Senior Managers Shape the Workplace Culture

As a Senior Manager, your skills, attitudes and behaviours shape the workplace culture and influence team dynamics. You may have focused on upskilling your workforce, however, when was the last time that you refreshed your skills? In this article, we explore the benefits of investment in advanced leadership training.

Understanding Your Leadership Style

When was the last time you undertook training to develop your leadership style? As the manager, keeping your skills up to speed is a prerequisite for the development of your team. They can only reach their potential if you have created a workplace culture and leadership style that enables them to do so.

So, the first question is, what is your natural, or usual, leadership style? As a senior manager, you will be instinctively drawn to a certain approach, one that fits your personality and your past experiences of being managed.

You may not have defined your current leadership style recently and may feel the exercise is fruitless, however, self-awareness is important. This is because the techniques and communication used to manage others have a significant influence on their attitude and performance.

With an understanding of leadership style, it is easier to identify the strengths of that approach. It also brings awareness to times when the default position isn’t working and adaption is needed.

When to Adapt Your Leadership Style

Adaptions to your primary leadership style can be temporary; driven by a situation or employee that benefits from a different approach.

As an example, you may favour a Laissez Faire style, offering your team greater autonomy in how they work. Yet, an autocratic approach may be essential to deal with an emergency, such as a data breach. Do you adapt easily and how do your team respond to the change?

Equally, you will get more from your employees when you adapt your approach to best meet their needs. This is especially important if your business is to attract and retain a diverse team which includes individuals from different cultures, along with neurodiverse talent. I explore this in greater detail in my Are you Ready for the Next Leadership Challenge article.

Sometimes, a permanent shift is needed for personal and business growth. Management styles become outdated and change is the only way to create a desirable and productive company culture. This may not be an easy transition, yet it ensures you role model desired behaviours and influence positive change across the team.

Are you regularly frustrated because:

• Employees don’t meet your expectations?
• Precious time is taken up resolving employee conflicts?
• Your business receives negative feedback about the attitude of employees?
• Employee turnover is high?
• Productivity is low?
• The team are resistant to change?
• No one seems capable of using their initiative or making a decision?

Any of these points can indicate an issue with the workplace culture. Let’s turn the tables by developing more effective leadership styles through training and coaching.

How to Identify Your Leadership Style

So, we’ve established that understanding your current approach is valuable for identifying when it works and when it needs adapting, but how do you identify your leadership style?

Diagnostic Tools to Identify Leadership Preferences

In preparation for my Advanced Leadership Training, I ask all delegates to complete a DISC diagnostic profile. This helps to identify their preferred style and provides me with insight for tailoring the session to influence positive change. On several occasions, delegates have been surprised by the results, as they differ from their perception of how they manage.

Employee Feedback on Leadership Style

A further step is to ask your team for anonymous feedback. Does their perception of your leadership style match yours? You can also ask what works for them and if they have any suggestions for where improvements could be made. Use a variety of tools to collect feedback, including questionnaires, comment boxes and discussions to enable all employees to share opinions in a way that they feel comfortable and supported.

I can use the insight from diagnostic tools and employee feedback to inform training and, if required, coaching to learn new skills and provide practical advice that result in sustainable changes.

Advance Leadership Training

If you’ve prioritised staff training and have neglected your personal development, now is a good time to invest in Advance Leadership Training. This focuses on the necessary skills, qualities and mindset to effectively manage and motivate your team.

In partnership with Thrive, I am also offering a FREE 1-hour Managing Neurodiversity in the Workplace webinar, to outline approaches aimed at bringing out the best in your neurodivergent team members. This is a great first step in refreshing your leadership style.

If you have any questions about my leadership training, please get in touch at info@suegarner.co.uk or 07775 624724.