Leaders, true leaders, are a valuable commodity within the business world. Getting people to follow someone is far easier said than done. Good leaders have a certain vision, charisma, and traits that draw people to them.
That said, leaders also recognize what they do attracts workers to follow. So, what can leaders do to ensure that their team follows them? Here are a few proven methods.
Building Trust
More than anything else, workers need to trust in their leadership. If they don’t, they may follow but they will do so at arm’s length and they will never be fully committed to the message that leadership is presenting.
The leaders who people tend to follow are both trustworthy and accountable. They are not “above” those that follow them. Moreover, they trust that the leadership will not punish them if they take responsible and reasonable risks to further the effort. Trust is of the utmost importance.
Recognize and Reward
We have all heard the horror stories before: an employee comes up with a game-changing idea only to have their credit usurped by a greedy and dishonest leader. Do you see why trust is such an important thing in leadership?
Great leaders aren’t in it for the credit. They are in it to lead the team to greater success than ever before. That means being able to recognize and reward the contributions that the team makes. Great leaders get people to follow them because they recognize the efforts of their team and show their appreciation through reward.
Providing Information
More than anything else, employees need the proper information to do their job. There are some leaders who believe in only providing the bare essentials and even then, that information is somewhat spotty.
To do a great job, employees need to know that leadership is being transparent and honest about how they dispense information. If employees feel at any point that information is being withheld, it will have a major impact on the way that they do business.