According to a survey published by LinkedIn in April 2024, 95% of workers admit that they are either actively seeking or plan to look for a new job by the end of 2024. The leading indicator of this shift, with 63% of employees self-reporting, is that they work in a toxic environment. The leading indicator contributing to that toxic environment is their manager. So yes, if you’re a manager, the problem could be you!
What can you do as a leader to promote a positive workplace culture, where your employees not only care about the work they do, but also who they do it for? The good news is that it all starts and ends with you- the manager!
Shifting from a manager to a leader is no small feat and takes a considerable amount of effort, purpose, and an overall change in focus. Managers are ultimately concerned with daily operations, KPIS, and daily outputs, whereas leaders focus on the bigger picture, empowering their employees.
As a manager myself, I wholeheartedly understand how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks. I will admit that I often find myself jumping to put out fires within the daily operations. And by the time those are extinguished, I have not even touched the bigger picture items I am responsible for in the company, but most importantly, for my team. I often laugh to myself as I consider responding to emails with, “I have lost control of my day.”
So how do leaders, myself included, break out of this cycle? How do we support, recognize, and empower our teams, ultimately creating a culture of organizational satisfaction and loyalty?
Another recent study conducted by Quantum Workplace in 2024 found that the majority of employees desire vocal praise and recognition from you- their manager! This is great news! I understand leaders have thousands of items and tasks thrown at them daily, and sometimes it’s hard to keep in mind that our teams do look to us and need our recognition. But I challenge leaders, managers, and those “leaders” who don’t hold a management or supervisor title, to tell your employee or co-worker when they’ve done a great job. Let them know when they do something helpful or amazing, and allow them to feel seen and that their efforts matter. The most beautiful thing about verbal recognition and praise is that it costs you and the company absolutely nothing, and yet statistics show it can have the most significant impact on employee satisfaction and retention.
Okay, so now we’re getting in the habit of letting our teams, or co-workers, know that we see and appreciate them. But what else can we do? An additional study from Gallup states that having an open feedback loop between leaders and employees is critical to employee success, performance, and satisfaction. What most leaders don’t realize is that this feedback loop does not need to be created in a formal setting. Sure, formal one-on-ones and performance evaluations are needed, but creating this feedback loop can be as simple as asking your team what you as the manager can do to help them succeed within their role. This also reinforces that we, as leaders, care about our teams and are ultimately here to help them. Doing this regularly creates a culture of trust, and ultimately leads to more open and direct channels of communication.
We’re doing great so far! Let’s take it to the finish line!
Ultimately, if we leaders take the time, or create the time, to invest in our teams, the return on that investment will be ten-fold. People are an organization’s most important and expensive asset, so we need to take care of them! It is sometimes easy to forget that our team members are people first and employees second. Therefore, we not only need to recognize their achievements and communicate with them regularly, but lastly, we need to take the time to understand their goals.
Make a point to discuss goals and growth development plans with your team! Take time once a quarter, bi-annually, or even once a year to sit with each of your team members and ask them what their goals are, how they can achieve them, and how you can help them do so. This allows our teams to feel heard and appreciated, of course, but it also requires follow-up! Set dates with your team members to check in on these goals, and hold them accountable to them as well.
Being a leader is more than just spreadsheets and numbers, it’s being human and showing empathy to the teams we cannot succeed without. I encourage you to self-reflect and ask yourself what type of leader you want to be. As leaders, we have been given a gift to impact the career path of those we lead. This is not to be taken lightly. So, I leave you with the below link to help you determine what type of leader you are versus what type of leader you want to be. I hope the results inspire you to be better than you were yesterday, and in the future to be the leader you’d like to have yourself.
-Written by Gretchen Mey, Director of Operations at JTR
Sources:
Castrillion, Caroline. Why Employee Recognition is more crucial than ever. Quantum Workplace, 2024.
Estrada, Sheryl. 95% of employees say they want a new job. Fortune, 2024.
Robinson, Jennifer. Workplace: Give Employees the Right Kind of Feedback at the Right Time. Gallup Consulting, 2024.
