I recently read an article that discussed what employees expect, need, and want from the people in leadership roles at their place of employment. With the ever-changing economy, employees want to be able to go into work confidentially, feeling that they are valued, and not constantly worrying about a round of layoffs or reorganizations that require them to put in more time without extra compensation.

Leaders in the workplace should make employees feel safe and secure, while providing them the right environment and the opportunity to thrive and be successful in their specific roles. Good leaders build trust with their employees, have their employee’s backs, and are humble, compassionate, and empathetic. There are seven things that employees specifically expect from their leadership: specificity, empowerment, vulnerability, honesty, accountability, respect, and authenticity. To be an effective leader, you should have an excellent balance of these seven qualities.

A leader needs to be specific. They need to be clear when giving direction and goals to their employees. If employees are given specific directions from their leaders, they will be better prepared for anything that comes up.

A good leader will empower their employees. The staff should not have to go to their boss or manager for every decision that needs to be made. Employees should be given enough information to make decisions by themselves. A good leader trusts their employees to make the right decisions.

An excellent leader also needs to be vulnerable. They should not claim to have all of the answers, or claim to be the best at anything. Employees respect leaders who are aware that they, too, have areas of improvement.

Employees respect a leader who is honest. It is not always easy to hear the truth, but an employee also does not want to be blindsided. A good leader should be transparent, so that employees know about things going on in the workplace that effect them and their jobs.

A good leader is someone who is accountable to others and themselves. A good leader would never delegate too much, or push off problems to others that they should handle on their own. A good leader is not afraid to admit when something went wrong that they are responsible for.

Leaders who are respectful to their employees also gain the respect of their employees. A good leader respects and values each employee’s individual contributions.

Lastly, a leader needs to be authentic. A leader who shows their true self, as opposed to having a “game face” on all the time is authentic. Authenticity breeds productivity from the employees, and creates an environment that employees want to work in.

Here at ASAP, we have great leaders that demonstrate all of these qualities. How are the leaders in your workplace? Share a great leadership or a not-so-great leadership experience with us!