Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher! What benefits attracted you to your job? Maybe you were excited about having a 401k, matched retirement, vacation time, the ability to work from home, etc. But there is one employee benefit most businesses are not talking about: the benefit of a great leader. We have heard it said that people do not leave bad companies; they leave bad bosses. In that case, you can convince people to come to your company and stay at it by providing them with great leaders. With the unprecedented level of employee turnover happening right now, businesses need to capitalize on this benefit. In today’s podcast, Jeff talks more about the benefits of having a great boss and how your company can use them to attract top-level talent.
A bad manager can ruin a good job, but a great manager can make a good job even better. You can make your business a great place to work by developing great leaders and showcasing them to new applicants. To keep the star people you have worked so hard to find and hire, you need to deliver on the promise of great leadership. Great leadership includes robust job training and development, mentoring, and opportunities for promotion.
1. Understand the characteristics of a great leader when developing and hiring.
Not everyone is cut out to lead and manage, and we need to know who they are. Look for leaders who do the following:
Put the right people in the right roles
They set clear expectations
Create a culture of accountability
Engage employees with a compelling vision
Motivate every employee individually
Coach and develop their people by focusing on their strengths
Make decisions based on productivity
Build trust
Q: Which of these qualities do you see in your team leader? Which one seems the most important to you? Why? Why do you think people get promoted into leadership? What qualities do you see in the people that you lead? How could you see someone act as a coach or a leader before they are in a leadership position?
2. Hire Leaders for the right reasons
People usually get promoted into leadership because they succeeded in a non-managerial role. However, this is not necessarily an indication of success. Leadership is a talent, just like any other job skill. Ask yourself these questions.
Does your interview process identify the soft skills involved in leadership?
How have you been developing your top talent within your organization? Have you seen them display these soft leadership skills successfully?
Q: Do you prefer to hire leaders from within your organization, or do you prefer external hires? Why? How have you developed leaders on your team in the past? What barriers exist when it comes to training leaders within your organization?
3. Market your great leaders as your company’s #1 benefit.
To attract the best employee talent, every company should publicize great leadership as part of their value proposition. Highlight it on social media and your website, and showcase your leaders during the hiring process.
Q: Have you ever highlighted your company’s leaders online? Why or why not? Why do you think some companies do not highlight their leaders? What holds you back? How can you overcome that obstacle?
Application Activities:
Remember, leadership is better caught than taught. Consider your company’s best leaders. How are you using them to develop new leaders? If you have a mentoring program already in place, consider using your best leaders to mentor or coach other leaders. Don’t be afraid to shift around some of your mentor roles to make this happen so that you can prioritize the benefits of having great leaders!
Take a look at your year-end review process. Are you using this process to look for leaders? Consider the qualities of a leader discussed in this episode. Consider adding a portion to your evaluation that would help you catch leadership potential in your current employees.
Value your leaders! Find ways to celebrate them publicly. Many incentives tend to be private or specific to a single team. Take some time to celebrate your great leaders in front of your customers, other teams, or even on LinkedIn! If you are not in charge of your company, you can still accomplish this on your personal profile. Not only will this promote your leaders to potential hires, but it will also be a deposit into your relationship with your leaders.
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