How Can You Find the Hidden Leaders in Your Organisation?

Leadership skills training is an important part of preparing future company leaders for the role, but how do you identify who those leaders are? Sometimes an employee's leadership qualities are obvious, but that's not always the case.

Defining the Hidden Leader

According to Scott Edinger and Laurie Sain, authors of The Hidden Leader: Discover and Develop Greatness within your Company, hidden leaders are people who believe that their actions contribute to the company's success. A simple definition that speaks volumes, because people who believe in the importance of what they do tend to be highly motivated. By this definition, the leaders in your organisation aren't always who you think they are: it might be the customer service representative who goes above and beyond to solve problems, or the personal assistant with a talent for preventing problems even before they arise.

In most organisations, selecting candidates for the leadership track tends to result in promoting those candidates who are the most outspoken or the most adept at self-promotion, but aren't necessarily the best leadership candidates. Hidden leaders, however, are often less inclined to promote themselves and their talents.

Identifying your Hidden Leaders

So how can you identify these people? According to The Hidden Leader, there are four key traits to look out for. Hidden leaders are people who:

• Demonstrate personal integrity by consistently speaking and behaving according to a strong code of ethical conduct regardless of with whom they are interacting. Their inclination towards consistently ethical behaviour makes them reliable and trustworthy.
• Lead through their relationships with others, because they consistently act in ways that inspire respect and trust, rather than using their position to influence people.
• Are results-oriented, independent workers who can take initiative and work outside the box to complete a task.
• Are also customer-oriented, with an awareness of how an organisation's actions and promises influence customers’ buying decisions.

Hidden leaders are highly effective employees, and given the chance, can make significant positive impact within an organisation. Being able to identify the hidden leaders, to develop and nurture their talents, can help them and the company flourish.

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How To Improve Employee Motivation

Maximising employee productivity is a primary concern for leaders and managers, and examining the theory of employee motivation can provide some excellent clues on how to improve motivation and performance in the workplace. Incorporating this knowledge into team leadership training sessions and sales managers training can help boost performance for all employees, and make your upper-level staff more effective.

New theories based on years of research about employee motivation have shown that employee motivation stems from internal rather than external factors. The key in maximising employee motivation lies in understanding that there are two different types of motivation:

Autonomous motivation, where a person does a job because they find it interesting, or because it's in accordance with their personal values.

Controlled motivation, where a person does a job because they feel pressured to do it, whether by internal or external forces.

Not surprisingly, studies show that autonomous motivation is much more effective than controlled motivation. Aside from being associated with better workplace performance, high levels of autonomous motivation are also linked to social, psychological, and physical wellness.

Why? Simply because people enjoy work more when they feel interest in what they're doing, and because they enjoy work more when they feel that they're doing it because they want to, rather than because they have to. Interestingly, numerous studies show that offering monetary rewards doesn't increase autonomous motivation, and can actually decrease it.

Naturally that doesn't mean employees work better when they're not getting paid, or that employees shouldn't be rewarded for hard work, but it does show that higher wages aren't the key to improving employee motivation and performance.

Three Keys to Motivation

So what is most important? Motivating employees lies in meeting three basic psychological needs:

• Competence—people are more motivated when they feel that they're working effectively; providing initial and ongoing training, along with opportunities for skill acquisition, are good ways to foster this.

• Relatedness—workers are more motivated when they have mutually supportive relationships with peers and managers.

• Autonomy—people are more highly motivated when they feel that they perform their work willingly and by choice, which ties into the idea of work being interesting and inherently rewarding.

Providing a workplace environment in which these needs can be met promotes optimal motivation levels and productivity, and enhances employee satisfaction too.

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Building Trust: The Key To Leadership Development

The very best leaders have a wide range of skills, and one of the most important is the ability inspire trust in stakeholders and employees. Learning how to build effective relationships is all about establishing mutual trust on an individual level, and the basic principles of building trust in relationships is an important part of leadership training. There are six essential elements to building trust in relationships, each of which fosters trust in a different way.

Lead By Example

One of the most important concepts in leadership development is that of leading by example. Simply put, leaders should model the behaviour they want to see in their employees—if you want your staff to remain calm under pressure, take responsibility for mistakes, and treat co-workers with respect, it's up to you as a leader to get the ball rolling.

Foster an Accepting Atmosphere

People find it much easier to contribute fully when they're working in an atmosphere of acceptance. If they know they can express their ideas without being attacked or reprimanded, they're going to do so much more confidently. Just as important, people who work in such an atmosphere are more likely to take initiative and go the extra mile when it's needed.

Make Your Relationships Constructive Ones

As workplaces become more diverse, it's more important than ever that all workplace relationships are constructive. Leaders who can maintain constructive relationships with people of diverse backgrounds always have an advantage.

Focus on Situations, Not Individuals

It's easy to play the blame game when things go wrong, but it doesn't help engender trust in the workplace — just the opposite. Focus on the big picture when problems arise, and stay calm and clear-headed. You'll be able to make better decisions and solve those problems more effectively, and employees won't feel unfairly targeted.

Take the Initiative on Making Improvements

Change is a risk, and the best leaders are people who demonstrate their willingness to take risks. To establish credibility as a leader, it's important that you're the one stepping up when there's a problem to solve or an improvement to be made.

Strategy for the Long Term

An effective leader considers the long-term impact of the decisions they make—and they avoid deciding in favour of themselves at the expense of another. In the long term, it's always more prudent to make ethical decisions, to plan responsibly and extensively, and to set realistic but challenging goals.

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Team Leadership: How To Achieve Success

When successful Managers are interviewed about their greatest professional achievements, they often place the establishment of a successful team at the top of the list. An organised team, one in which each is aware of the company’s goal, their specific roles and the procedures to be followed, is a critical aspect of success. Tightly knit teams respond to crises well, they react to situations in a unified and consistent manner and they always have the long-term aims of the company in mind. Teams can comprise employees, or employees and outsiders. They can be located within the same department or work across departments, located within the same office or online; teams can be permanent or ad-hoc; large or small. Regardless of their nature, their success depends on a number of specific factors:

• Efficiency: Each team member needs to possess the level of expertise required by their role, so that managers can rely on their knowledge and experience.

• Shared goals: Team members should know the ultimate aim they are working together to achieve.

• Correct size: Successful teams should not be subject to inordinate pressure to achieve their goals in a set amount of time. Managers should ensure that there are enough members of the team to complete required processes within a reasonable amount of time.

• Communication: Team members should feel free to communicate with others to request information, keep updated on new developments in projects and request changes in faulty procedures. A non-defensive atmosphere should be fostered, in which ideas and feedback are received and considered with the company goal in mind.

• Motivation: Leaders should not only lend their enthusiasm to team members; they should also give due importance to internal motivation – i.e. keeping the team enthused about their work by allowing them to shine in their areas of interest, listening to their feedback and showing appreciation, rather than simply providing external rewards (such as promotions or salary increases). All Managers should receive team leadership training, to learn how to work closely with all team members, empowering and supporting them so they can make their own decisions and feel free to take risks with confidence.

• Coaching and Training: Teams need to receive the coaching and training they need to stay motivated and feel that they are on the cutting edge of their respective fields, but leadership training for those managing others should be given equal importance.

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