Relationships are everything, and great leaders know it.
A business built on material handling automation and equipment recruiting is more than the machinery, parts, and systems you rely on daily. Organizations like yours depend on relationships to deliver goods and meet goals.
Working in isolation produces limited results.
Today’s leaders must be relationship-driven. Employees are no longer motivated by someone’s title. They don’t care how much their manager knows until they know how much their manager cares. This concern extends to the job and even outside obligations.
Good leaders can influence employees to meet the organization’s goals, but that’s no longer enough. Regardless of the department in which they work, the most outstanding leaders receive recognition because of their leadership effectiveness. This effectiveness results from a new leadership mindset that fosters superior relationships among all stakeholders: employees, customers and investors.
How great leaders build relationships
If the secret leadership ingredient lies in relationships, how can you assure that you hire people who know how to build them? Recruiters have identified seven skills that successful leaders use to develop relationships within organizations and beyond.
Great leaders practice:
-
Visibility. Leaders don’t hide behind their desks. They’re on the floor or in the warehouse with their teams, where they listen to concerns and ask about ideas.
-
Collaboration. Success is the result of teamwork. Executives and managers know how to bring out the best in their teams.
-
Openness. Those who lead others are willing to have difficult conversations and seek solutions without blame.
-
Patience. Equipment breaks, delays slow shipments. Leaders who build strong relationships understand that things can – and will–go wrong.
-
Empathy– Listening to employees aids in improved communication and understanding. The ultimate goal is human sensitivity. and concern for overall well-being.
-
Positivity– People in leadership positions combat negativity with a positive outlook.
-
Gratitude– Being genuinely thankful and saying so builds up the team.
Hiring a great leader for any level in your organization means hiring for the leader’s relationships. Fostering relationships doesn’t stop there. Outstanding leaders maintain these relationships long after their employment ends.
