If you have worked in the professional world as a leader for any length of time you have undoubtedly found yourself managing a team member who was failing to live up to expectations. While it might be tempting to cut someone loose if their performance is sub-par, the turnover may cost more than you think.
Ask yourself: When was the last time someone seriously “dropped some knowledge” on you? Something that really grabbed your attention? Your imagination? Made you laugh, shed a tear, both? Something that possibly inspired you to, as Steve Jobs said in his famous Stanford speech, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Hopefully it wasn’t as far back as your college graduation. But, chances are, it wasn’t at work.
In less than two years, Millennials will become the largest employee demographic. They’ve already become a major influence shaping the future of work, and as 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement age every day, they’re quickly advancing in the leadership ranks as well.
Modern companies often strive to be more customer-centric. The more aware you are of customer needs and the more empathy you have toward their motivations, the easier it is to build a great product.
Member Jack Kemper asked the Business.com community, “How can you prepare your company for a change in leadership?” We spoke to experts to outline an efficient process for a smooth transition.
There comes a time in nearly every company when leaders either change positions or leave altogether. That “world’s best boss” mug is packed away and ready to be retired, and employees are left scrambling for answers. Who’s next in line? Will someone new take their place? And how will this affect their jobs?
Cultural differences in leadership styles often create unexpected misunderstandings. Americans, for example, are used to thinking of the Japanese as hierarchical while considering themselves egalitarian. Yet the Japanese find Americans confusing to deal with. Although American bosses are outwardly egalitarian—encouraging subordinates to use first names and to speak up in meetings—they seem to the Japanese to be extremely autocratic in the way they make decisions. As a Japanese manager living in the United States and working for Mitsubishi put it: “I couldn’t figure out how to adapt my approach from one day to the next, because the culture was so contradictory and puzzling.”
When you decide to play referee with your team’s disagreement, one of the worst things you can end the argument with is “agreeing to disagree.”
Embrace change, contended Greek philosopher Heraclitus, because it is “the only constant in life.”
In today’s workplace, companies are in a nearly constant state of organization change – whether it’s a large-scale makeover or a shakeup of departments or geographies – McKinsey research finds. And if they aren’t continual, the redesigns emerge in faster and faster intervals.
The call for gender diversity is about being inclusive and profitable. Following these strategies could lead to success on both fronts.
Realizing your responsibility to lead can be scary, but done right, leadership breaks down to communicating, informing and involving your employees, while never micromanaging them.
