Category: Workplace Culture

Why Good Communication Is So Important

Communication begins the second we’re born.

We soon discover that making loud noises usually gets us what we want! Hopefully for most of us, our communication skills become much more advanced from then on. Though, you may meet the odd person who seems to still operate on this premise.

In business, as in life, communication is essential for survival. Done effectively, it helps your team be happy, creative, and productive.

Think about all the positive attributes you want your team to possess – trust, loyalty, efficiency, passion for the job (and the business as a whole), and commitment. Good communication is essential in creating each of these factors.

Let’s dive a little deeper into why good communication is essential to your business.

Why Good Communication Is So Important

Creating Buy-In

If an employee doesn’t understand or buy-in to the values and purpose of your organisation, they are unlikely to go the extra mile in any aspect of their role. So basically, you end up with someone who clocks in and out and does the bare minimum.

However, when you are able to effectively communicate your company’s “why,” you start to build a sense of belonging.

When employees understand how their role contributes to the bigger picture, they will take more pride in their work and serve as powerful advocates for your business. The side effects of buy-in include engagement and loyalty.

Increasing Productivity

Productivity is a key component of a successful business. Without being productive, you and your team are just wasting your own time… and company time.

One sure-fire way to increase productivity is to work on communication within your organisation. To do their job well, employees need to understand what is required of them. With the right information, they can do that job faster and more effectively.

Foster A Positive, Happy Workplace Culture

Nothing builds resentment faster than not listening to your employees – which equates to not valuing or respecting them. Communication is not a one-way street that only goes from the top-down. You must allow two-way communication. That means giving employees an avenue to voice their ideas and opinions without fear of being shut down.

It’s incredibly empowering for people to trust that if they bring a concern or idea to a manager, they will be heard. And who better to know how to improve the way things are done within your organisation than the people doing them!?

Building Cohesive Teams

Small issues can quickly develop into major HR issues in a workplace environment. Good communicators know how to listen without overreacting, which is essential in preventing misunderstandings and conflict.

Teams that work well together naturally create good morale, which, of course, is great for productivity!

Inspire Innovation and Creativity

When you encourage everyone in your organisation to openly share ideas, you foster an environment of innovation and creativity. Your employees are your biggest asset. They know the business inside out and potentially have so much to offer.

But if you make them feel as if their voices aren’t important, they’re not going to share these insights with others. Instead, foster an environment of open sharing. You never know what your team might come up with!

Building Trust

Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Trust affects engagement, culture, and ultimately, productivity, so you don’t want to lose it. Communicating clearly helps managers to be transparent, which in turn builds trust throughout the entire organisation. Down the line, this translates to transparency and trust among your customers and clients.

Encouraging multi-directional, good communication within your teams shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be one of the foundations of your business strategy. If this is an area you think needs some work, trust us –it’s well worth the time and effort to improve.

Luckily, the Spice Gals are here to help you develop great communication within your business. Get in touch with us today if you want to discuss the power of communication further.

How to Handle Recruitment the Right Way

What would a doughnut be without the cinnamon? How would your favourite Indian dish taste minus the coriander or cumin? And what would the Spice Girls have been without Ginger Spice? It doesn’t really bear thinking about, does it? The same goes for your employees and your recruitment strategy.

They are the spice that makes your organisation unique, attractive, and successful. Without top talent, your business will struggle to beat mediocrity. So, it’s essential to attract the right people for your culture, and encourage them to stick around!

These days, recruitment is a science all of its own. Posting a Job Description on a local job board and hoping for the best just won’t cut it if you want the very best.

So, how do you tackle recruitment in the right way?

Today, we share our best advice for becoming the employer of choice for your potential candidates.

Do Some Self-Reflection

Before you can cast a net out to lure in your ideal candidates, you need to be very clear on what your organisation is looking for. Spend some time looking at your existing top employees, and ask yourself what it is that makes them a great fit.

Remember to include a mix of soft and hard skills, as well as addressing some of the more creative characteristics, such as emotional intelligence and cultural fit.

 

Understand Your Ideal Candidate

Once you know the kind of employee you want to attract, you can begin to understand them better. Think about what they need and want from a job or an employer, and what motivates them.

Do they thrive from being part of a team, or would they rather work independently? Are they happy with a predictable role, or are they looking for a bit of variety?

Drawing up a profile of your dream team member will help shape your business to be the type of employer that naturally attracts top talent.

For invaluable insight, refer to your existing staff members! Ask them what they love about working for you, what drives them, and survey them to see if there is more you could be doing to be a sought after employer.

 

Position Your Company

Savvy candidates won’t just be perusing the job description when deciding whether to take a role. They want to know what it’s really like to work for your business, and what you are all about. They might look at your social media to see what customers are saying about you, check out your current and former employees on LinkedIn, or try and get a feel for your culture via your website.

Ensure that all aspects of your business reflect the culture and values you are trying to encourage.

 

Be Authentic

The most sought after companies in the world have certain things in common – authentic core values, genuine respect and appreciation for their employees, and a commitment to providing a fantastic work environment. Make sure your business’s core values are defined. Be good to your team and word will organically spread among potential candidates.

 

Focus on Quality

Remember, you are looking for quality, not quantity. Rather than offering benefits and values that will appeal to a wide range of applicants, focus on figuring out the persona that melds best with your business and work to meet their needs. You don’t need to attract one hundred candidates, you just need to attract one who is the right fit for your business.

 

Call in the Professionals

Recruitment can be an all consuming task in business, so it may be worth considering the possibility of outsourcing it. Or at least getting some help putting together a plan for the role you are recruiting for and what your expectations are for the candidates.

The team here at Spice HR can help set you up with a plan to get the right people on your team. Or, we can recommend some great recruitment companies or specialists who will help take the stress out of making the right hiring decision.

Give us a call today to chat about your plans for recruiting.

Why You Need an Effective Training and Development Program

Why You Need an Effective Training and Development Program

Is your idea of training and development sending your team on a once-a-year health and safety course?

Then we’ve got some news for you… You are doing your business and your team a huge disservice.

Training and development are buzzwords in the HR world for good reason. Regardless of the size of your organisation, investing in individuals is an investment in the success of your business.

A well thought out, consistent training and development strategy boosts staff morale and engagement, increases staff retention, skyrockets productivity and efficiency, and even helps your company’s future growth and success.

Yes, it really is that important! Let’s talk about why.

The Benefits of Training and Development

Increased Employee Satisfaction

Employees that feel inadequate, unsupported, or under-challenged can become bored and disengaged. In contrast, providing relevant training and development opportunities shows your staff that you value, appreciate, and support them. This provides increased job satisfaction, which results in increased loyalty and retention.

Improved Performance

Happy, engaged workers are more likely to go the extra mile for your business. And they will do it because they want to, not because they feel they have to. They will do their job more efficiently with fewer mistakes. This helps your business stay ahead of the game and there will be less of a requirement for intense supervision of your team. They will be able to take pride in operating autonomously.

Develop Future Leaders

Prepping your employees for future promotion can be priceless. It gives them something to strive for, ensuring they will always enjoy applying themselves to the job at hand. A solid development program includes strategic planning to fill potential skill gaps from within. Recruiting leadership roles internally puts you on the front foot. They already know and understand your business and have proven themselves. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that you can save time and money, and avoid the mistake of a costly bad hire.

Innovation and Creativity

Learning opens the mind and paves the way for innovative thinking. Just because something has always been done one way does not mean that it is the best way. Ongoing training and development creates opportunity for creativity, but also for innovation in your practices. This will help you to create a strong and dynamic organisation.

Attract Quality Employees

Job hunters are very savvy these days. They expect more than a steady pay packet. They want a great place to work. A business that invests in and cares about its employees will quickly gain a reputation as that great place to work. You will be able to attract top talent to enhance your team of go-getters.

How To Approach Training and Development in Your Business

There are some key things to remember when you are developing a training program for your workplace.  Probably the most important thing is to not get caught up in the traditional definitions of training. Courses and formal training play an important role, but only as a small portion of an overall culture of day to day learning and mentoring.

The 70:20:10 rule is a popular and effective way of outlining the different aspects of employee development.

70 percent of the work happens on the job, as your employees learn by doing. Select projects and assign responsibilities that get people out of their comfort zone and challenge them to stretch their abilities.

20 percent of the time should include learning from mentors, who could be colleagues or managers. Rather than a formal development plan, this kind of training should be organic and encouraged to happen naturally in the workplace. Personalise development in response to skillsets, areas of interests, and different learning methods.

The last 10 percent is formal training, which could include digital courses, seminars, conferences, or additional certifications and qualifications. Don’t forget to focus on both hard and soft skills.

Today’s employees are looking for careers, not just jobs. Fulfilment, personal growth, and ongoing development are high on the list of priorities for top candidates. Taking the time to develop a culture that values professional and personal development will be reflected in the positive engagement of your team and the future success of your business.

If you are interested in developing an effective training and development plan at your workplace, then get in touch with us here at Spice HR.  We can help you create an effective and practical plan that can upskill your team and benefit the entire business.

The Importance of Team Building at Your Workplace

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have heard about the benefits of team building.

However, when you read that term right there on the page, you might have just let out a little groan!

Unfortunately, this important aspect of creating a successful workplace culture has been incorrectly handled for so long that it has become an office cliche. Mention the words “team building” to the average group of people, and you are likely to get eye-rolling and moans of protest.

But don’t write off the process so quickly!

Done correctly, team building is an effective and powerful way to build productivity, enhance workplace culture, and create a happy, creative work environment.

Forget sitting around the office role-playing awkwardly. Today’s team building is innovative, smart, fun, and effective. Just as the right spice can elevate a dish to the next level, team building can add that extra secret ingredient for success to your business.

Excited? We hope so! Let’s start building.

 

Why Is Team Building Important?

Done mindfully, team building activities and exercises are one of the most powerful investments you can make in your business. Here are some ways it can help your workplace:

  • Build communication
  • Reduce conflict and misunderstandings
  • Grow trust in all directions
  • Make staff feel valued
  • Increase engagement
  • Facilitate collaboration
  • Develop problem-solving skills
  • Boost creativity and productivity
  • Break down barriers
  • Lift morale

Sounds too good to be true, right?

But think about it. A business is only as good as its employees and how well they work together. Happy, connected, engaged people do great work consistently and efficiently. Communication flows, people enjoy coming to work, they respect and help each other. Your fabulous work culture attracts and retains top-notch staff, and the organisation runs like a well-oiled machine.

Now flip that and imagine an environment full of miscommunication, gossip, and distrust. Most people barely stop to chat with one another, small conflicts became costly issues, and morale is poor.

Okay, so one team building session is not going to be the magic wand to transform a fractured team into a dream-team. But as part of an organisational-strategy, it goes a long way.

 

How To Choose An Activity?

The key to making the whole exercise a success, is choosing the right activity.

Your team building project can be almost anything. The options are as diverse as the people on your team. The biggest challenge will be ensuring it embraces every individual and is appropriate to your workplace culture.

Here are some tips for choosing the right one for your team:

  • Get out of the office. You don’t want this to feel like another day at work. It should be a fun way for people to connect in a different setting.
  • List your objectives first and plan the activity around those.
  • Have fun! Don’t try and force some competency-based corporate result. Instead, target the qualities you want to enhance – like communication, empathy, collaboration, problem-solving, stress-relief – and let the results happen organically.
  • Choose something unique that pushes people slightly out of their comfort zones to encourage them to bond in new ways.
  • Never force or bully anyone into participating. This will have the opposite of the desired effect. Instead, opt for inclusive activities that everyone agrees with.
  • Get feedback – ask your team for ideas on what they would like to do.

 

Making the Most of The Opportunity

Team building is not a once a year “tick-the-boxes-for-HR” activity. It should be a key factor in building positive staff morale. The practices you embody during these sessions should translate over to the workplace. Find ways to keep the connection and positive energy flowing in between your out-of-work adventures as part of an overarching strategy.

Getting people out of the office and away from their “work identity” encourages genuine connection and collaboration. It gives people a chance to share experiences and get to know and appreciate each other’s personalities, strengths, and quirks in a meaningful way. The trust, respect, and empathy that follow are priceless.

Are you ready to implement some meaningful activities to boost communication, reduce conflict, improve productivity, and so much more?

Then it is time to nail your team building. And if you need some help figuring out what that might look like at your workplace, then get in touch with us here at Spice HR. Drop us a line today!

What is the Gig Economy?

Today’s workforce is a different beast than it was even one generation ago. The rapid advancement of technology and the power of the internet has transformed the way many people approach their careers.

It is interesting to think that digital nomads and remote workers will soon outnumber traditional office workers. This will create the “gig economy”.

What is the Gig Economy?

Well, it is a marketplace where people choose the freedom of short-term contracts or freelance work over permanent jobs.

With an estimated 35 percent of the US workforce and up to 70 percent of Australians working remotely at least some of the time, most businesses will be faced with a mixture of in-office staff and gig workers.

So what does it all mean?

For a start, it will provide some new challenges for managers as they adjust to a rapidly changing and flexible workplace and juggle the different requirements of each type of worker.

But it’s not all bad! As they say, variety is the spice of life! Learning how to manage your entire team — remote or otherwise — will enhance your communication and management skills.

Let’s dive in and look at some tips on how to integrate the freelance or remote members of your team.

Be Available

In a physical workspace, it is easy for workers to pop in and see you, stop you in the hall to ask a question, or catch up with you over lunch. But if you aren’t in the office, you don’t have those opportunities. Instead, you will need to make a conscious effort to ensure your remote workers have a similar level of access. Do this by responding to messages promptly and make yourself available as much as you reasonably can.

Stay in Touch

Don’t get sucked into the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. Your remote employees still need to feel included and important in order to be engaged and invested in their tasks and your business. Set up short daily check-ins and longer catch ups at a time that suits you both. If your worker’s feel like they are less important or forgotten about, you will find it hard to get the level of buy-in you are after from them.

Upgrade Your Tech Tools

There is no excuse to have poor communication, even if your team are spread all over the globe. With excellent collaboration tools to keep everyone up to date and engaged with projects, nobody needs to be excluded. Try applications like Slack, Trello, or Google Hangouts to enhance the efficiency and organisation of your team.

Forge a Connection

Positive work relationships contribute hugely to employee engagement. Think how much more you enjoy going to work if you have some good workmates to interact with during the day. Remote workers often miss out on this kind of camaraderie. Put some effort into building personal connections with your freelancers. Instead of being all business during your catch-ups, take the time for some meaningful small talk.

Get Some Face Time

A vast amount of communication between people is non-verbal. We pick up cues on mood and hidden nuances through facial expressions and body language. Sometimes, emails or online messages can be misinterpreted. But it is not always possible to get face to face with people. Thankfully, technology comes to the rescue again! Schedule video chats with your remote workers regularly to overcome these hurdles.

Using the Gig Economy To Your Advantage

The emerging gig economy is great for business. It means you can hire the skills and expertise you need in the here and now. By using digital nomads or freelancers to cover high season or specific projects, you won’t need to employ unnecessarily.

Making your workplace an attractive place for remote workers means you can attract the best of the best from around the globe. You may need to adjust and upgrade a few practices, but the effort you put in will be reflected by the commitment and engagement brought to your business by your entire team.

If you are intrigued to know how you can utilise the gig culture in your business, we’d love to help. Book a time to chat with us face to face, by phone, or by video call today!

Why Great Staff Engagement is Vital to Your Business

If you had the choice, would you rather eat a bowl of plain rice or a delicious, spice-filled curry?

Sure, the plain rice would satisfy a need and ease your hunger pains, but that is all. The curry would not only satisfy those hunger pains, but also provide you with the added bonus of enjoyment and nutrition.

Why are we talking about curry?

Well, it displays the difference in attitude you can receive from your team. The plain rice team will show up to work for their pay, to tick the boxes and go home again. However, that spicy curry is the team that is engaged and invested in not only their own success but that of the company too.

They both technically get the job done. The plain rice team will be just fine. But to take your business to the next level, you need a bit of spice. And how do you get it?

Staff Engagement!

Staff engagement should not be considered a buzzword. It packs a powerful punch that can level up your business, and create a productive and happy work culture.

While the concept can seem overwhelming, in reality, staff engagement doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It often comes down to simple processes and gestures that you can weave into your workplace.

So, sit back and read on to find out why staff engagement is so important. We will also explain how you can boost it in your business.

What Does Staff Engagement Look Like?

Staff engagement is more than saying hello when your team walk in the door in the morning. It is about investing in your team so that they invest themselves in your business.

Engaged employees don’t just show up. They are focused, energised, and productive. They also tend to go above and beyond in their work, as well as in their attitude. They are invested in the success of the company.

More than merely being satisfied and happy at work, engaged staff are passionate about it.

 Why Is It Important?

An employee who is invested will try harder, volunteer to take on more, work faster and be more creative. They are great ambassadors for your business, helping to lift customers and other team members with their hard work and positivity.

Employees who are just there for the money are more likely to jump ship. Give them a reason to stay that is less about money and more about purpose.

If you need more motivation, consider the fact that businesses who put effort into engaging employees can outperform those who don’t by up to 202 percent!

How to Encourage Staff Engagement

Great staff engagement does not happen by accident. You will have to put in some work to build the kind of culture you want.

Try some of these ideas…

  • Make it a constant part of your culture from the top down.
  • Clearly communicate your company’s vision and purpose with employees. Explain your “why” and connect them with the part they play in achieving it.
  • Measure engagement regularly in a meaningful and authentic way (once a year surveys capture a moment in time, not an overall picture).
  • Listen to your employees. Provide a safe, confidential feedback loop to hear their honest views.
  • Support your team to grow and learn no matter what level they are at.
  • Maintain an open and honest management style to inspire trust.
  • Support work-life balance with flexible work schedules and encourage breaks and downtime to refresh.
  • Get to know your employees as individuals, not just workers. Connecting with colleagues on a social level is one of the most significant aspects of creating engagement.
  • Invest in building strong team relationships through social activities or team bonding exercises.
  • Offer incentives and rewards for hard work, and cater them to the individual where possible.
  • Acknowledge and celebrate success as a team.
  • Hire the right people to fit with the culture of your business.
  • Appreciate and celebrate your team, not only in their professional goals but personal as well.
  • Make your workplace fun! Encourage laughter, and think of ways to help them blow off steam after a hard week.

Staff engagement is not just about a pool table and free coffee in the break room. More than an afterthought, it is something that should be a part of your company’s ethos and culture.

Modern workers are looking for meaning and purpose. Provide those things, and you will enjoy all the perks of a healthy, innovative and productive business.

Are you a bit stuck on how to instill this culture at your workplace? Then get in touch with us here at Spice HR. Encouraging great staff engagement is one of our specialties!

Our Spicey Perspective on the Domestic Violence – Victims Protection Act

We’ve recently heard some negativity around the new Family Violence legislation.  There seem to be concerns that this legislation is unnecessary, will end up being costly to employers, and is open to abuse, much like sick leave can be seen by some as an extra 5 days of leave, a given right.  Here’s our thoughts on this which will hopefully provide a little perspective.

The Statistics

Family Violence is a very real problem in New Zealand.  We have the highest rate in the developed world, our police attend around 200 family violence incidents a day, and despite this they estimate that only 18% of family violence is actually reported.  About half of the homicides and violent crime in NZ are due to family violence.

The Reality

However, people who are impacted by family violence mostly don’t talk about it.  It is extremely difficult for them to ask for help.  They often feel shame, and believe they are at fault.  If they have reached the point where they are asking for help, you can be sure they are pretty much at the end of their tether.

In terms of the risk of false claims, we believe this is extremely unlikely, mainly because of the stigma associated with family violence.  Whilst it’s true that some people fake illness in order to take sick leave, we believe the likelihood of people faking being a victim of family violence is minimal. For most people, this is as hard to imagine doing as lying about having cancer.  And remember, employers still have the right to ask for proof if they have genuine doubts.

We believe that in reality the impact on businesses will be minimal.  Certainly the businesses that already offer this support (e.g. The Warehouse Group and ANZ) report that employees do not lie about being victims of family violence.

More importantly though, what’s the impact if we don’t offer this support?  If you have provided a safe enough environment that someone being abused feels they can ask for help, your actions may end up saving their life.  If you don’t, one of your staff members could become another statistic.  It’s real.  These are your people.  Keep them safe.

If you’re keen to make this legislation change into a positive for your workplace, then feel free to get in touch with us here at Spice HR.  We can help you to establish a policy and processes that work for you.  Drop us a line today.

How to Complete Effective Performance Reviews

Do you groan when the time for performance reviews roll around?

You are not the only one!

Shocked? We didn’t think so. Managers and employees alike dread the traditional annual employee review, which has persisted throughout the business world for decades.

What might surprise you is that the traditional way of conducting staff reviews is not only a total drag, but it is ineffective, if not downright bad for business.

Research shows that a whopping 30 percent of performance reviews actually decrease employee performance. Oops!

But just because the old style of review has become irrelevant to a modern workforce, it doesn’t mean the process should be scrapped entirely. There are plenty of ways to reinvent and adapt your staff reviews so that they are quick, easy and infinitely useful for your employees and the business.

Here is what you can do…

 

How to Complete Effective Performance Reviews

Give Prompt and Regular Feedback

Scrap the idea that performance reviews should only happen once a year at a formal sit down. There are so many reasons this idea just does not work, such as:

  • It is difficult to summarise a whole year in one review, especially if items you want to discuss took place months ago
  • It is stressful for all parties
  • Feedback is commonly only from one person (who may be unwittingly biased)
  • There is little feedback or follow up during the year
  • Managers suffer from “the recency effect” (only recollecting events from the last few months rather than the entire year.)

Staff reviews should be about coaching and developing your staff, not just reviewing past performance. Employees want immediate feedback – even if it is negative. The quicker you can provide feedback, the more likely it is that you can change (or reward) behaviour – resulting in a higher performing individual.

 

Mix It Up

You don’t have to trash the entire concept of the annual staff review. When combined with regular informal catch-ups and slightly more in-depth quarterly conversations, it can be a valuable tool to sit down with your employee and renew their goals and aspirations for the year ahead.

Just make sure it is supplemented with those regular catch ups!

 

Ditch the Numbers

Trying to condense an entire person’s work ethic, success, challenges, goals and behaviours into a single number or rating is not only one-dimensional, but it is also ineffective. Numbers tell you very little about the growth or development of an individual.

Instead, focus on capturing information in a more expansive way. Don’t be limited by a score. The key is providing honest feedback on all areas of their performance. You can tell very little from a number on a page. But real constructive feedback can work wonders.

 

Keep It Positive

It is no surprise that 90 percent of employees are more motivated by positive feedback than “constructive feedback.” Managers who are afraid of conflict might save up all their unpleasant conversations to have at a performance review – preferring to get it all out of their system in one go. But a staff review should focus more on the good than the bad.

Take note of all the good things that your team do. Not just their work, but their attitude around the office, how they help their colleagues, even if they pitch in to clean up the break room. Positive reinforcement is really helpful and will help make performance reviews so much more manageable.

 

Look Forward, Not Backwards

If you are providing feedback to your staff on the spot as it is needed, then reviews can be used more as “previews.” Spend time with your employee creating goals and objectives, rather than spending an hour rehashing old material.

That switches the focus from the past to the future. Talk openly about their goals for the year if they want to upskill and if there is the chance of more responsibility and progression. They will leave feeling energised and ready to take on the year head.

 

Listen Don’t Lecture

This is a conversation between two people. And part of being a good conversationalist is to listen openly. Allow your employee to lead most of the discussion, and listen more than you speak. This shows them that you respect and value their opinion. It will ensure they feel a valued member of the team.

 

Include the Rest of the Band

Studies show that often, reviews and ratings are more reflective of the person doing the rating than the person being rated. Translated, that means the manager may have biases (even if they’re not aware of them). To avoid this, and get a well-rounded, more accurate insight into a person’s performance, bring in peers and other managers, or even request customer feedback for a 360-degree review.

 

If you are still groaning and scratching your head about the performance review process then feel free to get in touch with us here at Spice HR. We can help you to establish a review process that works for your workplace. Drop us a line today.

 

Using Emotional Intelligence To Become An Inspiring Leader

Today’s work culture is vastly different from that of only a few decades ago. The old-fashioned style of management is falling from grace, replaced with a more values-based system. This system favours leadership with a strong focus on emotional intelligence.

Gone are the days where a bullying “manager” inspired obedience through fear. Good businesses now understand that to be genuinely successful, leaders need to build trust, empathy, and respect.

While managers have people who work for them, leaders have people who willingly follow them. This may sound like a subtle difference, but it has a significant impact on morale, motivation, and productivity.

Let’s explore the difference and how you can make an impact with emotional intelligence at your workplace.

 

What is Emotional Intelligence?

To be able to use it well, you first need to know what it is! So, what is emotional intelligence?

In a nutshell, emotional intelligence is the maturity, insight and empathy required to effectively understand and manage your own emotions, as well as those of the people around you. Rather than flying off the handle in sticky situations, you can take a step back and avoid making emotionally charged decisions.

It is professionally thinking with your head, as opposed to being driven by your emotions. Good leaders have this quality and inspire their team to make good decisions also.

 

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important for a Leader?

Although technology has come a long way, most workers are not yet robots. Each individual requires a different approach. A good leader aims to inspire and motivate his or her team, know their strengths and weaknesses, and understands which approach works best to unlock each person’s full potential.

This is where emotional intelligence comes in. Identifying personality types, emotions, communication styles and getting buy-in can be achieved by using your skills of empathy and intuition.

However, it is not simply all about the feelings and emotions of others. Inspiring bosses lead by example. They are not afraid of tricky conversations or situations because they have the self-awareness and confidence to handle whatever is thrown at them.

The way you handle yourself will trickle down through your teams. Your management “flavour” dictates the overall flavour of the business. If you are spicy and hot-headed, your work environment will mimic this. Whereas if you are strong, yet calming – like a soothing cup of tea – the culture will eventually feed off this vibe and start to reflect it.

 

Management vs. Leadership

Now that you understand the concept of emotional intelligence, let’s look at how you can use it as a Leader in your workplace. There are very negative connotations around “management”. Managing and leading are two very different things.  From your own experiences, you may be able to identify with some (or all) of the examples below:

  • Managers may force people into following policies and getting things done. Leaders encourage people to believe in the journey.
  • Managers often toe the line and follow regulations to the letter. Leaders can think outside the box and aren’t afraid to try a different tack for the good of the team and the business.
  • Managers can choose to use the “carrot on a stick” technique to get results. Leaders inspire success by capturing people with their vision and helping them understand their role in the bigger picture.
  • Managers often feel the need to “micro-manage” people and projects, constraining creativity. Leaders understand the need to take a step back and trust in their team. They work to people’s strengths.
  • Managers may have an ego about needing to be the expert on everything, not allowing people to grow and shine. Good leaders know that passing the ball and letting other people’s experience and insights shine is crucial for the growth of not only the team, but the organisation.

It’s widely known throughout the business world that employees don’t quit companies, they quit managers and bosses! Take a look at your business and ask yourself: are you merely telling people what to do, or are you inspiring them to follow your lead?

Answering this question alone can be tricky. That is where the team here at Spice HR can help. Building a great workplace culture will encourage emotional intelligence and excellent team contribution. And that is exactly what we can help you do at your workplace. Get in touch with us today.