Sometimes, learning from administrative books and lectures can be challenging. The real difficulty lies in envisioning how to apply concepts in your own reality.
Terms like engagement, results delivery, empathy, transparency, dialogue, autonomy and productivity are frequently heard or read in discussions about business or public management.
But how do we put them into practice?
In the public sector, it’s important to recognise that products, services and results are not solely built by leadership but by the teams. So, what exactly are the duties of leadership? It boils down to making the lives of your teams as easy as possible. How can this be achieved? This article aims to address that question by exploring how to apply well-known concepts to enhance productivity and achieve results, starting with four key principles.
The four key principles
Empathy is the first and foremost principle. It’s crucial for your team to perceive you as someone who genuinely cares for them. This empathy shouldn’t just be a perception but a tangible reality.
A practical approach involves asking yourself: “How would I like to be treated in this situation?” For example, if facing personal challenges like a sick family member or health issues, one would appreciate a lighter workload during such periods.
And regarding results, it’s unrealistic to expect peak performance during such times. It’s important to remember that working in the public sector is akin to running a marathon rather than a sprint.
Transparency is the second principle. Every member aboard the metaphorical boat must understand where it’s headed.
Leaders must communicate clearly about expected results, their significance and how they align with the organisation’s strategic goals.
People are motivated when they feel a sense of belonging and understand the importance of their contributions to the organisation as a whole.
Openness to dialogue is the third key principle. Your team holds a wealth of knowledge, often more than you realise.
Many leaders mistakenly believe that communication flows strictly from top to bottom, but the reality is that it should often flow from the bottom up.
Being open to dialogue fosters continuous learning, with your team serving as the primary source of knowledge.
Autonomy is the fourth key principle. Leaders must be willing to share power, and autonomy is a manifestation of this principle.
By delegating control over budgets, allowing autonomy in recruitment and task deadlines and providing space for accomplishments, you empower your team.
Unlike in the past, where workers were merely cogs in a machine, today’s workforce desires to be involved in the entire project and to know that their contributions matter.
Commitment to the common good
Considering these key principles may lead to the misconception that a leader’s role is merely to be kind and pleasant to their team. However, the crucial aspect to seek within your team, or when recruiting new members, is the commitment to work. Ultimately, it’s this commitment that drives the machine forward and ensures that the team is dedicated to serving society and the common good. This commitment is a special skill often found more readily in the public sector.
If your team is committed to their work, they will perceive reductions in workload during challenging periods as your commitment to their well-being. They will view your transparency as a trait of someone who knows how to steer the ship and is open to being challenged.
They will feel comfortable sharing ideas on how to improve the products and services offered by your unit, knowing that you welcome dialogue. Moreover, they will embrace autonomy and strive to achieve results to the best of their ability. This is the role that a leader must embody to effectively manage a high-performance team.
This article is reproduced from Apolitical.
READ MORE:
