Discovering the best way to support each of your team members is a worthwhile endeavor that results in big dividends. Not every team member is motivated by the same thing. It’s your job to figure out how to engage those that your success depends on. This is the one behavior, out of the 4 key one’s, that can give you deeply satisfying accomplishments. Without it, hitting the bottom line may be the end of the line.
The payoff to your team member’s of you being appropriately supportive can be:
- Satisfaction with work, job and supervisor
- Increased commitment
- Reduced stress
- Increased self-confidence
- Increased performance
There’s 8 days left for you and your team to download my new ebook, 4 Keys to More Effective Leadership Behaviors, for free. One of the behaviors that the research highlighted and the ebook goes into detail about, was being supportive. Here’s the quick self-assessment to see how you’re doing.
Read each of these statements and mark what you feel like your competency level is in each of these areas. Give yourself a ranking from 1 – 10. 1 would be saying that you rarely exhibit this behavior, 10 would be that you always, without exception, do.
_____ Friendly, informative and encouraging to your team
_____ Considerate and understanding
_____ Showing concern for your team member’s needs
_____ Empathetic of team member’s challenges
_____ Help others to build their skills and careers
Your scores will help you know which area to zero in on for your next step in developing effective leadership behaviors.
One of the best resources I could find to share with you on this topic was in SlideShare. CLICK HERE to view.
Some of the skills to work on to be even more effective in this area are:
- Learning how to listen so others feel fully heard.
- Listening from your head, heart and gut.
- Treating others as they would want to be treated.
- Building and maintaining trust.
- Exercising the art of appreciation and recognition.
- Communicating technical and professional competence.
- Giving and receiving feedback effectively.
- Being more focused on their success than your own.
- Coaching for peak performance.
- Knowing how your resting face and other body language is effecting others.
An exercise you can do with your team this week:
Be aware of how your mood might be affecting your team member’s. Do you walk through the office each morning with a pleasant look on your face? Do you acknowledge others as they pass you in the hallway? What is your mood in meetings? Have you taken at least a few minutes with each team member in the last couple of weeks to do a “pulse check” on how they are doing?
Your demeanor towards people who you are responsible for can make all the difference in whether they stay motivated and engaged or not. Make the time this week to recognize and appreciate team member’s for the contributions they make, on a daily basis, for creating the things that are going right in your organization.
You obviously care about others or you wouldn’t even have read this far. I bet you are more supportive and encouraging than you think. Just by being more aware and focused on this behavior you will improve it. Know that you are a capable, smart, tenacious leader that your team member’s want to inspire them.