March: Leadership Content Roundup

Being an excellent leader requires you to continually improve and adapt to the changing workplace environment. During the month of March, many leadership blogs posted some great reading material, and in this month’s content roundup, we have gathered some of the best articles on leadership. Some of the topics included are

• Understanding differences in employees
• Managing stress as the boss
• What to include in your next leadership training
• The appropriate way to give feedback
• How to improve your leadership brand

To start becoming the best leader you can be, read the full posts below:

Leadership Lessons: Understanding and Appreciating Differences

This post from switchandshift.com explores how understanding and appreciating differences among members of your team is vital to your company’s success. No one employee is the same as any other; each person has different motivations and working styles. This article invites leaders to ask themselves three questions:

1. What would life be like if this were my work each day?
2. How would I feel if I were that employee, doing the tasks they do, earning what they earn?
3. How would I feel if I knew that the circumstances in my life made it so this is what I will be doing for the next five years of my life?

This is an important topic and offers some solid advice for individuals in a variety of leadership roles.

How to Manage Stress When You’re the Boss

Unfortunately, stress is just part of having a job; the two go hand in hand. But all too often, people focus the stress employees are under, forgetting to ask “What about the boss?” Leaders may be the ones experiencing intense pressure and stress, but how should they manage it? This article published on smartbrief.com gives people in leadership roles four things they can do to better manage their stress:

1. Take care of yourself
2. Get professional help
3. Consider taking medication
4. Build healthy relationships at work

Your Leadership Training Is Probably Missing These Two Components

There are many different types of leadership training out there, but  leaderchat.org says that most of them have one thing in common: they are failing to mention the two most important leadership styles. Scott Blanchard, principal and executive vice president with The Ken Blanchard Companies, says that leadership-training programs need to include more guidance on the coaching and supporting leadership styles. This article is a must-read for those looking to adopt a new leadership style in the workplace.

Companies Should Include Feedback Training in Onboarding

Being a leader requires you to manage your employees effectively, and part of being an effective manager is being able to give employees useful feedback. All too often, managers give feedback that simply isn’t helpful. This can be extremely damaging to the employer-employee relationship. If feedback needs to be given—regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative—there are strategic ways to meet that need. Hrbartender.com goes on to give the three characteristics of good feedback:

1. Be timely
2. Be specific
3. Be accountable

Following this advice could drastically improve the relationships you have with your employees.

Emotional Intelligence – The Secret to Leadership Success

Successful leaders often have at least one thing in common: Emotional Intelligence (EI). It is the dominant ingredient that sets them apart from other leaders. Leaders with well-developed EI

1. Are self-aware and understand their emotional triggers
2. Respond appropriately in challenging situations
3. Sense emotions in others and seek to understand if they don’t already
4. Manage and regulate their emotions for better influence and performance

The article provides advice for increasing Emotional Intelligence to help achieve performance goals.