If You Can Pass Any of These 6 Leadership Tests, Science Says You'll Be a Much More Effective, Persuasive, and Supportive Boss
By Jeff Haden
And if you can't pass one or two, don't despair: Each strategy can be embraced, starting today.
Inspiration. Collaboration. Authenticity. Engagement and empowerment. It's easy to name some of the qualities of a great leader.
Still: Since most great leaders are made, not born, it's a lot harder to possess those qualities when you have little or no leadership experience. (Richard Branson wasn't always Richard Branson.)
Fortunately, there are a number of research-based leadership strategies you can embrace that will start paying instant dividends -- both in terms of employee engagement and bottom-line results -- on your path to gaining broader leadership skills.
You Hold Very Few Meetings
A recent meta-analysis of more than a decade of research shows 90 percent of employees feel meetings are "costly" and "unproductive." That analysis also shows they're right: Employee productivity increases by over 70 percent when meetings are reduced by 40 percent.
Why? Holding fewer meetings gives your employees more time to get things done. Plus, it makes them smarter: One study found that when employees attend meetings, the average IQ of each individual drops by 15 to 20 percent:
If you feel like a "junior" member of a group, your IQ drops. (As in most situations, confidence matters.)
If you feel your contributions to the meeting won't be valued, your IQ further drops.
If other people criticize (even just implicitly) your contributions to the meeting, your IQ further drops.
And what about all the meetings that don't start on time? Those meetings are a third less effective -- in terms of outcomes, both actual and perceived -- than meetings that start on time.
So start holding fewer meetings, especially when the goal of the meeting is brainstorming or problem-solving. Idea generation dramatically improves when people first come up with ideas by themselves, or with at most one or two other people.
That approach typically leads to more, and a more diverse set of, ideas, better analysis of those ideas, and a much better chance of identifying the best idea.
You Deal With Toxic Employees
Want to hire superstars? Makes sense: Great employees typically make the people around them better. Unfortunately, research shows the behavior and impact of a toxic employee tends to be even more "infectious."
Adding a superstar to a team boosts employee morale by 16 percent and saves the average company approximately $6,000 per year, but
Removing a toxic employee from a team boosts employee morale by 61 percent and saves the average company over $13,000 per year.
Toxic people cause other employees to leave an organization faster and more frequently. Toxic people negatively impact the productivity of those around them. Toxic people can even turn good employees into bad ones; according to one study, "If you are exposed to these toxic workers, then you become more likely to ultimately be terminated later on."
And when the toxic employee is in a leadership position? The turnover rate increases 60 percent, with a bias toward "regretted quits" -- or, in non-researcher-speak, the people you really don't want to lose. (The best employees can always find another job.)
The bottom line? Good bosses work hard to recruit and hire superstar employees.
Great bosses work even harder to deal with, and if necessary remove, toxic employees.
You Promote the Right People
When employees believe promotions are managed effectively, compared with other companies in the same industry:
Productivity is 30 percent higher
Turnover is 50 percent lower
Employees are five times more likely to feel their leaders act with integrity
Sounds good, but how do you ensure your team feels the right person was promoted? Make sure your employees understand the value, and the key drivers of outstanding performance, of every role. The more your employees understand the responsibilities and goals of a particular job, the more likely they are to understand why you chose the individual who fills that role.
Take a step back and look at the criteria you use; instead of focusing on "qualifications," determine what the perfect person in the job will actually do. After all, you aren't filling a position; you're putting the right person into a job.
You don't promote titles; as Dharmesh Shah, the co-founder of HubSpot, says, "You need a doer of stuff that needs to get done." If teamwork matters most, promote the best team player. If productivity matters most, promote your most efficient and effective employee.
If getting the right things done matters most (when does that not matter most?), promote the person who not only gets the right things done, but also is best at encouraging, motivating, and helping others do the same.
But don't stop there.
You Promote the Right Leader for Your Workplace
A study published in Journal of Business and Psychology sought to determine the type of person employees want to lead them in different workplace settings:
In-person
Remote
Hybrid (a blend of in-person and virtual interactions)
In-person teams tended to choose charismatic, confident, extroverted people as their leaders. (The classic "leader" traits.) Virtual teams chose doers: people great at planning, prioritizing, staying on task, and helping others stay on task. Nearly all chose people who would help them get things done -- who had the functional skills, and task-oriented behaviors, to help teams and individuals accomplish their objectives.
If your workplace is remote or hybrid, the traits you're looking for in leaders are obvious. But that's also true for in-person settings. Employees want to work for people who help them get things done. (One study found that if your boss can do your job, you're more likely to be happy at work.)
In short, promote doers. Promote people who want the job.
And not just the title.
You Never Serve the Feedback Sandwich
What's a feedback sandwich? Lead with a positive, share the negative or "constructive" feedback, close with a positive.
Unfortunately, a study published in Management Review Quarterly found a feedback sandwich almost always fails to correct negative or subpar behaviors. While one in five people appreciate the positives, three out of four feel manipulated. Nine out of 10 feel patronized.
And only 7 percent actually change the behavior in question.
Here's a better approach from Culture Code author Daniel Coyle. A study conducted in 2014 shows including one sentence can make feedback up to 40 percent more effective:
"I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them."
Why is that sentence so effective? It signals three key things to the employee:
You are part of this group
This group is special; we have higher standards
I believe you can reach those standards
Instead of a feedback sandwich, the result is more like a "relationship sandwich." No manipulation. No platitudes. No irrelevant compliments. No false hope. Just clear, direct feedback -- delivered inside a message of connection, belonging, and trust.
That's the difference between a feedback sandwich and genuine, honest feedback.
Because great bosses know that while their employees may not want to hear where they can improve, they appreciate that knowledge.
And respect the person who provides it.
Speaking of respect ...
You Admit You Don't Have All the Answers
Great leaders are extremely confident, and that confidence helps inspire results.
Or not.
According to a 2012 study published in Academy of Management Journal, humble leaders are not only more likable, but they also tend to be more effective. Humble leaders are relatable, approachable, empathetic, and -- especially if you're a fan of servant leadership -- more helpful.
A 2011 study found that humble people were more than twice as likely to give more of their time to those in need than those who were not. Leaders who help struggling employees -- additional training, mentoring, help making connections, or simply a second chance -- tend to produce better outcomes.
In fact, a 2011 study published in Personality and Individual Differences found that humility was a "unique predictor" of job performance.
Given the choice, your employees want a leader who is relatable. Approachable. Empathetic. Someone willing to admit their own flaws and weaknesses. Willing to work to overcome their flaws and weaknesses, and help employees do the same.
Someone who wants to get things done, and knows they can't do it alone.
All of which makes humility a leadership superpower.
Which -- especially if you're insecure about your leadership skills -- should be easy to display.