Eletive helps businesses around the world increase employee engagement through self-leadership. Eletive has created a guide on how to boost self-leadership at work. Download the guide for FREE today by reading the article in full.
Companies are always looking for ways to improve in today’s world of rapid change and to stay ahead of their competition. Self-leadership is a key element of success that’s often overlooked.
Self-leadership is the ability to accept responsibility for your actions, thoughts and emotions to achieve professional and personal goals. Self-leadership is an important trait for employees because it allows them to be in control of their development and growth without relying on outside influences or waiting for directions. Self-leadership is a valuable trait in the workplace, as it encourages individuals to take control of their own development and growth, rather than relying on external influences or waiting for direction.
Learned helplessness: The opposite of self-leadership
Let’s start by examining its opposite. This is a concept that has been coined by Martin Seligman.
Seligman’s research showed that animals and people tend to lose their hope in situations where they are unable to control the outcome. Seligman’s studies revealed that people who feel they can’t change or influence their circumstances become passive and cease to take initiative. This is a highly destructive tendency in the workplace, but unfortunately it’s quite common.
Self-Leadership: 5 Ways to Drive Growth and Profitability
Self-leadership plays a crucial role in establishing a profitable and resilient company. Increased initiative, accountability and engagement lead to positive outcomes across several areas.
- High Productivity
Self-leaders are more productive because they manage their time better and accomplish tasks faster. - More Innovation
Self-leaders often have more innovative and creative problem-solving skills, because they don’t hesitate to try new approaches and take risks. - Increased Employee engagement
Employees who take on self-leadership feel more invested and engaged in their work, as they are taking responsibility for their own success and development. - Better Internal Recruitment
Self-leadership can help organisations develop a pipeline of future leaders that are ready to manage growth and drive change. - Improved collaboration
Employees who are self-directed understand the importance and value of teamwork, and they often do a better job at building positive relationships in the workplace.
7 steps to build a culture of self-leadership
- Investing in learning and development
Provide enough training and support so that all employees are equipped with the necessary skills and confidence to complete their tasks on their own. Managers should be trained in the coaching approach to solving problems. - Create a Feedback Loop
Regularly survey employees and take action on the results. It is important to give employees the opportunity to shape their work environment. - Implement 360-Degree feedback
Employees can receive 360-degree feedback from their colleagues, managers and direct reports. This feedback increases self-awareness, and gives individuals valuable insight on areas of improvement. - Avoid Micromanagement
Avoiding micromanagement is essential for fostering a culture that encourages self-leadership. Employee engagement is driven by autonomy. When autonomy is restricted, motivation, creativity and health can rapidly decline. - Promote Innovation and Risk-Taking
To innovate, people must take risks, think outside of the box, and try new things. Encourage your employees to be innovative and to learn from their successes and failures. - Clear goals
If your team doesn’t know what they are doing, it does not matter how self-directed they are. To ensure everyone is working toward the same goals, it is important to communicate and set clear goals. - Encourage a culture of collaboration
Working alone is not the same thing as self-leadership. Encourage teamwork and communication between employees. Encourage employees to participate in cross-functional projects.
Self-leadership as a competitive advantage
In the highly competitive world of business today, self-leadership can be a key factor in unlocking potential growth and staying ahead. You can empower your employees to be self-leaders by fostering a culture that encourages them to own their development and drive innovation and change.
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