Leadership Best Practices Going Forward

I had a wonderful conversation with an outstanding leader yesterday. He was talking about the situation we are in today with so many working remotely and the strain of the financial pressures most of us face.

He has great insight and this leads me to write this short article as I believe we can all benefit going forward from what we are facing today.

First of all, let me offer that too often I feel leadership best practices are the attention of the most senior people in a company, yet one’s immediate manager may have the most influence on a person and the most effect on his or her morale. We’ve all heard that someone usually does not leave a company, they leave their boss.

Leadership best practices must be taught and monitored at all levels throughout a company.

In yesterday’s conversation, this leader, actually the CEO, is stressing that the people of the company must feel the “presence of their leadership”. That means good emotional intelligence and relationship awareness.

It means leading with empathy and frequent one-on-one conversations, asking how things are going for them and their family.

He is setting the example and encouraging the other executives and mid-level managers to lead with grace, letting their people know we care about them and their well-being, and that kindness is vital. After all, most are under stress, and kindness is motivating, which is a huge help during these difficult times.

These are certainly best practices of highly effective leadership every day of every year.