Why good leadership matters

Quite obvious, really. Leadership matters. Good and bad and it is often said that there is one constant in life, that there will always be change and change matters. Leadership too. Leadership matters.

Bad leadership usually leads to a toxic work environment, poor morale, poor work ethic and a miserable, dysfunctional and unmotivated workforce. Leaders should lead from the front and lead by example. If your ‘leader/manager/director’ doesn’t roll up their sleeves and likes to spend time with a big proverbial stick then that mentality is going to filter down to a toxic work environment.

Leadership is about making a difference for other people and when a leader fails, their people fail too. Leadership matters because people matter. It has always been that way and as long as there are people to lead, it always will be that way.

If it's positive leadership, however, with a leader taking the view that they are actually there to support their team. Then they will lead with modelling an example of how they want everyone to operate within the business and work to actively listen, support, inspire and reward their workforce. Again, that mentality is going to filter down and a positive, proactive and productive culture be created.

Good leadership can also be about representation. For example, if your leader in your organisation is an old white man with little to no experience of working in a call centre then how can he possibly lead a call centre team who are predominantly female and racially diverse? A team needs a leader who is representative of them and their role and understands through experience what they need to be successful in their role. A good leader should be aspirational.

According to an article in The Guardian, data shows that companies with female leaders outperform those dominated by men. Companies with more than 30% female executives were more likely to outperform companies that don’t, according to research from academics from the Universities of Glasgow and Leicester.

Aspirational representation matters in creating a successful workforce.

Alongside this, a clear quality of good leadership is authenticity. Forbes agrees “In addition to being authentic about yourself, leaders should realise the importance of being open and honest about the state of their organisation, current and future. Leaders should be clear and candid in their communication to give everyone an accurate assessment of what's going on and what's needed to improve. This openness and authenticity creates understanding and direction, and it minimises the chaos of uncertainty.”

Leadership matters because no one and nothing comes to success without it. Think about it, virtually every great accomplishment has at its core, solid leadership. When everything is going well it is leadership that keeps people from getting complacent, celebrates those successes and uses the time to build upon triumph. When things are going poorly it is leadership that rights the ship, it is leadership that sets the new course and it is leadership that provides hope and finds what it can to reflect on what went right and wrong, learn and grow.

Harvard Business Review agrees .. “when managers ignore emotional culture, they’re glossing over a vital part of what makes people—and organisations—tick. They may understand its importance in theory but can still shy away from emotions at work. Leaders expect to influence how people think and behave on the job, but they may feel ill equipped to understand and actively manage how employees feel and express their emotions at work. Or they may regard doing so as irrelevant, not part of their job, or unprofessional.”

If you are wondering how to get talented natural leaders for your business or organisation, speak to Auxeris and we will work with you to find you the talent. We are a tech enabled recruitment business with specialist recruiters who have a wealth of experience and knowledge of their sectors. They have competently recruited across many roles and in temp, temp to perm and permanent roles. Get in touch today for an initial discussion.