I’m frequently asked by clients when I’m working with their leaders, “How important is leadership?” I firmly believe that there is nothing that matters more. In fact, this is also supported by numerous studies that state that the majority of an organisations culture is shaped by their leaders and the impact they have on others.

It doesn’t matter if you have every document in place and programs on the books to engage your employees, if your leaders and managers aren’t having a positive impact, your employees will leave!

To ensure that your leaders are driving the right culture for your organisation, you need to ensure you’re your culture programs and training have a focus on the following leadership skills.
1. Intrinsic motivation toward self-improvement
2. Adaptability to change
3. Ability to build and maintain relationships
4. Desire and skills to coach and develop people
5. Communication skills to ‘sell’ the vision and inspire action
6. Ability to respond not react when faced with challenges
7. Confidence to be true to yourself
8. Ability to focus on what matters to the business and its people

Give your leaders the opportunity to develop these skills, but ensure that you give them clear timeframes for improvement. The impact that they are having on the culture of your organisation can be either negative or positive, make sure it’s one that encourages high performance from all levels of your organisation.