Give your managers the tools they need to help support employee wellbeing and productivity while strengthening their leadership skills. This collection explores best practices to help managers empower their people to achieve common goals while driving meaningful change from the ground up.
Great managers guide employees toward realizing their full potential, align individual and team goals with overarching objectives, and play an integral role in developing organizational culture. According to Gallup, organizations with good leadership have more engaged employees and higher retention rates. In fact, 70% of the variance in team engagement can be attributed to the manager. And whether organizations are seeking to strengthen culture, boost engagement, enhance wellbeing or create better customer experiences, all of these objectives rely on the leadership ability of first-line managers.
As hybrid and remote models continue to present unprecedented leadership challenges, what are tailored approaches that managers can adopt to learn new leadership skills in order to thrive?
Leadership framework & methodology
- Assess – Take the time to truly understand the long-term challenges posed by remote and hybrid work, the effectiveness of individuals on your team, and collective performance.
- Plan & Manage – Research and define what technology and processes you will need to best support your team.
- Execute – Make sure collective objectives are attainable, meet the expectations and abilities of each member and ensure team buy-in before getting started.
- Evaluate – Make development a part of the day-to-day by using tools to gauge the pulse of your team and receive ongoing insights to understand your managerial and leadership capabilities over time. Products like Montara leverage sophisticated AI technology to inform managers of how their team is doing 24×7 and provide deep insights and advice backed by science.
Core principles to lead effectively post-pandemic
- Communicate effectively: Managers today face a critical challenge when it comes to being in touch with their people’s feelings, concerns, and motivational levels, especially when leading hybrid or remote teams. Improve virtual verbal and listening skills to get a holistic understanding of your people’s needs and current challenges. Respond clearly, practice empathy, and provide tailored support as needed.
- Lead with resilience: The organizations that were able to survive and thrive during the pandemic were the ones that built ‘new muscles of resilience.’ Learn how to lead under pressure and be able to guide your team on how to cope with change. Demonstrate the ability to find opportunity within adversity.
- Remain transparent: During the pandemic, leaders in resilient organizations were more likely to share information and expertise with their employees and key decision-makers. Be open with your people, especially when times get tough. Keeping employees informed builds trust and strengthens relationships particularly when it comes to changes and decisions being made.
- Inspire: Leaders (inspirational visionaries) distinguish themselves from managers (strategic administrators) every day. Showcase your values and instill a sense of purpose within your team. Acknowledge weaknesses and find ways to learn from others.
- Be fair: Research shows that those who believe they work in a ‘high fairness environment’ perform 26% better and are 27% less likely to leave their companies. Be cognizant of attention to fairness and maintain an equitable team environment that fosters inclusion and empowers all to succeed.
The employee experience begins and ends with the manager. From the disruption and ambiguity brought on by the pandemic to unprecedented employee resignation, the need for effective leadership has never been more urgent. In a post-pandemic world, for organizations to ensure success, it is imperative they recognize the intricate role first-line managers play and provide them with the resources they need to get the job done.
Thrive in times of uncertainty by empowering managers to become the leaders your organization needs now more than ever. Learn how to develop amazing leadership in your organization using Montara today.