As you think about your leadership objectives for the coming year, are you considering your team? If not, you should be. Now more than ever, employees expect their leaders to set the company course and inspire everyone to do their best.

The Power of Soft Skills

Today’s workforce demands much from the executive suite. It’s your job to represent the company to the outside world. You also need to develop and launch new initiative to grow market share and revenue.

Your team members expect you to be tough when the situation demands it – such as firing a dishonest employee. But they also expect you to “show your vulnerability,” report McKinsey analysts.

Some leaders are clueless when it comes to understanding their strengths and weaknesses in terms of soft skills. Analyzing your impact on the team could be among your leadership objectives in the coming year. An even better objective is to fix what’s broken.

Using Assessments

A good psychometric assessment can help. Reviewing the results of assessments provides an objective look at how you conduct yourself at work.

Many types of assessments compete for market share. And some platforms give insight, as reported by Jessica Stillman, on which personalities are well-​suited to specific professions.

Often these predictions are made with the help of the well-​known Big 5 framework. The Big 5 system measures traits such as extraversion and neuroticism. As the name suggests, the test is based on the belief that people can be classified according to five traits.

TeamTrait is among several assessment platforms that take the Big 5 framework into account. But TeamTrait goes further because it draws on the DISC behavioral assessment, a motivators assessment and an HVP values assessment. The results yield psychometric data that shows how well a person will fit in a specific role. And the results also indicate where behavioral issues might arise in a work setting.

Leadership Traits

Psychometric assessment results indicate whether you are strong in critical thinking or getting results. These are common leadership traits that can strengthen an organization.

The assessment results may also point to areas that need improvement. For example, leaders must be ready to adapt quickly to a changing market.

A leader’s failure to change course could result in the loss of market share…and could mean eventual job loss at the company. This outcome will damage the trust between leaders and team members.

Improvement Plan

If you have this tendency, it doesn’t mean you should give up your position. But you should set leadership objectives to address this characteristic.

For example, you might acknowledge to your team that you're working on this trait. Owning your weaknesses and committing to work on them shows vulnerability.

Leaders can make a big impact with their team when they ask for help. If you tend to resist change, you can assign a few advisors to review key decisions.

Assuring these team members that they will not risk retaliation for disagreeing with you is a good first step. Asking for help also builds trust.

Trust Building

Leaders who, in a company meeting, also thank team members for their help, make an impression. They are signaling desired behavior to employees. When employees begin to work cooperatively with each other and accept help, everyone wins.

Organizational Trust

Rebuilding trust should be among your organizational leadership objectives in the coming year. Gallup notes that trust between leaders and employees began to plummet during the COVID-​19 pandemic. In 2023, it started to rebound, to 23% of surveyed employees.

But more work must be done. With trust, employees will commit to you and the goals you set. Jonathan Raymond, CEO of Refound and Manage Smarter show guest, says the following. “Leaders can impact 75% of an employee’s performance.”

When the leader fosters a culture of trust and transparency, employees are more likely to feel secure in their roles. They also understand the company’s vision and will be motivated to contribute towards common goals.

Conversely, a disconnect can lead to confusion, demotivation and a decline in employee morale. Employees who don’t trust their leaders don’t engage, which can result in lower productivity and higher turnover rates.

Isn’t it time that you made building trust one of your leadership objectives?

Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.