting distracted by day-to-day minutiae.

Some key components of a system that supports autonomy include:

7. Encourage Collaboration (With Fewer Unnecessary Meetings).

“If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb from Martha Goedert encompasses the spirit of team effectiveness. 

We’ve explained why creating the right conditions for people to work autonomously helps improve team effectiveness. But workplace productivity isn’t possible without some degree of collaboration among team members.

Collaborating in meaningful ways solidifies our sense of belonging and helps us refine and expand on ideas developed in isolation.

The best way to encourage collaboration is: 

People who actively contribute to a greater vision will contribute more meaningfully. Consider having your company vision in view in the workplace as a reminder to employees.

A prime example of poor collaboration is ineffective meetings. We’ve all suffered through meetings and thought, “This could have been an email.” Such meetings significantly lower productivity and motivation.

Even just one hour in an unnecessary or draining team meeting can interrupt the flow of a person’s day and reduce their ability to focus and produce quality work.

Ways to avoid meetings that prevent people from performing:

When you do hold meetings, focus on the following: 

(Related: 7 Rules For Western Executives Leading Teams In Eastern Cultures).

8. Recognise Every Success.

Having leadership skills, you’ll be accustomed to planning ahead and constantly pushing the team forward. However, they can also mean you easily overlook wins because you are too focused on setting new goals.

Celebrating successes is essential. Acknowledge the team’s performance and take respite before pushing for the next achievement.

You can celebrate by:

A celebration is an excellent way to improve team productivity and strengthen cohesion.

Final Thoughts About How To Improve Team Performance.

Improving employee engagement involves consistent effort and adjustment from you, the leader. It requires dedication and commitment to enforce your team’s dynamic as one that is respectful, collaborative, and visionary. 

You must lead by example and model optimal performance through your behaviour as a team leader.

Implement these seven tips to start seeing significant improvements in team productivity and performance in the coming year, and you’ll be proud to lead a high-performance team.

Steven

I have been fortunate in my career to lead large teams across the globe, including multi-year stints on the ground in India and China, where I was responsible for several thousand employees.

People often ask me about leadership differences between the West and India/China. 

Whilst I am hesitant to generalise too much, below are 7 lessons I have learnt on the journey.

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Capex For SMBs).

1. Recognise That Trust Is Earned And Not Given.

Many western leaders confuse respect for hierarchy, which is undoubtedly more pronounced in the East, with a willingness to go the extra mile for their manager. 

The reality is that they are very different.

I remember very clearly my new leader assimilation in China, where one of my team asked, “how do I earn your trust” to which I answered, “you start with 100% trust, it can only go down”. 

The whole team looked at me like I was from another planet. 

Whilst it takes longer, the good news is that once teams do trust their leader, they are incredibly loyal and will go well beyond the call of duty to make that leader successful.

(Related: Interest Rate Forecast: When Will RBA Cut Rates?)

2. A Growth Leadership Mindset Matters. 

By growth, I mean top line. 

When I moved from leading the UK business to leading the India business, I talked about the EBITDA improvements I had driven as a means of establishing my credentials. 

It had the opposite effect.

The thinking in India and China is that if you spend a lot of time on cost management, you are short of ideas on how to grow the top line. 

Cost management and productivity are, of course, also important.

Still, the starting point has to be “how can I maximise topline growth and create a sustainable, healthy environment to reward and grow the team?” 

A simple but important pivot.

(Related: The State Of Social Enterprise In Australia).

3. It’s All About Face. 

Although there is currently some hype around Chinese youth “lying flat”, the vast majority of employees work extremely hard and want to be successful and also be seen to be successful. 

The latter, in particular, sets India and China apart from the West. 

It’s not just the employee that has to feel good about the company – the employee’s family also has to feel good about it. 

Social media is prolific, employees want to share their awards, talk about exciting innovations their company has brought to market, and demonstrate that they have made good use of their education. 

A downside is that “turnaround assignments” are more difficult to sell to employees, as they often have many options and don’t want to take the potentially career-threatening risk of being seen to be in charge of something unsuccessful.

Again, establishing trust is very important here.

4. Beware Of The Meeting Outside The Meeting. 

In the West, we are used to getting all the views out on the table and making decisions in the meeting. 

In the East, you have to work very hard to create an inclusive and risk-free environment where everyone can express their honest view. 

Then the real discussion and lobbying happen in small groups afterwards, with a sole representative eventually talking to the leader one-on-one about what the group thinks and what decision should be made. 

(Related: 4 Pillars Of Transformational Leadership).

5. Don’t Judge Someone By The Quality Of Their Business Case. 

In the West, we put a big premium on being articulate and being able to explain why something is a good idea. We are taught that story matters.

In the East, the focus is much more on the idea itself. 

As Western leaders working in the East, we must be very attuned to this, ensuring we support the best ideas and not just the best stories. 

Coaching top talent to improve confidence and communication skills is incredibly rewarding and should be a priority for leaders, especially those operating within multinational corporations.

(Related: How To Calculate Your Net Profit Margin).

6. India And China Speed Is Real.

It’s difficult to grasp this until you experience it. 

India and China are evolving rapidly. In the last 10 years their combined GDP has grown by 110% compared to 19% in the rest of the world.

Technology adoption and new business models are at the forefront of the economy, and the competitive environment is intense. 

In this context, fast decision-making is critical. Get ready to make decisions over WhatsApp or WeChat at a moment’s notice. 

It’s incumbent on leaders to do everything they can to unblock processes and complexity that get in the way of fast decision-making.  

For example, be mindful that heavily matrixed organisations and multiple global reporting lines are often part of why multinational firms in India and China are out-manoeuvred by local players. 

7. Don’t Pretend To Be The Market Expert.

Never forget you won’t know the market or culture as well as your team. You can be the expert in your home country, but not when you’re away from home.

Admit that early on.

It is, however, very important to build your knowledge and show a willingness to learn. 

On my video introduction call to my new team, before I landed in the market, I showed several books I was reading.

I didn’t think too much of it, but that memory was played back by my team time and time again in the following years as the proof they were looking for that I was going to be a humble leader.

Throw yourself into karaoke with the team in China. Dance like crazy with the team in India. They will love it … and so will you!

Bottom Line About Leadership Differences Between East vs West.

These lessons, of course, aren’t comprehensive, but hopefully they will help fast-track the learning process for leaders moving from Western markets to India and China. 

Let me also stress that whilst there are differences in leadership, there are also many similarities, my advice for leaders is always to be authentic, empathic, strategic and empowering. 

Such traits will stand you in good stead everywhere.

Justin

There are fewer things in our working lives that are more difficult than issuing an employee with a termination letter – unless you’re Gary Vaynerchuk or Elon Musk.

American entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk is a proponent of “hire fast, fire fast”, and Elon Musk showed little remorse when firing 80% of Twitter staff when he took over.

As much as I appreciate their qualities, when it comes to how to treat people, I’m in a different camp – and given you’ve arrived here, I suspect you’re a little more conscientious too.

(Related: How To Double The Productivity Of Your Employees).

Consider The Impact On The Recipient.

There are two dimensions to writing a human, effective, employee termination letter:

I will cover both, starting with the human aspect.

The very first thing you should do is put yourself in the employee’s shoes.

They’ll experience a spectrum of emotions as they read their termination letter, the overriding feeling being one of fear.

Take a moment to process that.

How To Deliver The News.

During my corporate career, I did a four-year stint at a subsidiary of the biggest international grocery retailer in the world. The American influence of no-mercy hiring and firing was prevalent.

Oblivious employees turned up to work one day, not knowing it was their last.

People were crying or fighting back tears as they exited their termination meetings. They returned to their desks to collect their personal belongings before saying goodbye.

There was a severe detachment and lack of loyalty because those employees never forgot the way their colleagues were unceremoniously axed.

When issuing a termination letter:

Find a discreet meeting room situated away from the wider team (preferably with soundproof walls).

At some stage, they’ll need to:

Facilitating this shortly after you’ve broken the news is poor timing.

Would you want to walk through an open office with red eyes and flushed cheeks and bid everyone a heartfelt goodbye?

Most prefer privacy.

What if this particular person is a bad apple?

Some employees leave on bad terms. If you’re firing an employee for serious misconduct, the employee will have at least suspected this was coming.

You will (or should) have given them verbal warnings and a written warning.

What if this person made your life a living hell? What if they were late, rude, arrogant, and abusive?

(Related: How To Improve Performance & Cohesion Of Your Team).

You’ll feel the temptation to write a retaliatory termination letter that delivers a satisfying final blow.

However, no matter how poor-performing they were, avoid the temptation to write a termination letter that aggravates them.

Using smug language could backfire. Some people feel so aggrieved that they’ll:

What Tone Should I Use?

I won’t dwell on tone too much since I provide two comprehensive templates below that you can use.

But if you decide to deviate from that, you must ensure the tone of your termination letter is formal and professional.

You want to refrain from:

Your termination letter should read like legal documentation (because that’s exactly what it is).

(Related: How To Write An Employee Reference Letter).

How To Comply With The Fair Work Act 2009.

You don’t want to find yourself in hot water – and by that, I mean attending court or a workplace tribunal due to unfair dismissal.

The contents of your letter of termination need to be written in accordance with the Fair Work Act 2009.

(Related: What Is A Genuine Redundancy?)

Prior to sending a termination letter, you must warn the employee (for the sake of evidence, written warnings are best) of their serious misconduct or performance issues.

You then need to:

If you need more information, check out the Fair Work Ombudsman, the regulator of workplace laws.

Can an employee sue for unfair dismissal?

Employees seeking compensation can launch legal proceedings and sue employers if they feel they have been unfairly dismissed.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) defines unfair dismissal as:

Even though the commission aims to protect employees, just because an employee files a claim does not guarantee the proceeding will go in their favour.

The FWC rejected an unfair dismissal claim by Suzie Cheikho, consultant at Insurance Australia Group (IAG).

IAG claimed to have evidence that showed Chiekho’s keystroke activity, and that she “failed to work her rostered hours for 44 days of the 49 days monitored.”

The FWC found that the dismissal was valid and not “harsh, unjust, or unreasonable”.

What Is Harsh, Unjust Or Unreasonable?

The FWC bases their decisions on whether an employee’s termination was harsh, unjust, or unreasonable.

That may sound a little vague, but here are some criteria for what that constitutes:

That last bullet point suggests that not everything is always black and white and that the FWC can exercise their power in more complicated circumstances.

What is the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code?

You might occasionally hear the term “Small Business Fair Dismissal Code” bandied around when researching Australian laws and regulations.

A checklist is available to help employers comply with the code.

If an employee submits a claim against an employer, the employer needs to provide evidence that shows they are compliant with the code.

What’s the difference between the code and the Fair Work Act?

The official code is a paltry 300-word document, and I can’t quite understand why so much weight has been attributed to this.

Seems like a waste of tax dollars if you ask me. Although I’d genuinely love someone to correct me in the comments below.

The only distinguishable difference between the code and the act is where the code says:

Employee Termination Letter Template (Disciplinary Action).

With all that in mind, here are two employee termination template letters: the first is tailored to when termination is a result of disciplinary actions, and the second is for when the company is making a strategic decision to downsize or go in a different direction.

Dear [employee name],

Over the last [denote period in weeks/months], we have assessed your [performance/conduct] against your performance improvement plan, and we regret to inform you that we are terminating your employment at [company name] due to failing to meet our previously agreed-upon targets.

We understand this news may be difficult to process, and we strongly recommend you take this opportunity to reflect on your actions and make improvements accordingly before reentering the workforce.

You are entitled to your salary up until [termination date], and you will also be compensated for any outstanding annual leave you have accrued. In addition, you will receive a separate letter from [HR team/designated team member]with the details of your severance pay and how much you’re entitled to receive.

I’m obliged to remind you of the non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreement you signed when joining [company name] (attached to this letter). Even after you depart the company, these legally binding agreements will remain in effect. Under those agreements, you must delete any information about our stakeholders (such as customers, suppliers, and colleagues) that is stored on your personal devices.

Either your line manager or a member of the HR team will be in touch to retrieve any company property that you currently possess, such as your laptop, carry case, smartphone, chargers, and locker keys.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with [HR team/designated team member] at [email address]. In all cases, we are committed to providing fair and accurate employment references to any prospective employers.

We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours.

[signature]

[your name]

Employee Termination Letter Template (Strategic Decision).

Dear [employee name],

It’s with sincere regret that I am writing to inform you that we are terminating your employment at [company name] due to [specific reason for termination].

Given the competitive challenges [company name] faces, we had no choice but to take some drastic action and restructure the ailing parts of the business, which means it is no longer financially viable to place staff in certain roles.

I want you to know that this has been a decision that has been subject to months of deliberation and we have tried where possible to avoid this outcome. I also understand this is an incredibly difficult situation for you and that you will need time to figure out your options.

In the meantime, I want to be the first to express that your contributions have not gone unnoticed, and I recognise the enormous impact your departure will have on the business. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your hard work during your time working here.

Your salary will be paid in full up until [termination date], and you will, of course, be compensated for any outstanding annual leave you have accrued. In addition, you will receive a separate letter from [HR team/designated team member]that contains details of how much severance pay you’re entitled to.

Whilst the timing of this may seem insensitive, I am obliged to remind you of two legally binding agreements you signed when joining the company (attached to this letter): a non-solicitation and a non-disclosure agreement. These agreements still remain in effect upon termination of your employment. You must delete any information about our customers, employees, or other stakeholders stored on your personal devices.

Either your line manager or a member of the HR team will be in touch to retrieve any company property that you currently possess, such as your laptop, carry case, smartphone, chargers, and locker keys. We appreciate your cooperation in returning those at your earliest convenience.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with [HR team/designated team member] at [email address].

Once again, thank you for all your excellent contributions to our company’s performance and culture.

[signature]

[your name]

Final Word On The Employee Termination Process.

Terminating an employee’s contract rarely engenders a positive response – unless you’re offering a generous severance payment.

Most, however, will be upset and angry. Do you want them to take that anger out in the workplace?

You can expect high absenteeism. It’s better to pay them in lieu of their notice period. Don’t give them an opportunity to sabotage company assets or team morale. That’s a commercial decision you will need to weigh up.

Frequently Asked Questions About Termination Letters.

Here are some frequently asked questions that will help you write a professional termination letter.

Does an employee have to sign a termination letter?

Ordinarily, an employee doesn’t need to sign a termination letter, but the sender should.

Severance packages tend to stipulate that the employee waives any right to sue the company or pursue claims against it after their employment contract has been terminated.

An employee may not want to forfeit those rights if they believe they have been wrongfully dismissed.

An employee should seek legal counsel if they are unsure how to proceed.

What constitutes an unlawful termination?

It is unlawful to terminate an employee’s contract based on:

Employees who believe they have been unfairly dismissed can apply to the Fair Work Commission within 21 days of the dismissal taking effect.

What are protected attributes in Australia?

Under the Fair Work Act in Australia, the following are protected attributes: race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family or carer’s responsibilities, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, breastfeeding, gender identity, and intersex status.

Bizarrely, hair colour isn’t a protected attribute – and I think it’s high time it carried equal status as the aforementioned. Some harmful stereotypes still prevail in the workplace today, particularly for people with red and blonde hair.

Tommy

Have you ever heard yourself saying, “I don’t get paid enough to deal with this”? This frustration arises when a colleague repeatedly rubs you the wrong way. If workplace conflict keeps you up at night or you dread returning to work, you need to improve your conflict resolution skills.

However, not all conflict is negative. Organisational change and conflict are two sides of the same coin.

The key to success is learning to identify the root causes of conflict and managing it appropriately. Let me show you how.

The Three Types Of Conflict & Their Layers.

Let’s start by shedding the unrealistic belief that you can avoid workplace conflict altogether.

American psychologist Daniel Katz argues that conflict broadly arises in three forms:

The layers of conflict.

Beneath these three types of conflict, you’ll find nuanced layers that are influenced by the dynamic of the parties involved. Conflict can be:

Each type and each layer of conflict warrants a different approach.

(Related: 9 Best Password Managers In Australia).

The North Star Of Workplace Conflict Management.

You’re only human and can’t switch your inner emotions on and off on a whim – but you can control your outer behaviour and be respectful.

Dr Schulze and his team collected data from 152 researchers who work in reputable German institutions. They came up with a quiz and proscribed the respondents with a label:

Those in the “Problem-solving” category have higher self-respect and respect for others. Use this as the North Star to guide you to being more respectful.

So, how can we be more respectful to others as well as ourselves when we address conflict?

How To Manage Conflict.

I won’t spoon-feed you here with a list of self-evident examples and namby-pamby conflict resolution steps (Step 1: Make eye contact; Step 2: Find common ground; Step 3: Practise active listening…).

If your style is Kim Jong Un, acting like Jacinda Ardern will come across as downright weird when trying to resolve conflict.

(Just to be clear, I’m an advocate of neither.)

Carry these philosophies with you into your intellectual battles to ensure you remain respectful.

1. You must be dispassionate.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting in a courtroom for jury service or in a public gallery, you might have heard the judge instruct the jury by saying, “Your duty is to be dispassionate”.

What do judges mean by that, to be dispassionate?

It’s synonymous with critical thinking and scientific methodology.

I was slightly mortified when one fellow juror insisted that the defendant ought to be let off the hook on the grounds that “He was only a young lad,” perhaps because, as she said herself, he reminded her of her troubled grandson.

This defendant had smashed another bloke’s head in with a baseball bat, by the way.

True story (though I wish it wasn’t).

Although she meant well, her compassion clouded her judgement.

2. Nobody is the villain in their own story.

I believe most people have legitimate reasons for why they behave the way they do.

Nine out of 10 workers would sacrifice some of their earnings to do more meaningful work.

So, imagine giving someone a verbal warning for their poor punctuality only to find they’re late because they’ve been supporting with school drop-offs for their niece because their parents have been involved in a critical accident.

Some things are way more important than your existing problem.

How should you go about resolving conflict, then?

Here’s a really simple technique I use when addressing difficult conversations: the Five Whys principle. Ask “why?” to every successive answer five times.

This process leads you to a better understanding and helps you avoid unnecessary conflict.

How to manage the expectations of your team.

Other colleagues will be looking in from the outside. They might be expecting you to punish the employee, without knowing the full details.

But if you don’t communicate with the wider team, they may see this as an opportunity to flout the rules themselves and say, “If Robbie can get away with it, why should we bother turning up to work on time?”

Here’s how to nip that in the bud:

It’s a good idea to follow up with your team if anything changes or any new information comes to light.

(Related: How To Maximise Your Team’s Performance).

3. Let them save face.

If you’re winning an argument, don’t go for the jugular.

In How To Win Friends & Influence People, the classic published in 1936, one of the most profound tenets of Carnegie’s teachings is:

Too often, we ride roughshod over other people’s feelings just to get our own way. We find fault, criticise, and issue threats without considering the pain we inflict on the other person.

If you want to become public enemy #1 in your workplace, go fight every single trivial battle and show no mercy.

How do you hope to secure a promotion if the hiring manager is drinking buddies with the colleague whom you publicly chastised for turning up late?

Small world.

(Related: How To Write An Employee Reference Letter).

When Conflict Is Good.

If you’re in a leadership role or want to be an effective leader one day, this one’s for you.

Until now, we’ve painted conflict in a bit of a depressing light. Not all conflict needs to be swept under the rug. Symptoms of a lack of conflict include:

A disagreement doesn’t always need to be destructive. That energy can be channelled into challenging the status quo and exploring a new perspective.

(Related: 100 Thank You Message Ideas For Your Colleagues).

Conflict is the playground of the maverick.

During conflict, we raise questions about new ideas and achieve breakthroughs in thinking.

After plummeting sales, Jobs injected some life into the company with a rebrand and the launch of the new iMac.

You know the rest. Most of you are using one of his devices to read this right now.

Dan Helfrich, CEO of Deloitte Consulting LLP, says it best:

(Related: How To Write An Employee Termination Letter).

The difference between tension and friction.

Social environments are dynamic: tension is healthy conflict, friction is unhealthy conflict. When you’re experiencing tension, colleagues are moving towards the same goal but often have different means of getting there.

It feels:

Friction is when colleagues are unmotivated to move towards the same goal, and it feels as though:

Knowing the difference between tension and friction will save you a lot of trouble. If there is conflict in the workplace, and no one is listening, changing, or evolving, results will stagnate.

So will your career.

You must cultivate tension if you want your team to thrive.

How To Pick Your Battles.

You can’t just go into battle with everyone over every trivial frustration.

Sun Tzu quote (the ancient Chinese general and military strategist) says, “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”

And there’s one question you should ask yourself that will help you determine the trade-off.

The all-important question.

Before you engage in workplace conflict, ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” Asking that helps you frame what you have to gain and lose. Quite often, we have more to lose than gain.

Some people set out to make a tonne of friends, but a more strategic angle would be to focus on making the fewest enemies.

That doesn’t mean you have to pussyfoot around others, though.

You already have the emotional intelligence required.

You’re already in the habit of picking your battles.

When the McDonald’s cashier forgot to give you ketchup with your order, but you only realised after you’d left the drive-thru, do you drive back and yell at them or get on with your day?

Trivial, right?

Some would drive back and go berserk, others would let it slide.

We all have different tolerance levels. What are yours? Is it possible that someone is being annoying, or is it possible that you’re way too emotionally invested?

Well, yes, once or twice.

But Jeff Bezos? Mark Zuckerberg? Warren Buffett?

Never.

The consequences of resolving conflict and ignoring it.

If you’re prepared to defend your viewpoint and assert yourself, you need to know the potential consequences.

But what are the consequences of not engaging?

Either way, we don’t have a crystal ball.

Humans are so unpredictable. The only behaviour you can control is your own. Is the likelihood of making an enemy high? If so, what kind of problems might such a person cause you if you do engage?

How To Hold People To Account Respectfully.

Patrick Lencioni, the author of the bestseller The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, developed a framework that shows the main obstacles preventing teams from reaching success.

All have their roots in conflict. But I want to hone in specifically on the concept of accountability – the enemy within our respective businesses.

When people start slacking, you need to learn how to frame your feedback so as not to trigger them (and others). Here’s how to hold people accountable.

1. Make the first move and address the elephant in the room.

If you hesitate or engage in small talk, waiting for the right opening in the conversation, you’re just wasting time, our most precious commodity.

When sitting down with a colleague to resolve conflicts, the chances are that you’re both wondering who is going to make the first move.

Make the first move and:

Always hear them out and give them a chance to share their perspective and insights when you’ve had your say.

2. Focus on behaviour, not personality.

There is a subtle art to giving feedback, and it involves choosing our words carefully. If we focus on the behaviour rather than the person, our feedback will be received in more positively.

For instance, which sounds better?

The former statement implies that the person is fundamentally flawed and unchangeable, whereas the latter implies that the flaw is a temporary issue that can be remedied.

(Related: Four Types Of Feedback Every Manager Must Know).

3. Minimise collateral damage.

Even in war, there are international rules and regulations on the use of certain weaponry and explosives.

Isn’t it crazy that the term “war crimes” is a thing? The rules are there to minimise and prevent collateral damage.

That’s what you need to do in the workplace.

If you have to challenge a person, isolate the issue with the person responsible for the issue.

Which is going to come across better?

Like It Or Not, You’re A Product Of Social Darwinian.

Let’s zoom out for a minute and look at human behaviour. In fact, scratch that; let’s look at animal behaviour.

Chimpanzees, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, have a social hierarchy not dissimilar to ours.

After all, humans share about 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees.

Whether you like it or not, you’re living in a dynamic social hierarchy.

Okay, so we’re not as violent as our hairy cousins and don’t tear each other limb from limb during a dispute (even though you might sometimes have intrusive thoughts about a certain passive-aggressive “Karen”).

Adult chimpanzees acquire their dominance using aggression and coalitionary behaviour. Is that any different to how we humans operate?

Most of us are competing, climbing, and pursuing status, and conflict is the main ingredient of natural selection.

Power hierarchies vs. competence hierarchies.

I’m willing to bet that at some point in your career, you’ve looked at one leader and thought, “How the hell did they get into that position?” You only have to look at international politics for recent examples of overachievers.

You don’t have to be a chest-thumping alpha male to succeed in the 21st century. We’re in the Information Age, not the Stone Age.

Power is an ambiguous term.

Jordan Peterson, the modern-day philosopher and psychologist, suggests that instead of referring to them as power (or dominance) hierarchies, we should refer to them as competence hierarchies.

He says this because outright dominance isn’t always favoured.

Different hierarchies exist within different organisations.

Erik ten Hag’s disciplinarian strategy works at Manchester United (disclaimer: this may not age well), and Mikel Arteta’s softer approach works at Arsenal.

Wherever you sit in the hierarchy, whatever your leadership style, if you want to climb the social hierarchy, you need to know what the “currency” is for climbing.

Is it dominance, empathy, or something else?

Final Word On Conflict Resolution In The Workplace.

Two points of view don’t have to be mutually exclusive; we don’t have to be diametrically opposed to one another’s beliefs. A team member who argues that remote working increases productivity can be demonstrably right; so too can a manager who argues the opposite.

Beware of your automatic inclination to refute those who disagree with you, and always leave room for the possibility that you could be wrong.

None of us are infallible.

Tommy

Demand for employees with strong collaboration and communication skills has continued to climb – especially for hybrid and remote roles.

The idea will be self-evident if you’ve ever worked in an organisation with more than five people. Confusion, mistakes, mistrust and resentment tend to stem from poor communication in the workplace.

One study found that 86% of employees blame a lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures.

As a manager, you must improve your communication capabilities to tackle the cultural and structural barriers preventing good communication across your workplace.

I’ve gathered 7 ways you can improve communication at work right away.

(Related: Top 21 Non-Cringey Zoom Ice Breakers).

Why Is Workplace Communication Important?

A work environment where communication is clear, regular, purposeful and constructive leads to:

That’s because communication – especially verbal communication – underpins almost every work activity.

An often-cited study published in the Journal of Communication found that we spend between 50% – 80% of every workday communicating, with two-thirds of that time spent talking.

Why Improve Workplace Communication Skills?

The State of Business Communication report by Grammarly shows that our ability to get work done strongly depends on how well we communicate with other team members.

Business leaders surveyed for the report said the main benefits of effective communication were:

But effective communication doesn’t happen by chance. It’s intentional.

Here’s an excellent example: research published in the Harvard Business Review found that high-performing teams are more than three times more likely to begin a new project by first discussing how they will work together (rather than simply assigning tasks and getting started).

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Delegation Of Authority).

Why Leaders Must Learn To Communicate Effectively.

If you’re a leader or frontline manager, your subordinates will expect you to set an example for what effective communication looks like.

Communication is contextual and time-sensitive, and getting your message across also depends on the mindset and preferences of your intended audience.

(Related: 9 Best Password Managers In Australia).

For example:

Your approach to communication in the workplace will also be influenced by whether you’re communicating:

7 Proven Ways To Improve Workplace Communication.

Best communicators constantly look for opportunities to improve their communication methods. I recommend you focus on one of the recommendations below each month.

1. Set Clear Expectations.

Build processes that outline how and when communication happens:

2. Invest Time And Resources.

Effective communication is not an afterthought. It’s a core part of your responsibilities as a manager or leader, which only happens when you set aside time in your calendar for:

(Related: How To Motivate Employees As A Manager).

3. Listen Actively.

A lot of young managers fall into the trap of believing that workplace communication means “better speaking ability”.

Listening is not just hearing, but understanding the other person’s worldview and responding to what they’re saying.

Practice active listening by setting aside what you think the other person is saying and making an earnest attempt to view the issue from their perspective.

For example, if a colleague is upset that they have to work overtime, you could respond in one of two ways:

(Related: Best Accounting Software In Australia).

4. Make Every Channel Earn Its Place.

When was the last time you audited the communication channels within your workplace?

You can reduce crossed wires by eliminating silos that inevitably occur as your organisation grows (or shrinks).

Take a closer look at:

5. Make Every Meeting Count (or cancel it).

Yes, some meetings are critical, and you need to have them face-to-face.

But I encourage you to look for opportunities to “step down” the bandwidth of your less important meetings. In other words:

If you decide that a meeting is necessary, be sure to:

6. Know Your Audience.

Ask employees to directly share their communication preferences and make the answers accessible to all team members (with permission, of course).

How do they like to receive information, and in what tone?

Consulting firm Sequoia encourages communication across its teams through the development of ‘user manuals’, written by each employee in response to prompts like ‘the best way to talk to me is’ and ‘how I prefer to deal with conflict is.’

7. Stick To Facts, Not Stories.

Do you have a person on your team who tends to ramble while the rest of you check out? You can help them communicate better by introducing the idea of “facts vs stories”:

For example, a customer complained about your team’s deliverables. That is a fact.

A customer complaining because they’re prejudiced against you, or they’re an angry person, or they’re a “bitch” are all stories. They’re not provable nor helpful.

But in the context of effective workplace communication, they can quickly become a distraction – and an indulgence for personalities who enjoy the limelight.

7 Communication Types To Master In The Workplace.

The main types of communication that occur in a typical Australian workplace are:

Final Words On Effective Workplace Communication.

If you’re in a leadership position, cultivate good communication skills by adopting a more curious and caring approach in your interactions with others.

By shifting your mindset, you’ll find it easier to recognise, prevent and repair problems.

For instance, rather than reacting impatiently when a direct report rambles or provides too much detail in a project update, you might:

With empathy, you can communicate your views more clearly, foster a more positive work environment, and become more effective at offering constructive feedback.

Jody

Whether you’re a new people leader, or have a few years under your belt, one is likely at the top of your mind every day: Your potential for impact is immense. But how you motivate employees can make or break your team’s work environment and, in turn, your career.

Skeptical? Check out the research below.

Employees leave managers first and foremost — not so much roles or companies:

More to the point, Gallup found that 70% of the variance in employee engagement depends on the manager.

So, how can you become one of those management “greats” who has mastered the art of employee motivation and engagement?

1. Set Clear Expectations.

Employment is a relationship. And like any relationship, clearly communicating what is expected from both parties is essential to fostering harmony, productivity, respect and mutual fulfilment.

Sounds simple enough, right? However, many business and personal relationships go awry due to unclear expectations. We’ve all been there.

A. Revisit Each Job Description.

Are you one of those managers who relies on HR to write your team’s job descriptions? If so, likely, they never see the light of day past the hiring stage.

From day one – and throughout their career journey.

Now, grab one of your team’s job descriptions. Evaluate it against these three criteria:

(Related: 9 Best Password Managers In Australia).

B. Encourage Open Dialogue.

Sure, most managers use a job description during recruiting and hiring. That’s a no-brainer.

But using a job description beyond the hiring stage – as a useful tool to help your employees grow and progress – is one of the newest ideas in motivational management.

To know if you and your direct reports are on the right course, dust off the job description at least once a quarter and review it with each of your employees. Discuss the following during your meeting:

(Related: How To Improve Workplace Productivity).

2. Overcommunicate Your Company’s Mission.

We’ve all seen those posters in the breakroom and on corporate websites. You know the ones – there’s likely a pyramid that spells out the company’s mission, vision and values.

This is unfortunate since these words are meant to communicate your company’s big-picture North Star, and keep employees motivated.

Actions speak louder than words.

Consider every instance you interact with your team as a group or individually.

These could be daily stand-up meetings, weekly team meetings, or regular 1:1’s you have with your direct reports. Look for opportunities to communicate.

It should feel like you’re overdoing it.

3. Foster A Sense Of Belonging.

According to PwC’s 2022 Global Workplace Hopes and Fears, 75% of employees said they wanted to work for an organisation that positively contributes to society.

While more money is a huge motivator, it’s not enough.

The chart below outlines how over 50,000 employees worldwide want to feel at work – all of which can be impacted by how you both live and articulate your company’s mission, vision and values regularly.

This study proves that when your employees feel a personal tie to the company’s mission, they’re more likely to give of themselves in exchange for the reward of meaningful work.

Check out these 3 key steps below to help employees feel more connected and motivated:

1. Be Yourself.

Transparency and authenticity are easy when things are going well, but it’s especially important when hard news needs to be delivered.

2. Be Inspirational.

An employee’s morale can be low for many reasons but let’s explore one that is project-related.

3. Live Your Values.

Similar to communicating company values, actions speak louder than words when building positive employee relationships.

As such, your own values as a manager have the potential to motivate your employees in a more personal, lasting way.

4. Offer Constructive Feedback.

Let’s face it. Offering feedback comes naturally when someone has knocked it out of the park.

But when a moment arises where an employee has acted in a way that contradicts your company’s mission and values, suddenly offering feedback is not so fun. Or natural.

However, it is possible to make any positive or negative feedback constructive.

A. Use The Mission And Values.

Easier said than done, you say? Check out the example below for inspiration.

Situation:

In a group brainstorming session, one of your employees shoots down a blue-sky idea offered by another team member for the reason that “this will never work here because of X, Y and Z.”

In this situation, your response might be a two-part approach.

Part 1

In the moment, in the session, you (in an upbeat, non-judgmental way) remind everyone that one of your company values is “Think Big.”

The group then spends 5-10 minutes brainstorming whether or not the “big idea” is worth working into the company roadmap.

Part 2

Check in with the employee who shot down the idea and the one who offered the idea. Ask them, in a non-defensive way, what their intention was and what happened from their point of view.

Hearing their story will help you uncover the root cause of that employee’s behaviour.

Take this opportunity to reinforce the company’s values and reiterate that the whole team exists to support the company’s overall mission.

5. Create A Personalised Career Roadmap.

Now that both you and your team are clear on and behaving according to your company’s mission, vision and values, it’s time to get personal.

Seek to understand each employee’s motivations and create a plan where their job helps them achieve it. Where possible, create a win/win.

(Related: 100 Personalised Thank You Message Ideas).

A.  Framing The Conversation.

Begin with their job description. Assess it together and ask for their ideas on which skills are being used to their fullest and which aren’t. This leads naturally to the next bullet.

Finally, discuss how goals can be personal and career-related and that either could be tied to money.  

Examples are powerful inspiration, so here’s one for you.

Situation:

An employee shares that they want to put a $100,000 deposit on their first family home within 2 years. They love what they do at your company and want to make this happen within the context of working there.

Follow these 5 steps to create a successful roadmap for your employee.

Key Questions:

B. Formal Development Options.

If your company has a formal employee development program, consider making it a part of this plan.

If your company doesn’t offer a formal program, get creative and think about other ways to help your employees grow and reach their goals.

(Related: How To Improve Employee Engagement In Your Business).

Whether you’re looking at conferences, courses, mentors or stretch assignments as mentioned above, the 60/20/20 approach is a good rule of thumb:

Whatever plan you create together, never forget that your goal as a manager to motivate your employees to do their best work and to stay with your company in the long run.

Actively involve yourself in their future plans, always tying them back to what is best for the business and what the company stands for.

Final Thoughts On How To Motivate Employees As A Manager.

Your journey as a manager will be filled with highs and lows, conflicts and resolutions, wins and losses.

While it may often feel like an emotional rollercoaster, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ride. Especially if you retain the theme, we’ve been driving home throughout this guide.

The impact of your company’s mission and values cannot be overstated. You can never communicate about them too much. Make a plan and stick to it.

Involve your team in the conversation; the rewards will far outweigh the effort.

Irene

There’s a lot of rhetoric around good leaders, describing them in terms of inspirational visionaries making world-changing decisions that shape a better future.

But you only have to consider the terrible deeds committed throughout history under the command of infamous world leaders to realise that effective leadership is powerful but not always positive.

A person in a workplace leadership position can either:

Leadership is important in life and work because, without leaders, we are unable to define clear visions and translate them into reality.

(Related: How To Improve Team Performance).

What Is Leadership And Why Does It Matter?

Leadership is influencing and maximising team members’ collective efforts to attain a common goal.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “like herding cats” or that other animal-inspired metaphor, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”.

Effective leaders achieve this not by being “nice” or “understanding” but by aligning team members’ individual motivations with the organisation’s wider high-level objectives.

As William H.C. Prentice points out in his classic essay “Understanding Leadership“, leaders must learn two basic lessons to be successful:

5 Characteristics Of Effective Leadership.

The latest trend among leadership gurus is to neatly divide leaders into “toxic” and “non-toxic” varieties, encouraging you to be the latter.

In their minds:

Of course, this is a gross, unhelpful oversimplification (see Prentice’s rule #1 above).

Most conflict between leaders and subordinates leaves at least one party blaming the other for “toxic” behaviour.

(Related: Why Is Emotional Intelligence At Work So Vital?)

For instance, a CEO (let’s call him John) lets his VP of Growth (we’ll call her Susan) know that sales figures need to improve. Susan reacts defensively.

The ability to prevent and untangle situations like these is one of the hallmarks of a successful leader.

Above: Lencioni examines why effective teams are rare and provides step-by-step instructions for eliminating dysfunction.

What Is The Role Of A Leader?

The job of leaders is fivefold:

When the company hits obstacles, leaders are responsible for driving change.

Changing economic environments, like Australia’s slip into a per-capita recession combined with a high-interest-rate environment prompt business leaders to focus on business fundamentals.

However, throughout your career, you may take on informal leadership positions because you see an opportunity for improvement or feel responsible for meeting a particular outcome.

(Related: How To Write An Employee Reference Letter).

So, you rally colleagues behind your cause to ensure things get done.

Leaders do not always have:

People operating quietly in the background to nudge and enable others, without taking credit or being recognised, are also leaders.

(Related: How To Showcase Leadership Skills On Your Resume).

What Is Your Leadership Style?

In a recent conversation with academic and author Adam Grant about leadership skills we need to build, author Simon Sinek said:

In exploring and growing your leadership capabilities, you’ll need to draw on different aptitudes and approaches depending on the situation.

Four common leadership styles include:

What Are The Benefits Of Strong Leadership?

Analysis of previous research found that up to 40% of the variability in team morale, performance and critical organisational behaviours (positive and negative) can be attributed to the actions and attitudes of managers and leaders.

When leaders do their jobs well, companies experience:

1. Better Morale And Engagement.

People can become disillusioned due to being overwhelmed, poor clarity and trust, and a lack of growth opportunities or appreciation for their effort. 

Human beings crave recognition, safety, autonomy, connection and fairness.

Employees look to leaders for the reassurance and empowerment they need to feel like:

2. Healthier Organisational Culture.

Leaders have a disproportional impact on organisational culture because they strongly influence what work gets done, and how it gets done.

They also define company values through their actions and words.

In-depth research by consulting firm McKinsey found that just four behaviours accounted for 89% of leadership effectiveness, critical to organisational health and a positive culture.

These behaviours are:

(Related: How To Build A Positive Work Culture).

3. More Agile Workplace.

Embracing change, continuously looking for improved ways of working, and taking action even when the outcomes are unclear are core strengths of good leadership.

That takes courage, a growth mindset, and a clear understanding of the company’s vision — rather than a desire to ‘fit in’ or avoid dealing with the difficult repercussions of change.

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Delegation Of Authority).

What Are The Risks Of Bad Leadership?

Ineffective leadership can reverse many of the gains you’d expect from great leadership. This includes:

Additionally, leadership that role models a “winner takes it all” attitude based on high-pressure targets can potentially lead to employees taking shortcuts or behaving recklessly or dishonestly in order to avoid failure.

The survey found almost two out of three Australian workers felt burned out at work, with people experiencing higher levels of burnout having lower levels of performance and being twice as likely to be considering switching jobs.

Top hazards for workers included:

How Does Leadership Differ From Management?

Well-known management consultant and author Peter Drucker said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

A manager is responsible for organising, delegating, monitoring and reporting on a team’s work.

This often involves keeping people accountable to the rules, policies and goals a company’s leadership sets down.

Meanwhile, a leader’s job is to see the vision for the future, and remind the team of their role in it.

Final Thoughts On Improving Your Leadership Skills.

Any meaningful pursuit in life will demand that you become an exceptional leader.

Whether you’re a junior employee, an entrepreneur or already in a leadership role, your success will depend on your ability to move people.

Instead, effective leaders must rely on their emotional intelligence, strong communication and decision-making skills, as well as critical thinking ability to cultivate the desire in each employee to bring their best self to work, and find meaning in the company’s mission.

Excellent leadership is rare, but it is a skill you can learn.

Jody

Managers worry about their effectiveness, yet paradoxically tend to struggle with delegating authority as a means to becoming more productive.

Success in a leadership role requires that you stop focusing solely on your value as an individual contributor and start sharing the load to strengthen your team’s performance.

Delegating authority gives you an opportunity to earn your team’s trust, shape employees into more well-rounded professionals, and gain recognition as the leader of a team that gets stuff done.

(Related: How To Write A Formal Warning Letter).

What Is Delegation?

Delegation happens when a manager’s tasks and authority are allocated to direct reports in order to maximise each person’s productivity and amplify your team’s overall impact.

When you delegate you place your trust in a direct report to achieve the outcome you want, while remaining answerable to your own superiors for ensuring the task goes smoothly.

However, even experienced leaders fall into the trap of taking on too much themselves or hoarding control.

You’re probably struggling to delegate responsibilities if you find yourself:

Why Is Delegating Work Important?

Delegated authority is a powerful source of leverage. It’s the secret to doing more with less.

Importantly, it provides your employees with growth opportunities and helps build a high-performance organisation. Delegation is a critical way for managers to:

Is Delegated Authority Same As Delegated Accountability?

No. You’re ultimately accountable. Your boss will not accept the excuse,

Maybe John messed up, but your boss won’t (and shouldn’t) care. Your failure to hold John accountable is your boss’ only concern.

(Related: How To Improve Workplace Productivity).

You need to own that failure, or your reputation will suffer.

Do you know the difference between three core concepts: authority, responsibility and accountability?

What Is Authority?

Authority is both being in charge and wielding genuine power over a situation.

People in top-level management hold the most authority, and it cascades down.

For it to work, be clear about what kind of control the employee has. What orders can they give, or which resources or budget can they access to accomplish the task assigned?

(Related: Is An MBA Worth It?)

What Is Responsibility?

Responsibility defines the duties and scope of the work your direct reports take on.

Taking responsibility is about employees recognising their obligation and not making excuses if they fall short.

What Is Accountability? 

Even when managers delegate, they retain the highest level of authority and responsibility within their team.

Managers must justify and face the consequences of the decisions and results that arise from their direct reports’ efforts (remember the VW emissions scandal?).

How To Delegate Authority Effectively In 5 Steps.

Effective delegation will eventually lighten your burden, so take the time to incorporate these steps into your management approach.

1.  Know What To Let Go Of.

Tasks that fall squarely in your purview as a manager shouldn’t be fully offloaded onto subordinates. 

Some activities will only have the desired impact, or be viewed as legitimate, because they’re based on your insights as a manager. For instance:

That doesn’t mean you need to do it all. You could delegate writing the draft of a report to a team member, so you can merely refine the content.

(Related: 9 Best Password Managers In Australia).

Similarly, you might have an employee shortlist applications for an open role, but then take responsibility for choosing who to interview.

2. Thoughtfully Assign Tasks To Others.

Delegating is a subset of workload management. Distributing required tasks fairly, and ensuring that people have the capacity and resources they need to realistically complete the task, is a key management skill.

Before delegating tasks, ask yourself:

This is particularly vital if you’re planning to delegate a recurring job with a view to expanding an employees’ responsibilities long-term.

Also keep in mind:

3. Set Clear Expectations.

Most delegation failures can be traced back to this step. Imprecise communication about the desired outcome risks an employee rushing into unnecessary work that needs to be redone.

Ensure you have:

4. Monitor Progress.

Establishing a cadence for check-ins about the progress of a delegated task is part of setting expectations — this step is where you follow through.

That might require putting reminders in your calendar and setting aside time to review an employee’s work.

Project management or collaboration software is a useful way for employees to share regular feedback, enabling managers to review progress asynchronously so you don’t hold up the employees’ workflow.

The key here is:

5. Provide Feedback & Give Credit.

Give your employees feedback once the task is done, but remember to deliver criticism constructively and add balance through positive comments.

Refer back to the expectations you set and:

Recognising your employees’ success is a critical aspect of building morale and engagement, so don’t hold back on the praise where it’s deserved.

Consider public displays of recognition, such as a mention at a team meeting or a thank-you lunch.

(Related: Most Effective Recognition Programs For Employees).

Mark Zuckerberg: A Chief Executive Officer Who Delegates Well?

We don’t see many great examples of leaders taking accountability publicly — but Mark Zuckerberg’s response to a 2016 scandal is a prime case study. At the time, Facebook was under heavy scrutiny for not protecting the data privacy of users.

Zuckerberg faced the media and declared he was accountable.

“I started this place, I run it,” he said.

Despite Facebook being a huge multi-million dollar corporation with thousands of individuals responsible for a multitude of tasks, including many layers of managers who made decisions about what to delegate, Zuckerberg stood up and owned the problem as “my mistake”.

How does this reveal successful delegation?

It means your direct reports can tackle tasks with greater enthusiasm and without excessive fear of failure, knowing they’ve got the freedom and authority they need.

It means your organisation can move quickly and achieve more. Yes, mistakes can happen — but it’s also fundamental for innovation and growth.

(Related: Is Emotional Intelligence Still Important In The Workplace?)

Frequently Asked Questions About Delegating Authority.

Delegated authorities look easier than they are..

Why Do Some Managers Avoid Delegating?

Delegating requires a mindset shift, especially for new managers who’ve likely risen in the ranks due to being a strong individual performer.

Rather than prove themselves through their own outputs, managers need to leverage and expand the capabilities of their team.

Managers tend to avoid delegating because they:

A more selfish side of refusing to delegate authority is not wanting to relinquish power or interesting work to others.

Which Work Should You Delegate?

It makes more sense to delegate when:

When delegating with the intent of developing your team, ask yourself:

Final Thoughts On How To Delegate Authority.

As you climb higher in your career, delegating becomes a superpower for proving yourself as a manager. By judiciously dividing your own work among your team, you can get more done at the same time as building your team’s potential.

But remember, managers can never be completely hands-off.

No matter how much work you delegate authority as a manager, you must take ownership of your team’s overarching success or failure.

Jody

Increased emotional intelligence in the workplace gives your business an edge. Job satisfaction and team performance are downstream from emotional intelligence skills, which are, in turn, downstream from self-awareness and self-regulation. Today we’ll talk about all three.

Your workplace is made up of human beings with complex feelings who depend on each other and resolve conflict daily. A team with strong emotional intelligence:

Emotional intelligence and self-awareness don’t come naturally to everyone. But new research shows that it can be taught and learned.  

In this guide, I’ll explore what happens when there’s a lack of workplace emotional intelligence and provide strategies for building a positive work environment.

(Related: 100 Sincere Thank You Message Ideas).

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI), sometimes referred to as emotional quotient (EQ), refers to how well a person can perceive, express and influence the emotions of others and themselves.

People with high emotional intelligence are self-aware and adaptable. They are more likely to:

5 Pillars Of Emotional Intelligence In The Workplace.

Psychologist Daniel Goleman is a leading proponent of emotional intelligence, its importance in career development and in building better workplaces.

Goleman has been working to define emotional intelligence since 1995, while business leaders have been using his 5-pillar framework to improve the job performance of employees and curb office politics.

His EI elements cover: 

How Is Emotional Intelligence Measured?

Studies confirm that emotional intelligence and empathy are closely linked. 

It’s not a simple metric to quantify, but credible ability-based tests have been developed, such as:

While an analysis of research in 2020 found there may be a correlation between being gifted and being emotionally intelligent — a high IQ does not automatically mean a person will have a high EQ.

I’m sure you’ve met people who are clever but also tactless or and emotionally reactive.

(Related: Psychometric Testing For Managers & Executives).

How Does Emotional Intelligence Impact Workplaces?

Emotional intelligence predicts career success, with data confirming that employees who can understand and regulate their own emotions are also more engaged, motivated, and experience greater levels of job satisfaction.

They are more likely to approach workplace conflict with compassion, solve problems using constructive criticism and value a positive work culture.

Examples of how emotional intelligence drives success:

How to Raise Emotional Intelligence Levels At Work. 

Employees who are emotionally tuned to their team and organisation’s needs create a win-win environment.

1. Manage People How They Want To Be Managed.

It’s easy to become wrapped up in workplace stress and start relating to others in unproductive ways.

People vary in their communication style and approach to conflict. Falling back on your defaults without considering how they make colleagues feel can reduce job satisfaction and stifle productivity.

For example: 

Use your self-awareness to frame your messaging in a way that will make it more likely to be received and drive the outcomes you intend.

2. Demonstrate & Reward EI.

Managers with high emotional intelligence also prompt their subordinates to be emotionally intelligent.

Much behaviour theory is based on the idea that you model the behaviour you expect to see from those around you.

After all, ‘actions speak louder than words.’  We recommend that you: 

3. Offer EI-Focused Development Opportunities.

People can learn to be more self-aware given the chance. Dedicated time away from day-to-day tasks to address weaknesses appropriately can pay off long-term through a more cooperative and self-assured employee. 

Offer targeted training and development opportunities with EI in mind. This could include specific EI training or courses on: 

 Ensure you follow up with employees during performance conversations about how they’re applying these skills.

4. Hire For High Levels Of Self Awareness & EI.

When adding headcount, ensure that your hiring process takes candidates’ emotional intelligence into account.

Regardless of skill and experience, it’s destructive to bring in people that will disrupt your team’s balance through poor self-regulation and social skills.

Follow these dos and don’ts of recruiting for emotional intelligence:

Interview questions that probe for high emotional intelligence:

Raise Your Emotional Intelligence To Be A Better Leader.

Emotional intelligence matters more in leadership roles because you need to self-regulate and capably manage the emotions of your team to drive strong performance. 

There are steps you can take right now. Here are three ways you can easily begin cultivating higher emotional intelligence.

1. Ask For Feedback And Listen.

Paying attention to your own emotions is one facet of self-awareness, but we don’t always see ourselves accurately. Get some perspective by:

2. Stay Calm, Open And Accountable.

Regulating negative and positive emotions is part of becoming more emotionally intelligent in the workplace. 

That doesn’t mean pushing down emotions — it means dealing with them effectively, so you don’t affect others, lose focus or make poor knee-jerk decisions.

Take the time to examine your initial response and put yourself in another person’s shoes. This will help you respond in line with your values, and in an emotionally intelligent way – even when the stress is high.

Instead of avoiding conflict, “flying off the handle”, or laying blame in moments of threat, you can: 

3. Exercise Your Social Skills.

Emotionally intelligent individuals tend to be people people. They like being in the company of others, and have prioritised sharpening their social skills.

Everyone likes being around individuals who are respectful and gracious, confident and magnetic, warm and authentic.

The best way to strengthen these attributes is to put your social skills to work:

When you become more self-aware and sensitive to others’ feelings, you’ll see that each person has an intrinsic motivation that shapes their behaviour.

This can be fascinating to observe, and helps you develop deep and healthy relationships in and outside the workplace.

How Emotionally Intelligent Bosses Respond To Stress.

Here’s a simple template for using self-management and exemplary social skills to initiate a difficult conversation:

Example 1: An employee is regularly unprepared for meetings:

Example 2: An employee goes over your head to complain:

Boost Satisfaction In The Workplace With Emotional Intelligence.

Cultivating strong emotional intelligence skills is critical for workplace success.

Emotionally intelligent people can bring their whole selves to work, safely express themselves, take and receive constructive criticism, regulate their own emotions and derive a strong sense of job satisfaction at the end of each workday. 

Enhance emotional intelligence by practising daily in small ways. Start by becoming more curious about why people behave in specific ways, getting to know your emotional triggers and practising patience.

After a period of undoing and relearning (which can be uncomfortable), you’ll experience more worthwhile interactions in your personal life, create a stronger team, and build a successful organisation with emotional intelligence at its core.

Jody

Executive presence has the feel of corporate jargon, but it’s actually a salient factor in both career and organisational success — because poor leadership has devastating impacts on performance, well-being and retention.

Great executive presence is critical to a leader’s ability to rally their team to greatness. The concept seems nebulous because it’s difficult to define, but easy to spot. When we’re in the presence of someone compelling, we know it.

The good news is you don’t have to be born with charisma and confidence — executive presence is a skill you can build and master.

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Delegating Authority).

What Is Executive Presence?

An elusive leadership quality, executive presence is the ability to deepen your impact with your bearing. It requires:

It’s the extent to which senior leaders can move others to act with your character, presence and style.

The term was likely popularised by author Sylvia Ann Hewlett — an expert in effective communication — whose book Executive Presence was published in 2014.

Benefits Of Strong Executive Presence.

Executive presence is essential for people aspiring to leadership roles. It’s a quality that helps you inspire confidence, leading to better results, recognition of your value, and exposure to better opportunities.

In other words, you’ll become ‘one to watch’.

Organisations benefit when leaders are capable of inspiring confidence, because they model ideal behaviours for success and strong ethics.

(Related: How To Improve Team Performance).

Plus, senior executives with strong executive presence tend to flex their emotional intelligence skills —which supports improved teamwork, creativity, and constructive problem-solving.

How To Improve Your Executive Presence.

A more sophisticated take on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of your daily leadership approaches can help you achieve higher levels of executive presence.

Consider the traits you need to develop and let go of then, follow the 7 tips below to start making progress.

1. Improve Your Verbal Communication Skills.

Strong communication skills are central to any leader’s effectiveness. You need to go one step further to build your executive presence — by using language to become more magnetic and persuasive. 

Try this three-step exercise to sharpen your message:

Record yourself talking to camera for 15 minutes. Then play it back – and be ready to cringe.

Take note of your use of:

Start noticing when your communication is vague or verbose. Reset and choose a more authoritative approach. 

(Related: Four Pillars of Transformational Leadership).

2. Work On Your Self-Awareness.

As a senior leader, you’ll be watched, judged and — hopefully — followed. Being conscious of your own behaviours and blind spots, and being curious about how you’re being perceived, are both important.

Of course, you don’t want to obsess about your every move. The goal is to:

Bravado and arrogance don’t inspire admiration. A self-aware person exudes self-assurance and empathy.

3. Learn To Thrive Under Pressure.

It’s impossible to convey a dignified air when you act flustered or erratically. Think of former US President Barack Obama’s ability to lead through a crisis and remain calm.

Notice when your composure is eroded by stress. Do more of the things that help you achieve equilibrium. Think before you act.

Executive presence in high-stakes situations is characterised by:

4. Drive Meaningful Interactions.

Instead of impassioned speeches standing at a podium, you’re more likely to lead smaller meetings or one-on-one conversations.

Leaders with gravitas can connect with people with competing ideas and agendas because they leverage their emotional intelligence to connect with stakeholders at a deeper level.

Build your executive presence skills by approaching every interaction as an opportunity to:

In more formal meetings, convey a strong executive presence by:

5. Define And Embody Your Values.

Inner confidence and the ability to act with conviction come from knowing who you are and what you stand for. Also important – knowing what’s outside your scope of concern, so you waste less energy on things that don’t matter to you.

Many leaders define themselves through the lens of their job or family role, e.g., “I’m a CEO” or “I’m a father”. These are surface-level ways of helping you navigate the world.

Make a list of 5-10 values that you’ll embody daily and measure your self-esteem against.

Examples of personal values and how to define them for yourself could include:

6. Watch Your Body Language & Physical Impact.

Your energy levels, appearance and body language all send signals about your attitude and self-belief. Executive presence can be boosted by:

7. Listen To Understand.

Leaders are less likely to receive honest feedback, create space for divergent ideas, or gain the respect of their followers if they won’t listen or authentically engage in dialogue.

To become a better listener:

Develop Your Leadership Presence To Grow Your Career.

Executive presence is not an act. It’s a set of skills that likely are a missing link between your current role and a more senior leadership position.

You can step into being a more assured and charismatic persona by building on your existing strengths gradually, and by taking time to work on your habits.

With practice and continual refinement, you can become a more credible, appealing and admired leader who motivates others to succeed through leadership skills and executive presence.

Jody