Why Do Senior Executives Struggle to Appreciate Mid-Level Leaders?

I was reading through the Culture Economy Report – 2021, published by Breathe, an HR firm based out of London. They spoke to many leaders, senior decision-makers, and employees from varying levels of SMEs between the 18th and 30th of December 2020 and used varied data for their research.

Almost 33% of the business leaders indicated that the revenue stream is significantly impacted, and one of the critical reasons is the ‘staff morale (24%).’

We have heard #greatresignation and #quitequiting a lot for the past few months supporting the employees to have the upper hand. But, with the world economy going down (anticipation of annual growth is merely 2.2% according to OECD economic outlook), organizations and employees must work closely with each other.

In these two years, what has changed? I'm leaving this question to you to reflect on as you continue reading this newsletter.

Different reports and data show how to strategize organizational growth in the coming weeks.

HR leaders have a huge role to play, of course. We all are talking a lot about building trust, accountability quotient, responsibility, transparency, etc., etc.,

Fear….fear….everywhere…

My question to you all here – Is fear induced by the economic slowdown help retain employees?

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering."—Yoda

?When the employees are angry and frustrated, even though they do not quit, productivity and business growth will be impacted. So all are in a soup situation.

Ok, coming back to reality, how can we change this fear into something positive?

Recent coaching conversations and reflections led me to recognize one critical data.

Almost 6 out of 10 of my clients in mid-level management are unhappy because the higher management does not appreciate them in real time.

"Inner conflicts that leaders go through lead to demotivation and productivity issues" - Suba Lakshminarasimhan

Majorly, these leaders are looked highly upon by the management, peers, and bottom-line employees; they often do not receive any appreciation. But, unfortunately, their courage or resilience - thick skin - is often mistaken as if they don’t require any appreciation.

Remember, irrespective of the role one plays in the hierarchical structure, they are all simply human beings with the expectation to be appreciated. Beyond awards and rewards, the spoken words and certain gestures shown toward them make them more loyal to the organization.

Few critical factors to be implemented by the senior executives in collaboration with the #HumanResources Department in the organization:

Culture of Appreciation

As I mentioned earlier, almost all organizations have a system to award and reward high-performing leaders. But why do they still leave the organization? I know a client who has shifted the company despite receiving a promotion the same year. He felt ignored for a long time but continued to serve the organization.

As he brought the team to some decent shape, he quit and joined another organization. He was super loyal to himself, his teams, and the organization and stayed until he wanted to deliver as committed.

The loss now is to the previous employer.

Not only was the late promotion, but the toxic management also failed to recognize him in one-on-one meetings or group events.

Verbal appreciation comes a long way.

1.?????Whenever a leader achieves a milestone, go to their station and appreciate them in front of everyone. Do not wait till the end goal is reached

2.?????Make your one-on-one conversations an impactful one

3.?????Look for small victories; an email with some kind words will make their world. Do not allow your insecurities to stop you from appreciating your teams.

Remember, it should be a part of the culture rather than the system. Culture speaks to the employees emotionally.

Speed of Trust

Warren Buffet decided to acquire a US$20M business from Walmart in a 2-hours meeting and closed the deal within two months, including completing all the legal formalities. A case study shared by Steven M.R. Covey in his book – ‘The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything.

What is the background story? Trust.

The increased speed of trust reduces the cost. Covey also gives 13 different elements which can help here.

Here’s my call to all the CXOs. Trust is a business value. How you behave with your mid-level leaders determines the speed at which they trust you.

Appreciating them at the right time helps majorly in building trust.

Is there any leader in your team whom you think can perform better? A quick 3-step model to improve their performance

1.?????Observe and identify ‘one’ specific quality in them which is critical for their and your group’s success

2.?????Find or use an opportunity to appreciate that specific quality within the next three days

3.?????Observe the way they perform

I am sure you will see miracles happening.

Three Important things to check:

1.?????If you struggle to find one good quality in them, you need help.

2.?????There is a possibility that your leadership style makes you unpopular.

3.?????If you don’t see any change in them, they need more profound help in self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-care. Please support them in these specific areas. If you struggle, reach out to me; I can help you sort this out.

Time to stop the #herdmentality and randomly give them water bottles and pen stands; there are many options where you can show them how you appreciate and respect their values.

Take professional support. Invest right and reach heights.

Please contact me to enhance your leadership growth journey and engage in your Executive Leadership?#employeeengagement?programs.

You can write to me at [email protected].

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Can I cover any specific leadership challenges in our newsletter? Do let me know in the comments or DM me.

#psychologicalsafety?#stakeholdercommunication?#workplaceconflictmanagment?#emotionalmanagement?#mindfulness?#decisionmaking?#Accountability?#innerconflict