Are You A Happy Leader?
High-Growth Leaders Help Their Teams To Succeed.
Evidence of positive psychology has shown that happiness does have a return on investment. We call it the Return On Happiness (ROH).
In multiple keynotes and training sessions I have conducted on how leaders can make a difference for their people, most leaders mention that happiness is only a good-to-have and not a must-have. I choose to disagree for one simple reason — happiness does translate into high performance at the workplace.
People who decide to stay or leave usually ask themselves, “Am I happy following this leader?” The conclusion is simple — if the leader is happy, he or she attracts happy people, and you have a happy team that performs.
Of course, life is not a bed of roses every day — sometimes, we need to sleep on thorns. But the benefit of a happy team is apparent. A happy team walks the extra mile and gets things done with the team in mind because the leader takes care of his or her people. Here are three beliefs happy leaders should have.
Build People, Not Business.
We tend to look at the equation the other way around. An age-old assumption is that if the business is doing well, we will have the resources and time to build people.
All small or big businesses require good people to drive performance. Without good people on board, organizations will lose people faster than they can recruit, and the vicious cycle continues.
I know a former general manager in a hotel chain who was a relationship builder. He knew when frontline staff took their annual leave and specifically for what purpose. He even knew all the frontline staff by name. On one occasion, he asked one of the employees if she took leave to attend her daughter’s one-year-old birthday party. The employee was astonished that he knew that.
This leader is someone who knows how to build people. He does not just expect a good work performance but shows the human side of being a leader.
When he left, he was replaced by a new general manager whose philosophy was solely about business profit. Employee morale took a big dip over time, and business margins suffered. This leader forgot that people are the business.
Build Opportunities. Not Policies.
Happy leaders understand that all people want opportunities to grow in their careers. A happy leader is not too concerned about trying too hard to retain people but believes that if they can help their people to grow in their careers, investing time to coach and mentor them to success, people would naturally want to stay on longer.
Happy leaders want to make a difference in the lives of those who work with them. They want to see their people succeed because when that happens, they succeed too. A happy leader understands that everyone wants to be allowed to grow in their career, just like themselves in their early years.
A happy leader is not concerned about trying too hard to retain people. Still, their firm belief is that if they can help their people grow and prosper in their careers, investing time to coach and mentor them to success, people would naturally stay on longer to value-add.
Happy leaders want to make a difference in the lives of those who work with them. In my work with leaders, It is a hard truth that finding more leaders willing to pass on whatever they know and groom younger talents nowadays is challenging.
A happy leader is fond of seeing their people succeed. Because when their people succeed, they succeed too.
Build Mindset. Not Habits
A happy leader continually challenges their people beyond what they can do. They believe in building a growth mindset and not a fixed mindset. Stretching people beyond their baseline helps them to see possibilities and challenge personal limits.
Happy leaders expect a high standard from their people. They understand, empathize, and celebrate success and failure because they know failures will help their team grow and evolve.
Are you a happy leader? Are your people willing to stay with you during tough times?
This is Joseph@RISEUP Signing Off.
May You TRANSFORM, FLOURISH AND PROSPER in the brand new world!
#riseup #riseupglobal #humanleadership #SHOWUP #motivation #happy
