Make time to manage people well – and other important leadership lessons

Make time to manage people well

I was recently interviewed by employee communication providers, Staffbase for their regular podcast.

In this episode I speak to David Burnand, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Staffbase, about my book Nobody Believes You and the importance of credibility for leaders.

It was a great chat and we covered a wide range of topics related to credibility, building trust, fostering authentic connection, and how leaders can ensure they are showing up as the best versions of themselves.

I think there’s lot of really interesting food for thought for leaders in there. Here are a few of my favourite snippets…

How to build trust in leadership

“Think about being realistic about what you’re saying […] What I’m talking about is things people will say like ‘my door’s always open’ or ‘you can come and talk to me’, but then you’re not in the office or you’re not actually around and, therefore, people don’t believe that you are. So there’s a disconnect between what you’re saying, and then what you’re doing, and that’s what starts to break things.

“So, it’s just being intentional about what you’re promising people. And also, being intentional about what’s realistic for you […] because the last thing you want to do is over promise and under deliver. That is what will start to break that trust.” 

The difference between being “liked” and being “likeable”

“It’s an important distinction to make as a leader, because you won’t always be liked, because you’ll be making decisions that people won’t like. But you want to be likeable. So you want to have charisma, you want to be light-hearted, you want to be nice to be around, all those things.

“ […] Being able to take away this need to be liked, can unlock quite a lot of that ability to really step into the space that you want to step into.”

Navigating remote work

“I do think there is a lot of benefit to being very clear about your approach as an organisation. I don’t like this narrative that there is a right and wrong in terms of ‘we should all be given the ability to work at home, or work in a hybrid way’. I don’t agree with that.

“There is a huge percentage of the workforce who have to go to a location to do their job. The people that have that ability to choose are actually quite a small number of the workforce. And actually, for a lot of people, they want that distinction between home and work, or they don’t have that space to be able to work at home. So, I think there is something really positive about organisations really setting their stall in [and saying] ‘this is what we’re doing and it’s okay if that’s not for you, but this is what we need and this is why we’re making this decision’.”

Making time to manage people well

“I think we forget that a big part of your job as a leader is the time that is required to manage people. And so you have to make space for that.

“It’s often just as simple as asking someone if they’re okay.

“You don’t need to have huge statements and big answers, but if there’s something happening, and there’s people in your team that could be impacted by that, then just say to them ‘I know this is happening. I just want to check in and see how everybody’s feeling’.

“[…] It’s asking people how they are, but not for the sake of it. And that’s where integrity and trustworthiness come in. If you’re just doing it to tick a box, then don’t bother, because it’s performative, it’s not kind, and it’s not credible leadership. You have to do it with that intention, and that genuineness, of ‘I really want to know how you are. And if you’re not okay, I know as a manager what I can do to support you’.”

The importance of slowing down

“Technology has come on so far in our lives, that we’re always trying to shortcut stuff. How can we make stuff quicker? How can I meal prep on a Sunday so I don’t have to cook in the week? How can I get this done? How can I do this? And I don’t know how that’s happened.

“I read a really good book this year called Slow Productivity by Cal Newport, which is all about this bizarreness that we’ve got about productivity, which we can’t actually quantify in an office-based environment. But why are we in such a hurry? Why has this become something we need to do? And actually, as a leader, that time is so important. Organisations are people. If you don’t have people, you don’t really have an organisation.

“So, you have to make that time… to write thank you cards, or send the email, or follow up with people. Those relationships are important. You have the duty as the leader in a position of power to lead how that relationship should be shaped, and be in charge of that, really, to make sure that it is where you need it to be. And stop thinking ‘Right, tick, that’s done. What can I go on to next?’. Stay there, stay in that moment with them, and talk to them, and be with them and make that space.”

Why being an introvert is not an excuse to be a poor communicator

“I have seen people say, “Oh, they’re not very good at communicating, but it’s just because they’re an introvert”. I’m like ‘hang on a minute, Barack Obama’s an introvert. He’s pretty good at speaking’.

“If you are someone who does identify as an introvert, and therefore, you want to listen more in conversations, you don’t want to jump in with a solution, you need that reflective time, that’s absolutely fine. But you can still learn the skills to be able to communicate effectively, you just might do it in a slightly different way. […] It’s just learning what your style is, and not comparing yourself to someone else, and thinking ‘I must be more like them’.

“I always say, comparison is the thief of joy. If you’re looking at other people and thinking ‘I need to be more like that’, don’t do that. Find your communication style. You might need to prep more, you might need more time, you might need more research, you might need some support, you might want to rehearse, all of those things are fine. But you have to build that in, so that when you show up, you’re showing up in a way where people see you as capable, they find you trustworthy and they see your vision, they find you inspiring.”

Listen to the full podcast episode here.

About the author:
Internal Communications
Jenni Field

Jenni Field is an expert in leadership credibility and internal communication.

Host of the popular Redefining Communications with Jenni Field podcast and author of Influential Internal Communication, and Nobody Believes You, her work as an international speaker and coach, helps leaders and their organisations become more efficient and more engaging.

After spending 13 years working inside organisations as Head of Internal Communications and Communications Director, Jenni set up the consultancy Redefining Communications to help organisations and teams use communication to go from chaos to calm.

Since 2017 Jenni has published two books, hosted two popular podcasts that discuss leadership, communication and wellbeing and conducted research into communication with deskless workers, the role of line managers and why we follow some leaders and not others.

In 2020 she was the President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and she holds qualifications and accreditations in internal communication, company directorship and facilitation.

She is an impressive speaker, inspiring leader and is globally recognised in the communication industry as a force for change in the way leaders and organisations as a whole communicate with their teams.

You can find her on LinkedIn and Instagram

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