Occupational health psychologist services
Read more
As working life changes, what remains?
Four guidelines for a leader
Working life is changing at an unprecedented pace. We repeat this so often that the idea has become a worn-out cliché. But an idea often becomes a cliché because it is true.
What exactly is changing?
The rhythm of work is accelerating, and the demands for learning are growing. Previously, it was enough to learn the basics and then deepen and apply them from one decade to the next. Nowadays, many have to master new areas of expertise several times during their careers. Job tasks and the skills required for success are constantly evolving.
Remote work has reduced face-to-face interaction, which can weaken the sense of community. The invisible glue called trust is in danger of eroding.
Artificial intelligence is changing the ways we think and work and can, for example, make memorization almost unnecessary. However, AI does not free us from the trouble of understanding. On the contrary, we must grasp things more thoroughly than ever. Understanding cannot be outsourced to a device.
People are becoming more individualistic, building their own identities, and wanting to be met as they see themselves. We are different in our nature, background, culture, and values. In leadership, we balance between accommodating extreme individuality and adhering to strict common norms.
Neither of these extremes works. The need for meaning is emphasized, and more and more people feel that work is an essential way to express themselves and promote goals they consider important. Work without a purpose is not motivating.
Many things at work are indeed changing, and this challenges old ways of leadership. But in the midst of change, it is also important to consider what is permanent.
The human being does not change
Although our work, our environment, our daily lives, our habits, and our devices change, the human being does not. We are fundamentally the same as we were tens of thousands of years ago. Technology does not replace our need to be heard.
Everyone still wants to be seen. Everyone wants to feel they belong to a group. We want to feel that our work matters. Our ability to concentrate is as limited as ever. We want to feel competent and in control of things. We want to be trusted and treated fairly. Despite all the devices and wellness tools, we still need the same things for our well-being: good sleep, a varied diet, exercise, and outdoor activities.
What does this mean for leadership?
Instead of completely reinventing our leadership methods, we should ensure that leadership takes into account the fundamentals of humanity. From a psychologist's perspective, the following four guidelines serve well:
1. Know yourself and know others
Good self-knowledge and knowledge of others are the starting point for good leadership and effective collaboration. If we do not know ourselves, our nature, our motivational factors, and our interaction style, we lead with our eyes closed and randomly. Poor self-awareness weakens decision-making and is linked to ill-being. And if a leader is unwell, they lead poorly. Besides self-knowledge, knowing others is essential, as ignoring people's differences is one of the most common causes of conflict and inefficiency. We typically imagine that others are like ourselves and are surprised when this is not the case.
What to do?
- Regularly take time to reflect on yourself and your actions in different situations.
- Get to know the people around you again and again by asking open-ended questions, such as: what is important to you at work, what excites you, what frustrates you, what do you need for your work to go smoothly?
2. Lead responsibility and ownership
Hardly any leader or employee admits to liking micromanagement. Yet, we often drift into using it. When we feel that people are not taking responsibility for their actions, we increase instructions and control. However, most would prefer to manage their own work. The leader's dilemma is how to foster responsibility and ownership. The simplest path to this is to provide a clear goal and the authority to make decisions to achieve that goal. Trust grows by showing trust.
What to do? Ensure people have the prerequisites for taking responsibility:
- Does the person know how to act and what they can decide on? (Understanding)
- Is the person capable of acting, i.e., do they have the necessary skills, time, and tools? (Resources)
- Does the person want to act and bear the responsibility? (Attitude)
3. Lead the why and thedirection, i.e., meaning and goals
We need a reason to make an effort and a direction to move towards. Yet, various surveys have found that the majority of employees do not clearly know their organization's strategy or their own role in its implementation. For some, the basic task and purpose of their work are also lost. One of the leader's most important tasks is to provide a clear, inspiring reason and direction for action.
What to do?
- Tell an inspiring story about where you are going together (direction) and why (reason). Repeat the story over and over again. People are still more influenced by a good story than by facts.
4. Lead a culture of appreciation and encounter
The fundamental question of appreciation is: "Am I important to you?". If we do not feel that both our work and we ourselves are an important part of our work community, we will feel unwell and perform poorly. We are also likely to change jobs. Sincere appreciation, listening to others, and understanding their perspectives are the key building blocks of an appreciative culture.
What to do?
- Listen, really listen. Listen in a way that the other person feels heard.
- Whenever you think something good about another person, say it out loud.
- Give the other person your undivided attention for a moment.
The text was written by Pekka Tölli, Mehiläinen's leading organizational psychologist.
