As a leader or a business owner, you’re in charge of paving the way for a healthy and productive company culture. It’s not always that easy, though, and especially not when you need to make a dozen people follow your lead and listen to all of your well-meant advice.
Make it a bit easier for yourself by having a look at the tips below. That way, you’ll be in the right position to understand what it takes to improve your company’s culture for the better – and ensure that your employees look to you as a likable and respected leader.
Here is a handful of advice on becoming the kind of boss you’d like to be so that the culture in your workplace continues to contribute to productive days at work.
First: Get to know them
A few decades ago, employers tried to be respected rather than liked. Whatever happened in between, whether they loathed them or feared them, wasn’t really important as long as the employees respected his authority. Luckily, times have changed, and we’ve found that it is much easier to lead a team if they like you as a person.
Try to get to know your employees on a personal level, and set time aside during your workday to chat with them and hear how their day has been.
It doesn’t really matter if you feel like you hardly have time for chit-chat; this is a part of your job when you’re a leader, and you should go out of your way to be friendly with your team and make them understand that they are looked after.
Next: Lead the way
While your team should like you even though you’re their boss, you should also try to keep in mind that you need to lead the way when you’re looking for a change. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to make the workplace a bit greener or if you’re trying to beat an unhealthy workplace culture; nobody will change their behavior unless you lead the way first.
Set a precedence for a no-drug culture, for example, by introducing a mouth swab drug test once in a while. That way, you’re ensuring that nobody shows up intoxicated for work, and you can feel confident that you’re looking after the health of all of your employees.
Drug use may be an indicated of a bigger issue with the employee and, while you should keep your judgement out of the picture, it’s a good idea to have a chat with the employee and make sure that they have someone to talk to about their problem.
Bond outside of work
Last but not least, it’s important to keep in mind that the relationships your team is building outside of work will have a big impact on how well they thrive in the workplace.
Initiate some team-building experiences from time to time, and treat them to a surprise lunch on the company – they will definitely get closer, as a team, and even enjoy coming in to work a bit more.