Real Leaders Don't Boss (13 page)

Embracing experimentation and intelligent risk-taking.

Embracing diversity and finding new ways to touch new audiences.

Listening to the marketplace en route to finding the right place.

In today's global, 24/7 economy, leaders must learn to connect with their employees, on-site and off, in different, and often more visible, ways. As with Simqu of Sage Publications, a CEO or team leader must spend more time visiting with employees in far-off places. That means meeting in large, as well as small, groups, and then eliciting and listening to ideas, suggested improvements, and concerns. A “suggestion box” isn't enough, either. Real leaders make time for real communication.

It is essential that a leader fully understand the needs of his or her people in order to maximize success on the job. Unlike his or her traditional in-house counterpart, a geographically distant leader does not have the opportunity for daily, in-person observations to make sure everything runs smoothly. Staff must have the right work environment with the right equipment to do the job. That includes the latest possible technological tools that make it easier to stay connected. In addition, leaders of a disparate workforce shoulder the inherent responsibility of making very sure that employees and middle
managers—in-house or remote—clearly understand stated goals, strategies, expectations, and assignments.

The best leaders also genuinely connect with employees by showing their human side. Leadership, after all, is about relationships with others, and those relationships are essential to promote workplace culture and strengthen trust, which, in turn, increases productivity. Real leaders pay attention to employees' human needs, too.

Other important aspects of leading successfully in today's evolving workspaces include:

Adapting to differing demands or varied meetings that cross time zones. For example, one meeting may be an important special event celebrating a team's recent success, and the next meeting might be a very challenging encounter with investors, both involving participants across different time zones.

Maintaining what Simqu refers to as “calendar integrity”—doing what you say you'll do when you say you'll do it. Too many CEOs scratch meetings with employees at the last minute because the previous meeting ran longer than expected. That kind of disregard can quickly erode employee trust, because it conveys the strong message the employee is less important to the leader than other audiences.

Drafting your major messages yourself instead of turning the responsibility over to speechwriters or assistants. Once the message is established, at least in the form of ideas and a first draft, it may then be appropriate to hand it off to an expert or assistant to finalize.

Ensuring human resource staff are effective communicators and know how to work with employees off-site and on. Too many HR types don't know the difference and often are ineffective in working with employees off-site, especially when it comes to technology. IT staff need to be effective communicators, too, when remote or off-site workers are involved.

Being tech-savvy. Real leaders today—young, old, and in between—must learn to capitalize on all the communication means they have available, including social media such Twitter and Facebook, texting, Skype, and other teleconferencing methods. Leaders must take advantage of all this to stay in touch with employees, markets, communities, and key constituencies. As part of that, it is also essential to know the preferred forms of communication for immediate staff.

Ensuring that both remote and in-house employees receive the training they need to utilize these new technologies.

Being sure communications expectations and standards are clear and set up front. Don't leave response times to chance. Make certain everyone is on the same page as to how he or she is required to communicate with the home office and the leader, how often, and what feedback is required.

When we think of the military, we often imagine camouflage-clad soldiers on patrol amid the dust of Iraq or Afghanistan, rolling across the desert in caravans of Humvees. Hollywood movie images of military leadership are often overly
macho and violent, and oversimplify the leadership principles that are practiced throughout the military's complex missions around the world.