An organization and the leader must be considerate before announcing any rules and policies within the system. It is very important to understand first and then implement any practice. While some may boost the employee morale, others may be a drawback and hinder the organization vision and mission statement. Here are a few things to consider ensuring better productivity.
Open door policy: An organization that has an open-door policy has better communication, enhanced trust, and motivated staff. This provides a platform for the employees to seek expert guidance and advice when required. But it is also essential to have a balanced policy as it may deteriorate the productivity of the senior leadership team due to hampered privacy to plan and chart strategies.
Structured but not strict: Rules are made to maintain discipline. Overdoing this can create a hostile environment for the employees. It takes away the sense of freedom and impacts creativity and innovation. Restrictions also have various repercussions like distrust, lack of engagements and hampered productivity. It is crucial to set reasonable rules and policies for the staff to have a balance.
Do not be a people pleaser: A leader who aims at pleasing people for gaining likeability and having a good image in front of others is often taken lightly and lacks in getting better results. Leadership is about leading people to what is best and not getting affected by their opinions. A leader may sacrifice their relevance and hamper results for short term satisfaction of the employees. The focus must always be on the bigger picture and right decisions must be taken at the right time.
Transparency: Transparency is a very powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal. It builds employees’ trust, makes them relate to you and helps the team to understand your vision better. It is proven highly impactful as it helps in building strong personal connections with your employees. It encourages them to go an extra mile for attaining the targets and setting newer benchmarks.
Key takeaways:
- Design policies which are best for both the parties – the employee and the employer
- Maintain a balanced approach for enabling creativity and innovation
- Support people but do not be a people-pleaser
- Ensure transparency to drive best results
By Vrutika Dawda, Director, IdeateLabs