Do you often ask your employees to carry out creative tasks that involve self-thought and decision making? If you do, you might have noticed how some of your employees come to you with a hoard of questions.
Now, as a manager or a CEO, this can feel frustrating indeed. However, this occurrence isn’t that uncommon. You see, many employees of today still have this ‘leader-follower’ mindset, which makes them somewhat dependent on their supervisors.
What’s more? As per Tsinghua University and Claremont McKenna College, only transformational leaders can help employees become self-reliant leaders.
Now, you might wonder, what is a transformational leader?
We’ll tell you. Transformational leaders have a progressive mentality. They don’t just believe that following a person’s order will get the job done in a company. They focus on empowerment, both self and employee.
Thus, they aid employees in becoming self-reliant and cultivate a team of professionals who have a mind of their own. The main foundations that drive transformational leaders are business awareness and trust. With their insight and knowledge, these leaders help their employees in taking a stand for themselves, for their betterment.
As a result, when the employee becomes confident, they manage to think for the company on their own. Therefore, with their creative hindsight highlighted, these employees can help a company reach new heights.
Today, we’re going to highlight some of the methods used by transformational leaders to motivate employees. Read on.
1) Listen and Respect an Employee’s Insight
The confidence of your employee sort of depends on your hands too. So, let them put forward their ideas and inputs for the betterment of your company. Now, it is entirely up to you, whether you agree or disagree.
But try not to put an employee down negatively in case you disagree with an idea. You see, perspective and knowledge differ, and that’s okay. However, disregarding someone’s efforts is not a good way to cultivate leaders of tomorrow.
2) Avoid Being a “Helicopter-Supervisor”
Let’s get one thing clear, there is a difference between being a person who corrects one and being a “Helicopter-Supervisor.” A “Helicopter-Supervisor” is someone who continually hovers around correcting flaws and pointing out mistakes. This attitude leads to the breeding of hostility and negative vibes towards a company. Not to mention, working under a “Helicopter-supervisor” dampens self-confidence, which makes an employee lose motivation to work.
Thus, make sure to avoid being an authoritative supervisor. When it comes to pointing out mistakes, explain to your employees where they went wrong without putting them down continually. This will help your employees focus better and provide optimal productivity.
3) Give Growth Opportunities to Your Employees
One of the best ways to improve leadership skills in employees is to give them growth opportunities. For example, let your employees attend meetings with senior professionals or managers.
Moreover, let them put their inputs and learn from the leaders. You can also give your younger employees tasks or challenges that involve innovative solutions. In short, put your employees out in the water and instruct them to swim. However, let the employees master the techniques and steps themselves.
On that note, reward and motivate your employees upon their success and soon, you’ll be running an enterprise filled with young leaders of tomorrow. So, don’t follow those old-school methods of control, and let the raw talents of today evolve in a healthy environment.
