Everything changes. It’s human nature to take what we have and innovate to make it better than before, and how business leadership is with its employees is no different. The expected mindset of leaders in 2020 is much different from decades ago; leaders are expected to view their employees as people, rather than another resource to use and push to the limit. Establishing empathy in your leadership practices is a good first step in innovating the way leadership is practiced in your company.
Give regular performance reviews.
Performance reviews are an expectation now, rather than a perk. As an employee helps your company, they expect your company to help them develop and assist them to be their best possible self. This means giving your employees regular feedback as opposed to annual reviews, as it’s impossible to have a thorough and meaningful evaluation once a year.
Remove hierarchy and status in the workplace.
This no longer works. Having a boss who leads through fear or overexerting power will only lead to dissent or apathy in your workplace, which in turn can lead to a higher turnover rate. People instead respond well in a working environment where they feel safe and appreciated, like equals to their leadership team as opposed to subordinates. This will let your employees grow into their own and, ultimately, produce the best results in their work.
Cut down on meeting times.
This doesn’t mean to eliminate meetings altogether. Shorter meetings are more productive in the long run than meetings that run for hours or take up most of the day. Technology allows quick and easy collaboration and communication. While it’s still important to get together and meet face-to-face, needing to do so for a shorter amount of time will allow more work to get done.
Invest in the best technology.
Having old technology doesn’t cut it anymore. People (especially Millennials) expect to be working with the best technology. Having up-to-date tech will attract talent and allow them to reach their highest potential and best performance.
Partner with other companies and clients.
It’s okay to learn from others. More likely than not, you’ll be hiring on someone at one point whose specialty is in a specific niche, and to get the best results from this collaboration, you need to treat this specialist as a partner. That means being open and fair with them and respecting their own business practices, as well as learning from one another through your partnership.