A recent study from the Institute of Employment and Employability (IBE) on behalf of Hays in the German speaking DA-CH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland in central Europe) has come up with insights on leadership and some of the key HR and management issues in 2015. According to the study leadership, employee retention and development of the corporate culture are some of the most important HR issues currently.
About 665 decision-makers consisting of 20% management bosses, 28% HR managers, 20% executives from various company departments and 21% employees without management responsibilities were interviewed. The report examines the demands on managers as well as the difficulties involved in day to day working. While the survey was conducted regionally, a lot of the key aspects are quite useful to anyone in a leadership role. Read further to read the key findings for management jobs.
Key requirements for management jobs
Leadership requirements are increasingly becoming more demanding. The study emphasizes this trend again.
- 78% of the respondents’ social skills of managers are the most important need
- To establish a culture of feedback (71%)
- To motivate the workforce (69%)
- Creating development opportunities for employees (66%)
- Conducting regular staff meetings (60%)
- Be seen as someone who is seen as a conversation partner (56%).
The study also revealed the difficulties that managers have to face on their quest to improve their leadership skills.
What can you do to fulfill the requirements of an leader and avoid any potential pitfalls? Here are a few tips from our side. Let’s start with the three main requirements.
- Social competence: A good leader should show empathy and have an open ear for the employees. Appreciation should be a top priority for you in dealing with your employees. Read further here to learn how to hone these ‘soft-skills’.
- Feedback culture: Whether via a 360-degree feedback or an employee survey, a constructive feedback has now become an integral part of corporate culture. Read here how you can give effective feedback.
- Motivating the employees: The big paycheck at the end of the year is no longer the main motivator for your employees. What matters is flexibility, career development and allowing them to find meaning in their own work. We have even more tips on how you can motivate your employees.
Also as far as the difficulties faced by leaders are concerned, there’s a lot that can be done to remedy the situation
- Time management: You feel you have too little time for your duties as a leader? Then go through the following points and check your own time management. There is always room for improvement!
- Delegation: This point is related to the previous one. To rid yourself of the workload and to give more responsibility to your employees, please use the principle of delegation. However, you should be careful, effective and considerate while delivering tasks. Check our implementation pointers here.
- Leadership style: There are different ways to craft your style as a leader. You could focus on special social skills, for instance being perceived as someone with empathy and being authentic. Here are some thought starters.
We hope that all you executives use these hints in developing your personal leadership areas and finding success in your management jobs.
