Good leaders especially nowadays in the fast-moving professional business world need many different qualities. They must be visionary, set goals, understand the digital universe, be empathetic and able to manage and develop a diverse team, often spread across many locations or even countries.
However, one perhaps underrated characteristic that nevertheless really defines great leaders is the ability to truly create an atmosphere in which teams or whole businesses can flourish and function to the best of their ability. This can be done by many actions all of which create a sense of team spirit and a willingness to work together. These can include being available to your colleagues, actively listening in one on ones, using empathy in team meetings, by humour and encouraging the enjoyment of work, and occasionally just by sheer force of personality.
See for example this LinkedIn article A Good Leader Must Create the Right Atmosphere which suggests perhaps the first element of leadership that all managers should learn, (regardless of the industry you’re in), is how to create the right working atmosphere and goes on to say If a manager establishes mutual trust and respect with his or her employees, a foundation is paved for effective individual performance and team harmony.
And also this article CREATING A POSITIVE TEAM ATMOSPHERE which comments The way leaders interact with team members and the messages they send out via their behaviour, language and attitudes is perhaps the biggest single influence on team atmosphere.
It’s akin to building a firm’s culture – see this Forbes article The Role Leadership Has In Company Culture which starts Every employee impacts an organization's direction, but leadership has by far the largest and most direct effect on company culture, which revolves around employee engagement, environment, atmosphere and the success of the company and its clients.
This New York Times Business article How to Build a Successful Team cites leaders insightsthat can help you lay the groundwork for a highly productive team that can communicate, cooperate and innovate in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.
The opposite of an empathetic leader who builds a team and creates the best atmosphere to develop is a boss who rules by applying the “FUD” principles of leadership – creating an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and doubt – making each individual fear for their jobs each time you speak to them. This gets everybody in line and they certainly do what they are told – but will they go the extra mile and improve themselves and their colleagues?
And it is a personality thing. As J R Miller the American Christian author comments Everyone carries an atmosphere about him. It may be healthful and invigorating, or it may be unwholesome and depressing. It may make a little spot of the world a sweeter, better, safer place to live in; or it may make it harder for those to live worthily and beautifully who dwell within its circle.
So I propose we should look for and follow and be leaders who create an empathetic environment in which it is fun to work and where we can all succeed. I agree with Joe Wright the English film director when he says I see the job of directing as being one of creating the right atmosphere, where people can realise their full potential.
However, one perhaps underrated characteristic that nevertheless really defines great leaders is the ability to truly create an atmosphere in which teams or whole businesses can flourish and function to the best of their ability. This can be done by many actions all of which create a sense of team spirit and a willingness to work together. These can include being available to your colleagues, actively listening in one on ones, using empathy in team meetings, by humour and encouraging the enjoyment of work, and occasionally just by sheer force of personality.
See for example this LinkedIn article A Good Leader Must Create the Right Atmosphere which suggests perhaps the first element of leadership that all managers should learn, (regardless of the industry you’re in), is how to create the right working atmosphere and goes on to say If a manager establishes mutual trust and respect with his or her employees, a foundation is paved for effective individual performance and team harmony.
And also this article CREATING A POSITIVE TEAM ATMOSPHERE which comments The way leaders interact with team members and the messages they send out via their behaviour, language and attitudes is perhaps the biggest single influence on team atmosphere.
It’s akin to building a firm’s culture – see this Forbes article The Role Leadership Has In Company Culture which starts Every employee impacts an organization's direction, but leadership has by far the largest and most direct effect on company culture, which revolves around employee engagement, environment, atmosphere and the success of the company and its clients.
This New York Times Business article How to Build a Successful Team cites leaders insightsthat can help you lay the groundwork for a highly productive team that can communicate, cooperate and innovate in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.
The opposite of an empathetic leader who builds a team and creates the best atmosphere to develop is a boss who rules by applying the “FUD” principles of leadership – creating an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and doubt – making each individual fear for their jobs each time you speak to them. This gets everybody in line and they certainly do what they are told – but will they go the extra mile and improve themselves and their colleagues?
And it is a personality thing. As J R Miller the American Christian author comments Everyone carries an atmosphere about him. It may be healthful and invigorating, or it may be unwholesome and depressing. It may make a little spot of the world a sweeter, better, safer place to live in; or it may make it harder for those to live worthily and beautifully who dwell within its circle.
So I propose we should look for and follow and be leaders who create an empathetic environment in which it is fun to work and where we can all succeed. I agree with Joe Wright the English film director when he says I see the job of directing as being one of creating the right atmosphere, where people can realise their full potential.
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