The sense of ownership leads to higher morale, increased pride in the job and employees who simply work better

You’ve finally assembled the perfect team. The employees enjoy the tasks, cooperate well, and have a common understanding of the goals. But how can you as a manager arrange for your employees to give their very best?

NINA IVARSEN, CHAIR VEFF

THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING WITH YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP STYLE

We believe that a good leader must first and foremost get involved, be present, delegate, and not least, have trust in his or her employees.

I believe there are two completely elementary conditions that should be in place to be able to work with your own leadership style and avoid mistakes.

“By having responsibility for your own decisions, the decisions will also be better. And since you, as a manager, don’t have to overrule others, you get more time for your own work. There is a clear connection between co-determination, trust, and productivity.”

“Solution-focused and learning-oriented feedback confirms the employee’s efforts and creates opportunities for development. Feedback is also positive when you address a topic with room for improvement. Focus on the positive and what you want rather than what you don’t want.”

First and foremost, it is about managers having to see and know their employees and then delegate and assign work tasks that have value, create well-being, and adapt to the individual employee’s life situation, says Nina the Chair of VEFF. She believes that clear management in combination with care for the employees is one of the better ways to lead.

SCHEDULE REGULAR ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS

She recommends that managers plan regular meetings in addition to the annual employee review. The meetings can be a weekly or monthly coffee chat or arranged in advance throughout the year. They can also be in the form of ongoing feedback that occurs spontaneously in the situation.

Spontaneous meetings show that a manager is present to deal with current issues. The dialogue must be fresh and show that the manager addresses challenges “here and now”. If you wait until the annual employee review, it has completely lost its value. But there must also be conversations that mean something, that can make a real difference, and not be a paper exercise because you do what is expected or because you are measured on it.

BUILD A SUPPORTIVE WORK CULTURE

We all know that managers have a great influence on the culture that develops in the workplace.

A supportive work culture is about involving employees in decisions and innovations. This can be through user surveys, pulse measurements, “bottomup” strategies or co-determination barometer. It is about ensuring broad co-determination that creates ownership of the work.

GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

Nina believes that a good organizational culture is developed through constructive feedback.

Be generous with praise, but also give clear and constructive feedback when necessary. A culture of feedback in the workplace is incredibly important. It does not happen overnight but must be practiced from all sides. Managers who give poor or no feedback undermine their own position and intention to create good results. It creates a poor working environment and company culture, which in the worst case can lead to the business losing its best employees.

MAKES IT EASIER TO REALIZE IDEAS

To make it easier to realize ideas, Nina recommends facilitating dialogue across the organization.

We recommend everyone to create a forum where you open for thoughts and ideas. Facilitate dialogue across departments and teams so that everyone can share insights and knowledge. One should avoid thinking in silos but find ways of working that invite interdisciplinary cooperation towards a common goal. It’s about listening, following up on good ideas and letting fewer good ideas go.

HELP THE EMPLOYEES WITH TIME PLANNING

Time planning begins with knowing your employees and creating a culture so that you as a manager have insight into how the employees feel.

Understanding the individual employee’s situation and assistance with time planning has a positive effect on work performance. A good manager takes into account that everyone can have periods where they have to prioritize differently. A manager should also take the initiative to solve time problems before the employee may realize it himself.

“Managers who involve and engage their employees create room for creativity, and not least, a desire to influence and come up with new ideas.”