Language and the power of positive leadership

As a manager it is your role, indeed your duty, to set a good example to our team. Giving clear direction, assistance and feedback to employees; enabling them to be the best they can, for the benefit of the client, themselves and the business! So why is it that some managers get amazing results from their employees and others achieve only moderate or no real progress? Because some people are great leaders! They have the magic combination of listening, guiding and giving recognition. So what if you are not a born leader, can you learn these skills? Yes you can become a good leader and a positive communicator. It’s not what you say – it’s the way that you say it! It is commonly knowledge that it’s not only the words that you use, but the way you say them that matters. The most consistent statistics on how communication is received, reports:

• 55% of what you say is body language
• 38% tonality
• And only 7% are the words you use!

Language of success Taking the facts into consideration you can see how, by using empathy in your tone, you could help a situation. Or how an inflection of enthusiasm can encourage engagement from the recipient. A physical gesture to emphasise a point or the touch of a reassuring hand can make for a more powerful style of communication. Recognition for a job well done can stoke the imagination and spirit of an individual, which can easily become infectious as you share your positivity through good leadership and thoughtful communication! What makes a good communicator and effective manager? A good manager will (amongst other things):

• be positive
• give clear direction
• be supportive
• listen
• seek feedback
• give feedback
• work to resolve conflict
• expect and communicate outcomes
• be open about levels of performance
• be aware of the team’s wellbeing
• actively develop staff
• give recognition
• smile
• lead by example
• be proactive
• speak clearly
• study management and leadership to bring new and exciting tools to their team

These are just a few of the things great leaders must do to guide their team to become a great team. Return on Investment - ROI Is it worth all of the effort, absolutely, even a little feedback can have a significant impact on our business. A recent Employee Engagement Study (by Globoforce Mood Tracker in 2012) showed that frequent recognition equated to better engagement:

• Employees who were last recognised within six months responded with 56% engagement
• Employees who were last recognised more than six months ago had only 33% engagement.

Invest in yourself, to help your team grow and your business to prosper! Ian Egerton , ICO Management Services                 www.SalonPerformance.net