Daily Huddle

SmartBrief on Leadership referred me to this article by UK-based executive coach Gill Corkindale on the Harvard Business blog. The gist of Corkindale's argument is that leaders can be most effective when they balance the usual inward (inside organization) focus with an outward one.

Traits of "out" leaders, she says, include building networks, managing their visibility, and engaging with peers outside their companies. However, these additional "out" traits Corkindale stood out to me:

Get involved in cross-organisational initiatives
Engage in organisational politics

In other words, dig deeper than a focus on results/deliverables and surface-layer workplace team building – find new ways to engage employees and design communication initiatives so you can see issues from their perspective.

In short, shake up your leadership approach!

Here are six ways to do this, as used by companies Winning Workplaces has honored for their success in realizing the payoff of employee engagement:

Get known for walking the halls and being approachable by employees at all levels by doing exactly that on a regular basis. See: Clearbrook
Start an award program for above-and-beyond performance where you, the CEO, bestow it. It doesn't have to be a cash award, either – it could merely be something specific to your workplace culture. (Bonus: Form an employee committee that decides the winner, so the award is "by employees, for employees.") See: SmartPak
If you're in a service industry and you don't already do this, train to be able to do what front-line employees do every day to boost camaraderie, credibility, and commitment. See: Aquascape, Gentle Giant Moving, Restek
Not to get all Olivia Newton-John on you, but get physical! This can take the form of daily or weekly huddles, or on the more ambitious side, theater-style team building exercises. See: 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Jump
Actively involve as many employees as possible in the business strategy to spur innovation and boost retention. See: Corporate Ink, Exactech
Supplement the strengths of your leadership and/or HR team by bringing in outside coaches to improve employees' skills so they will perform better for you, and be better prepared in their careers (which, ironically, also tends to improve retention). See: Headsets.com