How would you describe the culture of your organization? Is it competitive? Energetic? Aloof? Supportive? Take a moment to consider things like your company mission and values, how employees interact with each other, the circumstances under which the employees are praised and disciplined and
the work environment around you. All these factors contribute to the corporate work culture. When aligned with positive objectives, these factors can foster a pleasant and healthy workplace.
Leadership must effectively communicate organizational culture, values, mission, behavior expected from the employees. Giving an employee handbook to new hires and expecting them to act accordingly is not just enough. They must be communicated the company culture and values and what is expected
from them. Leadership plays an important role in building a positive work environment to keep employees motivated and engaged.
What Can Leaders Do to Spread Positivity in the Workplace?
Without a motivated and talented workforce, the quality of work and the company’s environment might get diminished, sooner than you realize it. Employee engagement is the cornerstone of productive and healthy company culture. It’s the responsibility of leadership to build a culture of positivity making the employees feel motivated. Here are a few tips to spread positivity at the workplace:
1. Set them Free
If you’re that micromanaging boss, you know what your employees feel about you. Micromanaging will kill all the creativity of your team, so avoid it at any cost. If you really want your employees to go above and beyond, you have to let them be free, and be themselves. As a leader, you have one major role – to communicate the vision and mission of your company to your team. You should ensure that the work your team does is in line with the vision, and this is all that matters. Let them explore and innovate. Let them be free.
2. Get Out of Comfort Zones
Once your team feels free to be themselves in how they push themselves out of their comfort zones to achieve company goals, don’t assume they will do it by alone. Good leaders will often take their team out of their zones to sharpen their skills and develop. As a leader, you should ensure that your team members don’t plateau. Know them. Learn what they are good at and what they will love to do, so you can easily recognize when it starts to plateau.
3. Give them Complete Control
Whenever and wherever possible, delegate control. This will mean the world to your employees. Employees love to feel important and when their manager trusts them, they immediately feel the sense of responsibility and ownership. This will not only boost their morale but will help them go beyond to accomplish that task with supreme quality.
4. Be a Coach / Mentor
Leaders need some free time to do what they do the best – INNOVATE. They also need free time to establish that their team is always in a state of beta. Being a leader, you should be there to coach or mentor the team. This is the key to the long-term success of your team. Mentoring them at times will help them learn from your experience and knowledge while coaching them will give them the
confidence to act on decisions.
The Bottom Line
Implementing these strategies will help you create a positive environment that will breed creativity, innovation, engagement, and responsibility. When your team feels they are growing, you will see improvement in results. Don’t fall into micromanagement traps under high-pressure situations. Remember, as a leader, your role is to support and develop your team. So, you can go beyond the status quo.
