What Makes An Engaging Leader?

12Apr10

An excellent post by Mark Hirschfeld details the differences between an engaging leader and one that makes you want to check your Facebook wall every 5 minutes.

Hirschfeld identifies seven key characteristics of engaging leaders. These leaders do the following:

1.      Use their personal power to engage and are committed to creating a great workplace,
2.      Inspire confidence in their decisions and direction,
3.      Build trust through their honesty and integrity,
4.      Practice open, two-way communication,
5.      Shun the temptations of executive greed and strive to pay fairly,
6.      Genuinely value employees as people, and
7.      Lead with respect, not coercion, control, fear, or intimidation.

It is important that leaders everywhere incorporate these themes into their leadership style. Communication, respect, valuing employees – these are all achievable leadership qualities. But they will take practice, effort, and focus. In order for leaders to start making strides, they must first realize that employee engagement provides significant ROI through productivity and retention.

Hirschfeld goes on to propose that leaders ask themselves the following questions:

How do you believe your employees view you (in regards to the seven themes of engaging leadership)?
Do they see you as someone who puts self-interest ahead of the greater good of the firm?
Are you providing a clear picture of where the organization is going, and helping employees see their role in that picture?
Do employees where you work believe they have an opportunity to truly be heard, that their opinions are given due consideration?
Are you seen as a leader who inspires confidence, commitment and extra effort?

Employers who cannot answer Hirschfeld’s questions affirmatively should immediately alter their leadership style and deploy meaningful employee engagement solutions.