Michelle Rodger: The best leaders keep in contact with their staff

Published on Thursday 20 January 2011 16:42

IF YOU'RE a director then you're probably more optimistic about the future, happier with your work-life balance and more certain of still progressing your career.

You're more likely to back new initiatives, be more positive about your organisation's leadership and feel less stressed than your subordinates.

You're also more confident of finding work elsewhere. Which is probably just as well, since according to the latest management research, you are completely out of sync with your organisation.

Board level directors are not only out of touch with managers beneath them but are actually living in a "boardroom bubble", according to the Management Report from workplace organisation Roffey Park.

Research director Jo Hennessy says the findings suggest many senior executives are living in their own world, which has a "distinctly rosy hue".

"Their positive view is out of sync with the concerns and challenges of managers beneath them," warns Hennessy.

But I have struggled to find any director who agreed with the study. Maybe they were tightly bubble-wrapped in the splendid isolation of their ivory towers and ignoring the real world, if the research is to be believed.

What I did find were directors who shattered the myth; directors who genuinely believe that their businesses are all about the people involved and who walk the talk daily.

Bob Davidson is chief executive of Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce. He likes to think that he's a bit different in his approach, which is very hands-on. Perhaps too hands-on according to some, he admits.

He chooses to be at every single event the Chamber runs, he personally meets almost every single member and he engages with his team, the members and his board on a daily basis. And he says his board is also very engaged with the members: attending events, meeting new members, hosting events and running mentoring groups and workshops.

"To be able to comment knowledgeably and contribute, you have to be involved, to have walked in their shoes, so to speak, and that is what I try to do," he says.

"Our growth plans and strategy plans require that level of attention if they are to succeed."

Davidson says he can see how large corporate boards are too distant from what is happening on the ground - either because they don't want to know or their team doesn't tell them. They are often concerned with the bottom line and shareholders, and tend to only get involved in another area when a problem has arisen, a consultant has recommended they do something or they need to cut costs.

His view is echoed by Julie Moulsdale, who explains that people are often promoted based on their technical skills, so in a way we should not be surprised that the softer skills required to be a good leaderare sometimes lacking.Founder of Perceptive Partners, Moulsdale has worked with directors at a number of major corporates. In her experience, she has found the best leaders are those who can relate to their people, really see the value of this and - most importantly - act on it, which means getting out among your employees on a weekly if not daily basis and really taking the time to listen. A brief informal chat can, she says, often be more revealing than an hour-long boardroom meeting.

"The trick is ensuring that you stay in touch not just with your direct team but the broader organisation at all levels. All employees, regardless of grade or experience, contribute to the organisational culture and its success, so if leaders are not in touch then they are leading in a vacuum."

For lawyer Denise Hooper, ensuring the directors involved the staff at every level has helped the firm at which she works survive the recession.

"To lead by example is the only way to make the whole edifice that is your business and livelihood work," says Hooper. "The benefits of this approach are apparent in recession when the loyalty you have engendered is of great assistance. We could not have sustained our business without our staff in the last two years as the recession took hold."

When she joined 105-year-old legal firm Wright & Crawford ten years ago, staff still made tea for the director, there was a very old-fashioned air about the company and staff weren't really consulted.

The past decade has seen the firm change completely into an entirely modern office, with a modern approach to work and a heavy reliance on technology - none of which could have been done without consultation and without giving staff more responsibility with less stress and without the need to meet targets.

"I would argue you cannot take a business forward successfully without consultation," says Hooper. "Regardless of whether it's a large or small company, the people at the helm colour how the office and the company function.

"A bad atmosphere at the top will stifle productivity and creativity."