11/3/10
According to Jill Geisler, head of the Leadership and Management Group at Poynter, workers trust, respect, and follow the best leaders and managers not just because they’re smart and have influence. It is also due to specific things they do that workers truly value. Great leaders have worked hard to earn their followers’ trust, and they also never, ever take it for granted. Trust comes when workers see a clear, healthy correlation between a leader’s values and his/her actions. Three leadership behaviors workers never forget are:
- How a leader apologizes—Apologies should be sincere, specific, and public when needed. Leaders who admit and apologize for their errors are deemed as stronger.
- How a leader handles a worker’s error—Great leaders know a first-rate worker regrets an honest mistake. The leader listens to and speaks with the worker to learn what caused the error, how to avoid again it in the future, and how to best handle it now.
- How a leader responds to an important personal life event—Workers never forget when their leader supports them in both joyful and tragic situations such as funerals, weddings, child’s illness, etc.
