Leadership training is essential in creating a workplace that fosters positivity, opportunities for growth, and an inclusive environment. As common as it should be, the amount of money that businesses put toward leadership training actually decreased from 2019 to 2020, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, only five percent of businesses overall grant their employees leadership training. Studies also show that more than half of millennials feel that they have not received proper training in regard to leadership to develop their skills. There is reason to draw the conclusion from the statistics that workers are not wanting to grow within a company because their leadership teams are not providing adequate education on leadership opportunities or leadership training.
Part of leadership training involves informing employees on the leadership opportunities available within a company, aside from management-specific positions. These positions could include roles such as Supervisor, Team-Lead, Assistant, and more. Letting employees know they can make an impact in a different leadership position could increase their interest in taking on those types of roles.
Increasing the education of leadership opportunities and leadership training as a whole will have a positive impact on stress levels of employees, communication between employees and leadership, and better performance of team members and those in leadership roles.
Here are five ways leadership training can improve the workplace:
Boost Morale
A good leader is someone who empowers people to be leaders themselves, even if they do not hold an official title. Employees want to be confident that their leaders have their best interests at heart and want them to succeed. Simply providing leadership training can cause employees to feel this way, which then boosts overall morale. Ways to do this include:
- Coaching sessions
- One-on-one discussions
- Constructive feedback
- Performance Evaluations
Create a Sense of Urgency in Performance
A good leader is someone who takes advantage of every moment presented to them. Getting a task accomplished in the moment makes it twice as likely to create positive results. Employees form habits as they observe the behavior of their immediate leader. That is not to say that simply moving fast will make things better, but working with urgency demonstrates that accomplishing tasks faster and with the utmost importance results in higher achievement rates. Ways to demonstrate this include:
- Coaching in the moment
- Not delaying important tasks
- Forming a set of duties and then following them
- Working collaboratively
Form Positive Relationships
A good leader does not only possess leadership skills, but also emotional intelligence. Diffusing uncomfortable situations is essential to forming positive relationships with clientele and employees. People without a high level of emotional intelligence cannot employ the necessary communicative tools to aid in these problematic situations. These tools include:
- Self-reflection
- Awareness of social surroundings
- Communication techniques
- Awareness of opportune teachable moments
Decrease Turn-Over Rates
Employees can resign for a variety of reasons, but burnout is one of the most common ones. Burnout can steam from exhausting oneself from work responsibilities due to poor leadership decisions. Consequences of burnout can include losing hard-working employees who believe they have not been treated fairly. Your employees are much less likely to depart with their current line of work if you do the following:
- Exhibit Empathy
- Proper delegation of tasks
- Communicate achievable expectations
- Listen to grievances and feedback
Increase the Desire for Career Growth
Your employees will act as a mirror of the example being presented to them. Your employees will start showing interest in you when you start showing interest in them. Showing interest could be listening to them when they air their frustrations or letting them know you want them to succeed, but should eventually transfer into actively implementing leadership training. They deserve to know their opportunities, along with what they can improve upon.
Count on Action Coach for All Your Leadership Training Needs!
Remember that employees are never done being trained – they are training as they watch you and listen to you. Their skills can always be further developed, or worse, they can further deteriorate.
Leadership training does not have to be as formal as you think. Leadership training can be implemented naturally by setting a good example and practicing proper work ethic or by spontaneously making them aware of a teachable moment. The approach to the situation is what matters the most, and the five reasons above show the positive results from leadership training and how to attain those results.
To get help with your own leadership training issues, contact Action Coach today!