The best leaders in any organization encourage their employees’ hearts. This is one of the five practices of exemplary leadership shared by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in the book, The Leadership Challenge, 5th Edition.
We encourage the hearts of our employees when we recognize their efforts and contributions to the organization. We acknowledge their individual contributions as well as the contributions they make within their work group, project team, department or division. We celebrate their successes and ensure that they understand how those successes have contributed to the welfare of the company. We provide them what they need to be successful and to contribute to the organization – training, opportunity to attend conferences, mentors, a vision of the future and time to be creative and innovative. Create a spirit of community by acknowledging and sharing the successes and contributions of others through a variety of ways – posters in the hallway, a write up in a company newsletter, a public letter from the CEO, etc.
It isn’t difficult to do; but too often leaders forget that what makes the organization successful is not just the leadership – but the people overall – those individuals who come to work each day and enable for business success. The employees who answer customer calls, deliver the mail, provide technology support, etc. – these are the individuals we should be recognizing and encourage every day.
Thank you for your comment Vince, and for reading. It doesn’t take much to do; but is of such value to the employees. A little bit of appreciation goes such a long way!
Encouraging the heart should be a daily activity of every leader-manager. There are leadership and management roles that we all need to exercise. The key to encouraging the heart is the authenticity of the recognition. When leader-managers act from the heart, they encourage the heart of those with whom they interact.