How comfortable is your throne? - Dr Zaffran

A good leader should be visible within his or her organisation so sealing yourself away in an ivory tower is not a good idea.

No matter how busy you are you should always stay visible within your organisation, across departments and among your team.

This is not to say that you dramatically change your management style, or do away with delegating, but just make your presence known on a regular basis. This shows everyone who needs to be shown that you understand, and are interested in them, and the day to day workings of the company, as well as focusing on the bigger picture.

A good leader will take the time to get to know their staff for they are the life blood of any organisation. This will help to eliminate the ‘them and us’ culture which can often exist between senior management and their staff.

If you do this, people you work with will feel more motivated by knowing you take an active interest in them and their department.

It also gives you the opportunity to thank your staff and to share your hopes and visions with them, ask some simple questions, it gives you a personality and a connection that for a moment is on a personal level with them.

But with the benefits that visibility brings there is also the need to follow through with action, this shows that as well as just listening and paying lip service to their concerns, now you’ve learnt about the issues that are affecting people, you are actually making positive changes.

Know the pulse of your organisation.

Motivate your team so they feel like the management cares, that they can make a difference as a team, and as individuals.

Break down barriers and you identify opportunities…from here on you’ll see the difference.