What's Love Got to Do With Leadership?
Why showing the love as a leader increases employee retention.
Leadership is all about inspiring and guiding others, and love is a powerful motivator. Love isn’t a word that is generally synonymous with the workplace and employees but when leaders show love, respect, and compassion towards their team, it creates a positive work environment and fosters a sense of unity among team members. This leads to increased morale, motivation, and productivity, as employees feel valued and appreciated.
The top reasons why employees resign include toxic company culture, poor management, and lack of healthy work-life balance. If you want to keep your talent happy and increase retention, show them the love! Employees that feel valued and appreciated are more likely to stay long-term and have a greater personal commitment to working toward company objectives.
We’re sharing some of the best ways you can show your teams and employees love.
SUPPORT CAREER GROWTH
Show love to your team by wanting them to do great things and helping them make their dreams happen. Having regular conversations with your employees about their career goals and providing them with the opportunities and resources to get there will keep them happy and dedicated knowing you have their best interests at heart. From signing off on training and courses to offering special assignments that allow them to prove new skills are simple ways to get them to level up their skills and continue their career progression.
SHOW APPRECIATION
Make sure your team feels appreciated. Give them public recognition and offer words or appreciation so they feel recognized for the work they are doing. If team members feel unappreciated and unrecognized for their hard work they’ll feel less motivated to go above and beyond.
TRUST
Love in leadership promotes a culture of trust. When leaders demonstrate love, they build trust with their team and create a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. This leads to better communication and collaboration, as employees are more likely to open up and work together towards a common goal.
LEAD WITH EMPATHY
Empathy allows leaders to understand and connect with their team, even when they don't share the same experiences. This helps leaders to better understand their team's needs and challenges, which in turn allows them to provide the support and resources they need to succeed.
Demonstrating empathy is positive for people. Research demonstrates its importance for everything from innovation to retention. Great leadership requires a fine mix of all kinds of skills to create the conditions for engagement, happiness and performance, and empathy tops the list of what leaders must get right.
Love and empathy do not mean that leaders should avoid making difficult decisions or hold back on criticism when necessary. Rather, it means approaching these situations with understanding and compassion, and finding ways to help others grow and improve.
In conclusion, love and leadership go hand in hand. When leaders show love and compassion towards their team, they create a positive and supportive work environment, foster a culture of trust and empathy, and inspire and motivate their team to reach their full potential. So, show love to your teams so they know you care about them beyond their 9-5 responsibilities, and you’ll in turn see the love returned in the form of dedicated and happy team members.
At Ari Agency & Ari Executive, we work with digital leaders and disruptors who rely on us to find and attract some of the most competitive talent in the digital space. If you’re interested in the trends impacting workforces or looking to hiring game-changing talent, contact us today to learn more about how we can help.
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