There are many, many different schools of thought when it comes to leadership. Although some people seem to truly believe that “iron fist”, bottom-line obsessed approaches are the best, it is becoming clear that ruthlessness is not the only path to successful cooperation.
A happy employee is an efficient one
A study published in 2019 found that the happier a worker is, the higher their output was. Never before has the link between worker satisfaction and worker efficiency had such strong, scientific data to support that there is a causal relationship between worker happiness and output.
People, not profits
Leading by example is a skill that every leader has to learn regardless of their specific station. The actions that we take as leaders will affect the decisions of those who look to use for leadership, whether we like it or not. By making sure that our actions come from places of thoughtfulness, respect, and empathy, we can create a sort of locally viral kindness.
Practice makes permanent
By internalising and practising the ideals you want your employees or colleagues to exhibit, you can begin to shift or mould their behaviour. By placing special significance on tolerance, acceptance, and respect in your own work, you can cause it to appear in the work of your subordinates as well. They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all.
Jokes aside, this habit will help create a comfortable environment for employees, which will in turn help to boost their creativity. Even if your interests are purely selfish, it is beneficial to be basically nice.
Redefining success
Often times we define success as, more or less, financial success and little else. If we shift our goals from focusing solely on the finances to focusing more on equity, empathy, respect, and the work-life balance, we can actually wind up having an easier time meeting the first goal.
The drive to be as results-driven as possible is understandable, but happy workers are better workers. Therefore, by focusing on having happier workers, you wind up with a better workplace and better workers. It may seem counterintuitive, but it truly does appear that satisfaction-based leadership styles really are more effective than results-oriented approaches.