It isn’t a secret that leadership can (and should) be cultivated at every rung of the corporate ladder–in fact, leadership development at all stages is critical to the advancement of company goals and growth. Yet, often managers and human resources struggle to harness the abilities and leadership potential of its employees, especially at earlier stages of professional development. The downside of this potential problem can be a high employee attrition rate and a loss of investment capital that goes alongside departures. However, when addressed properly, the ability to inspire leaders at every level will allow companies to reap significant rewards.
Key Methods To Inspire Leaders
Factor In Time For Creativity
Whether you’re a CEO or a mailroom clerk, the hallmark of a great leader is constant pursuit of a better way. But crushing out the ability to think creatively and solve problems in new ways is simple–just take away any time in which your employees could possibly spend time thinking. If you want to inspire your team to do great things, you need to make sure their schedule is not so demanding that they cannot lift their heads up and look around for a few minutes. As more and more studies are showing the number of productive hours in a given week have known limitations, make sure you aren’t taking up every productive moment without carving out some time for their creative pursuits.
Reward Failures and Successes
Behind every successful leader’s story are usually more disasters and failures that you could ever imagine. From botched ideas to risk-taking gone wrong, the difference between the path to success and the path to failure is not often particularly distinguishable. Which means if you want to inspire your team to major successes, you have to be willing to accept failures as well. Otherwise, your team will not likely be willing to take the kinds of risks required to succeed. Reward failures by acknowledging the important aspects of the approach, specifically that highlight innovation, hard work, talent and ability.
Schedule Time Out of the Office
Here is a not-so-shocking idea for you: Sometimes your employees need a break. Giving your team an ability to reset and refresh is a great way to inspire all of your employees at every level. Whether you arrange for a major company retreat, a full day team building event or simply coordinate an offsite company lunch, giving your staff some time to interact outside the confines of cubicles and copiers will likely help them see each other–and your company–in a new light. Consider making regular out of office excursions a part of your company values and watch your employees soar.