Happy New Year!
2024 has been quite a year at My Smart HR. We’ve worked with the most amazing clients, accomplished a lot of new things, grew our team, supported fantastic leaders, and experienced leadership transformations in our Academy. We also weathered some pretty significant and unexpected storms that had us running faster than we planned. All that to say – it’s been a while since we’ve connected with all of you. As we move into 2025, our focus on leadership will increase, with new programs and direction, and better than ever support for the emotional labour business leaders put into their work for the benefit of their teams. We’re excited about new opportunities and focus so, stay tuned for more news on this.
It’s been said “people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” Inversely, 80% of employees stay working at jobs where they have a great relationship with a strong manager. Working with a great leader can have a transformative impact on individuals, benefiting their personal and professional lives in meaningful ways. As leaders are progressing through the new year, it’s a great time to reflect on the impact you have on your team members. When you lead well, you give your team the gifts of growth, engagement, career development, job satisfaction and happiness.
If you’ve never considered how to measure your impact, consider these “signs” that you’re leading people on your team well.
#1 Productivity – your team member consistently meets or exceeds performance expectations and tasks are completed efficiently, with fewer errors and higher quality outputs.
#2 Job satisfaction – they express satisfaction with their role and enthusiasm for their work and demonstrate a positive attitude toward the workplace.
#3 Skill development – you see them growing in their skills, taking on more complex tasks with confidence and seeking opportunities to actively apply new knowledge
#4 Accountability – individuals take ownership of their responsibilities, showing initiative and reliability and handle tasks independently, reducing the need for micro-oversight.
#5 Positive work relationships – you see higher collaboration with their colleagues, fostering strong professional connections and demonstrating increased empathy and teamwork skills.
#6 Engagement – team members are motivated to contribute, actively participate in meetings, discussions, and decision-making processes and show commitment to the team’s success.
#7 Willingness to take on challenges – they step outside their comfort zones to tackle new challenges or assume leadership roles and exhibit confidence in problem-solving and decision-making.
#8 Strong communication – the team communicates openly with their manager and colleagues, articulate ideas, listen, and provide feedback, which fosters transparency,
#9 Increased confidence – the individual displays self-assurance in their abilities and decision-making and approaches tasks and responsibilities with a sense of empowerment.
#10 Positive feedback from others – peers and subordinates acknowledge the individual’s contributions and positive influence on them; customers or external stakeholders may also express satisfaction with the individual’s work.
#11 Alignment with organizational values – their actions and behaviors reflect the organization’s mission, vision, and culture and they embody the principles and standards encouraged by the leader.
Here’s a way to apply this information to give you a clear picture of how well you’re leading your team. Use this matrix to rate yourself from 1 (low) to 10 (high). For each team member, assess how well they are exhibiting the attributes listed. Are there areas where scores are lower? Is there a pattern or a theme? How can you level up your leadership next year to bring those scores up and create a more positive, engaged, accountable, confident team?
Click here to download a template of the full version!
Speaking of Impact . . .
Is there a current (or emerging) leader on your team who could benefit from support and training to grow their leadership skills in a supported cohort environment? If you’d like to learn more about how our transformative Leadership Academy will pay dividends for your leaders and your organization, please reach out to [email protected] or 250-661-29098 to talk about whether the Smart Leadership Academy is a fit for you. We’re currently recruiting for our Fall 2025 Academy cohort.
