More and more employers are realizing the value of their employees. They understand that the lifeblood of an organization is their employees. These workers have the power to literally make or break organizations.
That is why there are employee-central leaders now more than ever. They put their employees at the forefront, but what more does it mean, really? Here is what it means to be an employee-centric leader these days.
Freely Sharing Information
While it may seem counterintuitive to not share information with your team, that is how some organizations operated. They kept their employees on a need-to-know basis and in the dark on the rest.
But employees wizened up and realized they were being kept in the dark. To be an effective leader, you need to ensure that employees not only have the information that they need but can trust that they are getting that information. When they start to doubt the consistency and validity of the information that they are getting, the disconnect grows larger.
Succession Plan
One of the best things about a successful organization is that it does not live and die with the leader. There will come a time when that leader may not be available or may not even remain with the organization any longer.
When that happens, the company needs to be in the best situation possible moving forward. That means having a succession plan in place. Furthermore, having that succession plan in place means empowering and providing opportunities for junior executives to go on to bigger and better.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
In the past, it was not uncommon for leaders to claim the credit from the hard work their teams did. After all, they were the ones providing the motivation, right? Well, not providing credit can lead to bitterness and drive valuable employees away.
By acknowledging the contributions of employees, they not only retain those crucial people but provide them with the support and motivation that they need to continue being valuable.