Peer to Peer Magazine

P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 13 interactions and communication. Highly developed emotional intelligence enables the self-aware professional to handle interpersonal situations judiciously and empathetically. Influential: Leadership is all about influence – it's as simple as that. Those who are naturally influencing others have a gift that can be utilized on projects big and small. Influencers are open to and can be strong agents of change. A Team Player: A true leader recognizes the value of teams. Patrick Lencioni focused on three virtues of a team player that lend themselves well to leaders in "The Ideal Team Player." Be humble, be hungry, be smart. Actively Engaged: Tap into those who step up to volunteer, who know details about their co-workers, who are interested in finding solutions to problems. These people are actively engaged and invested in the organization. Leading Outside the Office: Some work environments can make it difficult for a person to lead, so consider what someone is doing to step up outside the office. Earlier I mentioned serving others, and it's possible to serve our families, friends, community, church, industry, etc. A willingness to invest in others is a key indicator of a leader. 3 WAY S T O I M P R O V E E M P L O Y E E E N G A G E M E N T Best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides sage advice in "The Truth About Employee Engagement." He tells an interesting fable that brings to light three factors that affect an employee's engagement (I'm taking a positive twist): Recognition: Don't let your people come and go under the radar. Make sure they feel understood and appreciated. T I P F O R L E A D E R S : Get out there and get to know your employees. Connect with them on something personal. Do you know which sports Jim's kids play? Go find out. Relevance: People need to know that what they are doing makes a difference to someone…anyone. T I P F O R L E A D E R S : Encourage co-workers to share praise for others' work that improved their day, their customer's experience or other positive outcome. Measurement: Make sure every employee is measuring success related to their work. T I P F O R L E A D E R S : This doesn't have to be complicated or uniform. What does success look like for Jim? One of my favorite examples from the book was a drive-through employee who measured success by smiles. Starting to measure the smiles he received motivated him to improve his interactions with customers. A simple win-win! 1 2 3 A willingness to invest in others is a key indicator that you're a leader.

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