March 12, 2024 • 14 mins
We’re continuing with the #LeaderSHIFT series on the podcast this week. These episodes are very direct & to the point, where we'll talk about the different challenges leaders tend to face & how to shift into becoming an influential leader who leads a healthy culture & engaged team!
In this episode, I’m sharing how you can shift from resisting connection with your team to being a more relatable leader!
Need one-on-one help with your employee engagement plan? Schedule your complimentary clarity call with me here!
www.baproinc.com/ep157
Apply to join the New Leader, BIG IMPACT Coaching Program to level up your leadership & build an engaging team... even if the culture is toxic & without management's support!
https://baproinc.com/newleaderbigimpact
Questions about this episode? Topic suggestions for future episodes? Send them to culture@businessadvocatespro.com
Let's chat about this episode on Twitter: @BAPROINC or IG: @CultureBuildingPRO
The Culture Building like a PRO Podcast: Simple ways to transform your company culture... Today!
| Company Culture | Culture Building | Organizational Culture | Employee Engagement | Effective Leadership | Servant Leadership |
baproinc.com
In this episode, I’m sharing how you can shift from resisting connection with your team to being a more relatable leader!
Need one-on-one help with your employee engagement plan? Schedule your complimentary clarity call with me here!
www.baproinc.com/ep157
Apply to join the New Leader, BIG IMPACT Coaching Program to level up your leadership & build an engaging team... even if the culture is toxic & without management's support!
https://baproinc.com/newleaderbigimpact
Questions about this episode? Topic suggestions for future episodes? Send them to culture@businessadvocatespro.com
Let's chat about this episode on Twitter: @BAPROINC or IG: @CultureBuildingPRO
The Culture Building like a PRO Podcast: Simple ways to transform your company culture... Today!
| Company Culture | Culture Building | Organizational Culture | Employee Engagement | Effective Leadership | Servant Leadership |
baproinc.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Welcome to the Culture Building Like aPro podcast, helping small business owners and
managers lead a company culture where employeesare engaged to do their best work because
they want to and not because theyhave to. Now, let's jumpstart your
culture transformation with company culture strategists,leadership coach and trainer Deanna Applin. Happy
(00:28):
Tuesday, and thanks for listening tothe Culture Building Like a Pro podcast.
I'm Diana, and today we arecontinuing on with addressing some of these common
challenges that leaders face that don't gettalked about enough, but we're talking about
them here in our hashtag Leadershift episodes. The focus of these episodes is to
(00:51):
overcome these challenges and shift into thelevel of leadership that creates an impact and
influences excellence among you team. Somethingthat I used to hear and see very
often when I started working in generaland even as I approached my first leadership
(01:11):
role, and that was this notionthat you shouldn't be friendly with your team
if you have direct rapports, ifyou're a leader, they're supposed to fear
you, and you have to makesure that you aren't creating a friendship dynamic
because that will then enable your teamto look at you as a friend and
(01:37):
not get their job done. Now, while there should definitely be boundaries,
and I want to make sure I'mvery clear in stating this, there should
always be boundaries in a professional setting, especially between leaders and their team,
always, and you should establish whatthose boundaries are maintain a sense of professionalism
(02:02):
in the workplace, meaning that thedynamic of friendship isn't primary where professionals were
colleagues. However, this does notmean that you have to err on the
side of being feared to get thingsdone and not be friendly. There is
(02:23):
a difference the idea of being aleader who is feared by their team.
It may seem effective, but inreality it is simply a recipe for disaster
because fear based leadership damages trust,it stops your team from being creative,
(02:44):
and it creates a toxic and dysfunctionalwork environment. And true leadership isn't about
being feared. It's about being respected, trusted, and relatable. This is
how you create an impact, andthis is how you increase engagement with your
team. Having a connection with yourteam, which simply means building a relationship
(03:05):
with them, understanding and respecting themas people and not just job titles.
Being filled is crucial in leadership,and oftentimes because of things that we see
and other leaders that we've probably mirroredconsciously and unconsciously, we may end up
resisting connection with our team because wewant them to fear us, or we
(03:30):
may be confusing being respected as beingfeared. So in today's episode, we're
going to talk about how you canshift from resisting connection with your team to
being a relatable leader, and we'regoing to do this in five ways.
That first way is to build trustand authenticity. Trust is the foundation of
(03:57):
leadership and being relatable in leaders Sohere are some simple ways that you can
build trust with your team starting today. You don't have to wait until the
next quarter. Just simply be intentionalabout doing these things. Number one,
start active listening. Give your fullattention to your team when they speak.
(04:19):
It shows that you value their inputand that you are genuinely interested in what
they have to say. Also,be transparent. Be open and honest about
the decisions that you're making, thechallenges that you are, the team are
facing, and the overall direction ofthe team. Transparency also builds trust and
(04:40):
it fosters a sense of inclusion amongyour team. Also, be honest.
Admit when you don't have all ofthe answers or when mistakes happen. You're
not in your role to be asuperhero or to be free from falls.
You're human and being honest breeds authenticityand it helps strengthen the connection between you
(05:02):
and your team. And also,be vulnerable. Do not be afraid to
show your human side. Your teamwants to see you as a person,
and while this does not mean divulgingall of your personal secrets, it does
mean sharing your experiences, the challengesthat you are facing or that you have
(05:24):
faced in your journey, and alsoyour successes as well. Vulnerability creates a
space for authentic connections to flourish.The next area that's going to help you
shift from resistant connection to being morerelatable with your team is open dialogue.
(05:45):
Having clear and open communication is crucialwhen it comes to being relatable to your
team, and here are some waysthat you can do this. First,
have regular check in meetings. Schedulethese one on one conversations with each person
on your team to understand them ona personal level and address any concerns that
they may have. Next, getfeedback. Create a culture where giving and
(06:13):
receiving heavy on the receiving feedback isthe norm. It promotes open communication,
and it shows that you value yourteam's input and that you do something with
the input that they give you youact on it. Next, be empathetic.
Put yourself in your team's shoes.Focus on understanding their perspectives, their
(06:39):
challenges, and even their goals andaspirations. Even if you may not fully
agree with some of these things,understanding them is key and this helps build
your connection with them. And alsolistening more than you speak. Now.
I know we talked about active listening, but I really want you to un
(07:00):
understand that communication and having open dialoguehas more to do with what we are
receiving and hearing from our team versuswhat we're saying to them. The next
area that will help you shift fromresistant connection to being more relatable with your
team is to prioritize empathy and understanding. This is key in leadership, and
(07:28):
here's how you do it. First, practice empathy. I know we talk
about and I know I've said evenearlier to be empathetic and as we should,
but I want you to be intentionalabout empathy. Sometimes that's not a
muscle that people use often. SoI encourage you to practice being empathetic,
(07:53):
and the simplest way to do thatis to focus on removing you what your
agenda, what you'r your goal,what your desire is from a conversation and
focusing on the concern of your employeeand understanding their perspective. This allows you
(08:15):
to get underneath the surface and reallyfiltered down what is important to them,
What is it that they are challengedwith, what is it that they need
help with? That allows you toempathize with them more and help support them
in a specific area. Next,understand the individual needs of each person on
(08:37):
your team. Everybody is different,and the more you are intentional about understanding
the unique needs and challenges and evenopportunities of each person on your team,
you can build a more personalized approachin your leadership practices and how you interact
(08:58):
with them, which ultimately increases yourengagement with them and builds that relationship so
that you can lead them in away that's effective for them. The next
area that will help you be morerelatable in your leadership rather than resisting connection,
(09:18):
is to be adaptable and flexible,be open to change in your leadership,
and you can do that by onebeing simply willing to learn be teachable,
and this doesn't just mean in moreformalized ways that you maybe get coaching
or mentorship or take classes on yourown. Of course, do those things,
(09:39):
but also be willing to learn fromyour team, show them that you're
open to learning from them, embracesome of the ideas that they have and
encourage them to be creative and innovativeand their approach to the work that you
guys are doing and the vision thatyou're working towards. And also share real
(10:03):
life experiences that you have share withyour team, challenges that you face,
and how you've had to embrace changeto help inspire them to do the same.
This helps reinforce the importance of beingadaptable and use the challenges that you
guys are facing as a team,maybe with a certain project, maybe with
(10:24):
a new process, a new system, whatever comes up, but use these
instances as an on the job ina sense, on demand opportunity to embrace
change. And the last area thatyou can focus on that'll help you shift
from resistant connection with your team tobeing a more relatable leader is to invest
(10:46):
in your team's success, support yourteam's growth and development by providing opportunities for
development for them, offer training andcoaching opportunity. You can also encourage mentorship
and coaching opportunities, whether that's withan internal colleague or externally as well.
(11:09):
Take this a step further by understandingthe individual professional goals of each person on
your team, so that you canoffer opportunities for them to take on tasks
and projects that will help support themin the area that they want to grow
in, in an area that mattersto them, and also make sure that
(11:31):
you don't miss an opportunity to recognizetheir achievements. Another way that I encourage
you do this is by having amore collaborative approach to investing in your team's
success. So maybe something as informalas a team book club, if you
will, where you guys pass aroundcertain books that are related to the job
(11:56):
or certain skill sets and even softskills, which I think is a great
way to encourage growth, and yourotate them among the team. You guys
share thoughts and ideas about them,and as you take turns reading these books,
maybe each of you offer suggestions ofhow you can implement them on the
team. We don't have to beextreme with how we focus on investing in
(12:22):
our teams. We just need tobe intentional and make it collaborative, make
it relatable, and also don't missopportunities to recognize achievements of your team.
If someone finished a course, ifsomeone got their certification, if someone is
going back to school getting a degree, whatever the case is, or if
(12:43):
someone is simply taking on a particularproject on the job that requires them to
be very dedicated and give a lotof their time. To recognize these opportunities
and celebrate them forces your team's valueand their contribution to the team. If
(13:05):
this episode was helpful for you,please share it with someone else who you
think would also benefit from it.And if you have any questions for me,
or if you would like to shareyour biggest takeaways from this episode or
even add to this list of howyou've been able to be a more relatable
leader, please share that with me. And you could do so by leaving
(13:28):
an honest rating and review an Applepodcasts or sending me an email and that
addresses culture at Business advocatespro dot com, which of course is left in the
show notes. Remember that being arelatable leader is about fostering genuine connections,
building trust and relationship with your team, and more importantly, simply being someone
(13:52):
that your team can relate to ona human level without compromising professionalism. Trust
me, your team understands that youare the one leading them. They don't
need to fear you to get theirjob done. They just need to know
that you're on the same team asthem and you can relate to the things
(14:13):
that they're facing as a human aswell. They don't need you to be
without flaw. They just need toknow that they can come to you with
their flaws and it's a safe spaceto do so. Have a great leak
Welcome to the Culture Building Like aPro podcast, helping small business owners and
managers lead a company culture where employeesare engaged to do their best work because
they want to and not because theyhave to. Now, let's jumpstart your
culture transformation with company culture strategists,leadership coach and trainer Deanna Applin. Happy
(00:28):
Tuesday, and thanks for listening tothe Culture Building Like a Pro podcast.
I'm Diana, and today we arecontinuing on with addressing some of these common
challenges that leaders face that don't gettalked about enough, but we're talking about
them here in our hashtag Leadershift episodes. The focus of these episodes is to
(00:51):
overcome these challenges and shift into thelevel of leadership that creates an impact and
influences excellence among you team. Somethingthat I used to hear and see very
often when I started working in generaland even as I approached my first leadership
(01:11):
role, and that was this notionthat you shouldn't be friendly with your team
if you have direct rapports, ifyou're a leader, they're supposed to fear
you, and you have to makesure that you aren't creating a friendship dynamic
because that will then enable your teamto look at you as a friend and
(01:37):
not get their job done. Now, while there should definitely be boundaries,
and I want to make sure I'mvery clear in stating this, there should
always be boundaries in a professional setting, especially between leaders and their team,
always, and you should establish whatthose boundaries are maintain a sense of professionalism
(02:02):
in the workplace, meaning that thedynamic of friendship isn't primary where professionals were
colleagues. However, this does notmean that you have to err on the
side of being feared to get thingsdone and not be friendly. There is
(02:23):
a difference the idea of being aleader who is feared by their team.
It may seem effective, but inreality it is simply a recipe for disaster
because fear based leadership damages trust,it stops your team from being creative,
(02:44):
and it creates a toxic and dysfunctionalwork environment. And true leadership isn't about
being feared. It's about being respected, trusted, and relatable. This is
how you create an impact, andthis is how you increase engagement with your
team. Having a connection with yourteam, which simply means building a relationship
(03:05):
with them, understanding and respecting themas people and not just job titles.
Being filled is crucial in leadership,and oftentimes because of things that we see
and other leaders that we've probably mirroredconsciously and unconsciously, we may end up
resisting connection with our team because wewant them to fear us, or we
(03:30):
may be confusing being respected as beingfeared. So in today's episode, we're
going to talk about how you canshift from resisting connection with your team to
being a relatable leader, and we'regoing to do this in five ways.
That first way is to build trustand authenticity. Trust is the foundation of
(03:57):
leadership and being relatable in leaders Sohere are some simple ways that you can
build trust with your team starting today. You don't have to wait until the
next quarter. Just simply be intentionalabout doing these things. Number one,
start active listening. Give your fullattention to your team when they speak.
(04:19):
It shows that you value their inputand that you are genuinely interested in what
they have to say. Also,be transparent. Be open and honest about
the decisions that you're making, thechallenges that you are, the team are
facing, and the overall direction ofthe team. Transparency also builds trust and
(04:40):
it fosters a sense of inclusion amongyour team. Also, be honest.
Admit when you don't have all ofthe answers or when mistakes happen. You're
not in your role to be asuperhero or to be free from falls.
You're human and being honest breeds authenticityand it helps strengthen the connection between you
(05:02):
and your team. And also,be vulnerable. Do not be afraid to
show your human side. Your teamwants to see you as a person,
and while this does not mean divulgingall of your personal secrets, it does
mean sharing your experiences, the challengesthat you are facing or that you have
(05:24):
faced in your journey, and alsoyour successes as well. Vulnerability creates a
space for authentic connections to flourish.The next area that's going to help you
shift from resistant connection to being morerelatable with your team is open dialogue.
(05:45):
Having clear and open communication is crucialwhen it comes to being relatable to your
team, and here are some waysthat you can do this. First,
have regular check in meetings. Schedulethese one on one conversations with each person
on your team to understand them ona personal level and address any concerns that
they may have. Next, getfeedback. Create a culture where giving and
(06:13):
receiving heavy on the receiving feedback isthe norm. It promotes open communication,
and it shows that you value yourteam's input and that you do something with
the input that they give you youact on it. Next, be empathetic.
Put yourself in your team's shoes.Focus on understanding their perspectives, their
(06:39):
challenges, and even their goals andaspirations. Even if you may not fully
agree with some of these things,understanding them is key and this helps build
your connection with them. And alsolistening more than you speak. Now.
I know we talked about active listening, but I really want you to un
(07:00):
understand that communication and having open dialoguehas more to do with what we are
receiving and hearing from our team versuswhat we're saying to them. The next
area that will help you shift fromresistant connection to being more relatable with your
team is to prioritize empathy and understanding. This is key in leadership, and
(07:28):
here's how you do it. First, practice empathy. I know we talk
about and I know I've said evenearlier to be empathetic and as we should,
but I want you to be intentionalabout empathy. Sometimes that's not a
muscle that people use often. SoI encourage you to practice being empathetic,
(07:53):
and the simplest way to do thatis to focus on removing you what your
agenda, what you'r your goal,what your desire is from a conversation and
focusing on the concern of your employeeand understanding their perspective. This allows you
(08:15):
to get underneath the surface and reallyfiltered down what is important to them,
What is it that they are challengedwith, what is it that they need
help with? That allows you toempathize with them more and help support them
in a specific area. Next,understand the individual needs of each person on
(08:37):
your team. Everybody is different,and the more you are intentional about understanding
the unique needs and challenges and evenopportunities of each person on your team,
you can build a more personalized approachin your leadership practices and how you interact
(08:58):
with them, which ultimately increases yourengagement with them and builds that relationship so
that you can lead them in away that's effective for them. The next
area that will help you be morerelatable in your leadership rather than resisting connection,
(09:18):
is to be adaptable and flexible,be open to change in your leadership,
and you can do that by onebeing simply willing to learn be teachable,
and this doesn't just mean in moreformalized ways that you maybe get coaching
or mentorship or take classes on yourown. Of course, do those things,
(09:39):
but also be willing to learn fromyour team, show them that you're
open to learning from them, embracesome of the ideas that they have and
encourage them to be creative and innovativeand their approach to the work that you
guys are doing and the vision thatyou're working towards. And also share real
(10:03):
life experiences that you have share withyour team, challenges that you face,
and how you've had to embrace changeto help inspire them to do the same.
This helps reinforce the importance of beingadaptable and use the challenges that you
guys are facing as a team,maybe with a certain project, maybe with
(10:24):
a new process, a new system, whatever comes up, but use these
instances as an on the job ina sense, on demand opportunity to embrace
change. And the last area thatyou can focus on that'll help you shift
from resistant connection with your team tobeing a more relatable leader is to invest
(10:46):
in your team's success, support yourteam's growth and development by providing opportunities for
development for them, offer training andcoaching opportunity. You can also encourage mentorship
and coaching opportunities, whether that's withan internal colleague or externally as well.
(11:09):
Take this a step further by understandingthe individual professional goals of each person on
your team, so that you canoffer opportunities for them to take on tasks
and projects that will help support themin the area that they want to grow
in, in an area that mattersto them, and also make sure that
(11:31):
you don't miss an opportunity to recognizetheir achievements. Another way that I encourage
you do this is by having amore collaborative approach to investing in your team's
success. So maybe something as informalas a team book club, if you
will, where you guys pass aroundcertain books that are related to the job
(11:56):
or certain skill sets and even softskills, which I think is a great
way to encourage growth, and yourotate them among the team. You guys
share thoughts and ideas about them,and as you take turns reading these books,
maybe each of you offer suggestions ofhow you can implement them on the
team. We don't have to beextreme with how we focus on investing in
(12:22):
our teams. We just need tobe intentional and make it collaborative, make
it relatable, and also don't missopportunities to recognize achievements of your team.
If someone finished a course, ifsomeone got their certification, if someone is
going back to school getting a degree, whatever the case is, or if
(12:43):
someone is simply taking on a particularproject on the job that requires them to
be very dedicated and give a lotof their time. To recognize these opportunities
and celebrate them forces your team's valueand their contribution to the team. If
(13:05):
this episode was helpful for you,please share it with someone else who you
think would also benefit from it.And if you have any questions for me,
or if you would like to shareyour biggest takeaways from this episode or
even add to this list of howyou've been able to be a more relatable
leader, please share that with me. And you could do so by leaving
(13:28):
an honest rating and review an Applepodcasts or sending me an email and that
addresses culture at Business advocatespro dot com, which of course is left in the
show notes. Remember that being arelatable leader is about fostering genuine connections,
building trust and relationship with your team, and more importantly, simply being someone
(13:52):
that your team can relate to ona human level without compromising professionalism. Trust
me, your team understands that youare the one leading them. They don't
need to fear you to get theirjob done. They just need to know
that you're on the same team asthem and you can relate to the things
(14:13):
that they're facing as a human aswell. They don't need you to be
without flaw. They just need toknow that they can come to you with
their flaws and it's a safe spaceto do so. Have a great leak
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