A blog post from Nils Clausen, CMEPP CEO
What I’ve learned over the years is that leadership wisdom is hard won and takes time. The thinking I had as a leader ten years ago, five years ago, even one year ago has changed. There’s no catch-all rule book on mastering the management of a growing and dynamic organization. Just like a captain of a ship, when the winds change, you need to alter your course and maintain a steady hand on the rudder to achieve your destination.
My approaches are always evolving, but they got a jump start after our recent Café (Town Hall with a focus on employee input). Some takeaways:
- Create the opportunity for feedback – saying you have an open door isn’t enough. Build the platform and open the gates for specific and open-ended discussion. Feedback is like the wind – your sails need to be open and positioned properly to catch as much as possible.
- Employees want to hear about the strategic plan and company direction but at this kind of forum, the majority of the time should be dedicated to employee input. Your ship will reach its destination much faster if everyone knows what course has been plotted.
- Providing education courses and budget for learning and development is good but isn’t enough. Employees consistently say they learn the most from each other. Find ways to make that happen. The crew of any ship must support and learn from each other or mishaps and accidents happen.
- Never stop communicating within and across the organization – whatever you’re doing now probably isn’t enough.
- Socializing is crucial – it creates connection and community, vital ingredients in a positive company culture. Work is work and there have to be fun moments as well.
If I don’t consistently listen to our employees (crew), I will not be a good leader (captain) and will not get our organization (ship) to where we need to go. Even as I continue to adjust my leadership strategies, I’m so grateful for their input and ideas. Our Cafés are essential and I look forward to even more of them.
