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Everyday Leadership: The Secret Sauce to Innovation

The Cannon Houston • Nov 15, 2018

Editor’s Note – As part of their committment to the Houston Innovation Ecosystem, we are thrilled to partner with Insperity on an ongoing Startup Series on The Cannon Blog. Below is the first of many articles from subject matter experts on the Insperity team, enjoy!

Everyday Leadership: the Secret Sauce to Innovation

Kelah Raymond

Insperity Performance Consultant

Running a lean business means you need to get the most from every encounter and every employee. If you want a competitive edge in business and innovation, how are you promoting everyday leadership?

In other words, what are you doing to empower your employees to make decisions that lead to business success?

Everyday leadership is something everyone in your business can do. It’s daily, intentional actions that encourage communication, connections and community within your business. And at the heart of it all is a shared business vision.

Here are five everyday leadership qualities to look for when you’re reviewing or expanding your workforce:

Being present – Everyday leaders distinguish themselves by showing up and following through on commitments. They participate, roll up their sleeves and keep at it until the job gets done.
Emotional Intelligence – Emotional Intelligence, or EQ,is the ability to recognize, understand and manage emotions – in oneself and in others. Those who possess EQ take time to listen and share their own experiences when needed. And they know what it means to balance the needs of their team with those of the company.
Natural coaching instincts – A one-size-fits-all coaching strategy may not motivate every member of your team. Everyday leaders look for ways to tailor their coaching to the needs of the staff – making the whole team better.
Flexibility – Everyday leaders embrace new ideas and aren’t afraid of forward, and even radical, thinking. They’re comfortable questioning the status quo in favor of a better result. Challenges and change are just part of the growth process.
Greater Good – Everyday leaders keep an eye on the company’s vision while performing their daily tasks. They know their role and how it contributes to the company’s mission. The greater good is bigger than – but dependent on – the individual role.

How to nurture leaders

Having a culture of everyday leadership starts with you: Model the behaviors you want the team to follow. When everyone is on the same page, the following benefits can occur which could even affect your bottom line:

Employee satisfaction: Empowered employees are more engaged and happy in their jobs.
Employee retention: Engaged employees don’t want to leave, saving on recruiting, onboarding and training.
Increased productivity: Employees who know how their job fits into the overall mission can be more productive.

For more on the best practices of leading a team, download our free magazine, The Insperity Guide to Leadership and Management.

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