Why Personal Conversations Are Fueling the New Leadership Model

When we take a look at the most common leadership styles, we come down to three types:

• Autocratic, meaning that the leader takes all responsibility for making decisions without considering or asking for opinions from anyone else;
• Democratic, meaning that the leader includes team members in the decision-making process, but still takes the final responsibility, and
• Laissez-faire, the style of a leader who provides all the support the team members need, but leaves the final decisions to them.

In most modern companies, autocratic leadership is out of the question. We want smart people in our companies, and we want them to contribute with their skills and knowledge. That brings us to an aspect that takes democratic and laissez-faire leadership style a step forward: personal conversations.

Some experts view it as a completely new leadership model. However, personal conversations can be included in both democratic and laissez-faire styles, taking us to hybrid leadership approaches that simply work.

Emotional Intelligence – The Reason Why Personal Conversations Are Important

IQ is no longer the only virtue an intelligent leader needs to have. Emotional intelligence is an equally important part of the character that makes a great leader. It’s what sets the best ones apart.

In his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ, author Daniel Goleman explains: “Emotional intelligence trumps IQ primarily in those ‘soft’ domains where intellect is relatively less relevant for success – where, for example, emotional self-regulation and empathy may be more salient skills than purely cognitive abilities.”

When the leader possesses the EQ character trait, they are able to develop an authentic culture based on trust and open communication.

Tony Conrad, team leader at EssaysOnTime, explains what difference EQ makes in a company: “It all starts by being vulnerable and being able to understand the vulnerability of others. When you have such a humane approach to leadership, you develop an authentic office culture based on mutual collaboration. Emotional intelligence inevitably leads to such collaboration, which takes us to communication. When the connection between the leader and the team members is tight, the communication can easily turn into one-on-one conversations.”

How Conversations Drive Behavior

Motivating people towards optimal performance is one of the central leadership roles. The employees are getting paid to complete the work tasks. They do their best to meet their expectations. But optimal performance goes beyond that point. It gets into the field of “discretionary effort,” which is called that way because it’s at the discretion of the employee. They will make that extra effort only if they want to. Great leaders are capable to inspire the desire of an employee to contribute more towards the company’s growth.

Employee behavior is driven by two types of motivation:

• Extrinsic motivation, which is delivered by the leader or the organization. It comes from the “outside,” in the shape of bonuses, perks, and opportunities for professional progress.
• Intrinsic motivation, which comes from within. The employees motivate themselves through passion and value. The organizational culture highly influences the inner motivation, so leadership still makes a difference.

Personal conversations can trigger both types of motivation in an employee. The purpose of a leader is to build powerful values in the organization. It’s not just about listing organizational values and asking the employees to “know” them. It’s about conveying the essence of those values through their own behavior. If the organization is all about social responsibility, the leader’s behavior will shift in that direction. Through regular communication with the employees, they will keep emphasizing those values.

But most of all, the leader needs to connect with each individual of their team. Remember: people were not meant to live in isolation. They are part of society and they need interaction. When they are unable to get human-level interaction at work, their performance suffers. Most leaders try to elevate the communication levels in the organization by “hanging out” at the offices and inviting all employees to lunch. That’s not all they should do. One-on-one conversations, which prompt you to really listen to someone’s story, are the foundation of true connection.

Modern leaders are always open to welcome an employee in their office. They inspire the team members to get creative, and they have time to listen to their ideas. Not only during collective brainstorming sessions, but whenever someone wants to share an idea.

Modern Leaders Are Accessible and Brave

It takes a lot of courage for a leader to invite everyone to share ideas and consider their point of view. Sometimes they have to swallow their own ego and accept that someone’s approach is better than their own. The leader has to create a culture of trust within the company, and they start doing that by becoming more accessible.

That’s the future of leadership. Personal conversations are a big part of it.

 

Jacob Dillon is an editor and journalist at Rush My Essay  The best way for Jacob to express himself is to write. Being passionate about what he does, Jacob likes to discuss stirring events as well as express his opinion about technological advancements and evolution of society. Find Jacob on Twitter and Facebook.

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