Make no mistake – the working world is changing. From increasing numbers of remote positions to the continuous and determined rise of business technology, we’re sat in the middle of a shift. A move which is set to dictate culture changes and place industry talent at the top of the commodity tower.
The grind mentality is losing its appeal. The days of caffeine-fuelled working and midnight oil burning are gone, replaced with productivity-hacking technology that streamlines processes and eases the time burden of the working day.
However, despite the evolution of business technology, management and leadership are still crucial. They require big decisions and sharp negotiations to be handled on the fly.
And with big decisions comes big responsibility. Leadership needs to be tied into core business functionality, and it’s the role of HR to provide the training, interdepartmental liaison and cultural change to make this possible.
Learn to Work Smart, Not Hard
If you’re tired and running low on energy, where does 10 hours in front of a computer screen really get you? There are better ways to accomplish tasks than throwing hours at them in the office, and if you want leadership to thrive within your organisation, your team needs to learn to rely on each other.
Micromanagement is a tough habit to break, but it’s the difference between working hard and working smart. Juggling hundreds of tasks on top of your current workload might work in the short-term and create a sense of control, but it’s far from a sustainable strategy. A few months down the line, you’ll burn out. With this, the value you add to your team will start to diminish.
Everyone has their working limit, the point of pressure where they start to slip – but it shouldn’t be your target to find yours. Instead, place a focus on building a strong, diverse talent pool that you can rely on to accomplish tasks for you. Then use this support network to shift your work-life balance in the right direction.
You might think that working unpaid overtime and exhausting yourself to ensure projects move forward on time will impress upper management, but the long-term effects don’t make it worth it. Don’t look to find success in your timesheet, but in breeding a culture of engagement where your team are happy and encouraged to find a work-life balance with you.
Leadership, Management, and Knowing the Difference
“There are leaders, and then there are those who lead.” – Simon Sinek
A key role of HR in leadership is to help individuals within an organisation to understand their responsibilities and how to utilise their skill-sets to provide the most benefit.
Leadership is crucial within any business, as it cultivates an environment that promotes engagement – a key catalyst to sustainable high performance. When micromanagement strategies breed anxiety and result in lower performance, a new approach needs to be adopted.
A leader’s primary objective should be to guide their team to achieve organisational goals. Management should be utilised to ensure that individual employees from each team work effectively to achieve these larger goals.
Together, these two key roles should come together to promote a culture of inclusivity that enables each individual to feel part of the bigger picture. In turn, this will increase job satisfaction, reduce employee churn and lower the cost and strain of talent sourcing placed on HR teams.
Guiding Culture Change and Workplace Engagement
If your organisation doesn’t have culture and workplace engagement as one of its top priorities, your business might not be as sustainable as you think.
The culture of your business defines everything within it and has a heavy influence on your level of success. So, if workplace engagement is high, you’re more likely to experience high performance from your leaders. As the HR function, a core part of your role is to assist in creating a company culture that helps to inspire your leaders and provides them the business training that they need to excel within challenging environments.
High levels of workplace engagement are closely tied to reduced employee churn and increased business profitability. By embedding cultural change into your larger business plan, you’ll be able to cultivate a system that nurtures the individual and capitalises on existing talent within your organisation, reducing the costs associated with external talent acquisition.
An HR function that’s integrated with business leadership is a strong catalyst to organisational success. If you can create a culture that encourages work-life balance and promotes personal development, you’ll inspire the leadership you already have to take your business to the next level.
Discover the Benefits of High-Level Training
The specialist team at The Gap Partnership provide expert training to help leaders hone their negotiation skills, with a proven and highly enviable return on investment. Find out how they can help your business and get in touch with them today for your free consultation.
