What helps make a great leader?
The words manager and leader have become synonymous with each other over time, but they are in fact two different things. Manager is a job description attained by working hard and gaining personal skills and experience. But to become a leader you need to shift your focus on to other people. Leaders know that they need to invest in their people, growing their capabilities and resilience to get good results.
“Sixty three percent of employees said a positive wellbeing culture is number one when looking for a role,” says Jane Kennelly, Skills Consulting Group General Manager of Wellbeing. She is talking about the results of Skills Consulting Group Work Wellbeing Index.
“Intriguingly, we see that as satisfaction in the workplace increases, so does an employee’s overall satisfaction with life, jumping from 27% to 80%. Cultivating a work wellbeing culture can play a vital part in impacting a person’s life.”
The benefits of a growing people by cultivating their ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from challenges are manifold. Better employee retention, higher productivity, less sick days are just a few examples. But a great work wellbeing culture needs to come from the top, which means business leaders need to be supported, too. After all, they are under a lot of pressure and face unique challenges which they may traditionally feel they have to cope with alone.
Top-down wellbeing for complete success
“Organisations that show genuine care for their managers and colleagues, as opposed to the tick-box approach, are clearly identified as coming out on top,” says Kennelly, who emphasises success can only be achieved with good support at all levels.
“All managers want to be great people leaders. So it isn’t about managers falling short or about pointing the finger of blame. It’s about managers not being given the right tools or the right training to really support them to lead people.”
Strong leaders will also develop the leadership skills of their employees, through hands on mentorship and coaching. Developing leadership helps insulate the whole team against difficult situations. Collaborative working helps build resilience among individuals and the group, and by upskilling your team and improving their knowledge of your business or sector, you give them the confidence they need to handle bumps in the road.
“And the best news, that all employers want to hear, is that as work/life satisfaction increases so too does productivity,” says Kennelly.
Skills Consulting Group offers wellbeing diagnostics and programmes for organisations to help people leaders grow teams. Find out more about our wellbeing services.