Whosoever has spent a reasonable amount of time in a leadership position will come to terms with the importance of positive culture in improving organisational productivity. Managers who also double as leaders are at the heart of instilling these values. This is because the features and skills of leaders tend to impact the organisation, either positively or negatively, depending on the tone of the culture.
The tone set by a leader may result in overwhelming success or total failure. Usually, a culture that is already ingrained in an organisation is very difficult - if not impossible - to adjust or shift. One-way leaders instil workplace culture is through engagement. Engaging work culture is critical to building organisational values that can translate into work satisfaction and increased employee productivity.
Organisational culture has been misinterpreted to embody social values, whereas it revolves around employees' behaviours, thoughts, and shared principles. These factors impact the decisions and actions of employees. For instance, an employee that is motivated will tend to perform better than a demoralised employee. This will also affect the employee performance evaluation as they may be a good worker, but just unmotivated and disengaged. How an employee perceives their work is dependent on their leader's actions and dispositions as it concerns engagement.
It is quite challenging to set the tone for the right organisational culture. However, as a leader of an organisation, it is important that you should be a leader that you would also want to follow. Suffice it to say that your team members would always look forward to you in terms of actions, attitudes, and decision-making process. The following actions can set the tone for workplace culture.
Respect Employees
There is a need to be kind to your employees. Leaders who do not show respect toward their employees have already created a disconnect in the team. As much as employees love to see, they also want to be seen by their leaders. This implies that they want their leaders to understand them too, especially when they are going through a certain level of stress.
As a leader, you do not have to be your employees' best friends before they feel you respect them. A simple greeting is an effective way to start. Give them opportunities to express their minds and ask questions. Through your interaction with them, you might discover where they need help.
Respecting your employees also involves engaging in employee performance appraisal. When employees have performed well, acknowledge their efforts, and compliment them accordingly. A genuine "Thank you for the job well done" would constitute a good staff appraisal example or compliment. This will go a long way in keeping the employees engaged and motivated.
Include Them on Events in the Organisation
In every organisation, communication is one of the most underrated factors. A leader that fails to communicate effectively with their team will leave room for members to engage in assumptions and guesses. These often spread like wildfire and can impact overall employee performance negatively.
To avoid a situation where employees are forced to fill communication gaps, there is a need for leaders to be open and transparent in communicating whatever is happening within the organisation to the employees. Open and transparent communication goes beyond informing employees of occurrences within the organisation, such as changes or developments; it also involves telling them the reasons behind the modifications.
Though people are always resistant to change, however, when the motive behind it is convincing enough, such a change would be embraced. For this to occur, there is a need for this particular change to be communicated earlier. This is to allow for input from employees. When employees' views are sought and acted upon, they feel valued and will get committed to using their experience and knowledge to make future inputs.
Treat Everyone Equally
Many workplaces treat certain employees with favour while others are treated with disdain. There is a need to promote fairness and accountability. Being fair and accountable starts with stating performance standards that are expected from everyone, including the leaders. When setting a standard of behaviour, for instance, leaders are the first that should reflect it. Otherwise, employees or followers would consider such a standard arbitrary.
With different units or departments constituting an organisation, there might be conflict arising from the perception that a leader seems to favour one department above another. To mitigate or eradicate this source of conflict, leaders should encourage cross-functional communication and meetings. Through this, distrust is minimised, and efficiency is improved.
Stay Positive and Be Focused
Every leader is being seen as the one that determines the strengths or weaknesses of employees. A leader who intends to set a positive tone or culture for an organisation should be able to maintain a posture that does not cave in easily, either by giving in to pressures or being displaced by challenges.
The reality is that every organisation faces particularly challenging situations and the earlier the leader is able to understand that every setback is only temporary, the better for the organisation.
A leader who maintains a positive outlook during a challenge will serve as a positive source of inspiration to their followers. The positive posture and confidence demonstrated would be imbued in staff also. The hallmark of leadership is the ability to inspire teams.
Leadership roles involve contributing to the culture that determines the chance of success or otherwise of an organisation. All the tips highlighted here set the stage for instilling a positive culture that translates into heightened job satisfaction, increased employee performance, and improved productivity.