Clear Leadership and Expectations

One widely accepted categorization of leadership styles includes the following:

Instrumental
Focuses primarily on producing outcomes, with little attention paid to the “big picture,” the psychosocial dynamics within the organization, and unfortunately, the individual staff and faculty.

Transactional
Focuses on results, conforms to the existing structure of an organization and measures success according to that organization’s system of reward and penalties.

Transformational
Transformational leaders are seen as change agents who motivate their followers to do more than what is expected. They are concerned with long-term objectives and transmit a sense of mission, vision, and purpose. They have charisma, give individual consideration to their staff and faculty, stimulate intellectual capabilities in others, and inspire staff and faculty.

Of these, transformational leadership is considered the most powerful.

When it comes to clear leadership and expectations, fostering communication is incredibly important. By regularly fostering opportunities for open and honest communication between managers, staff and faculty, it increases staff and faculty morale, resilience, and trust, and decreases staff and faculty frustration and conflict.

A leader who demonstrates a commitment to maintaining their own physical and psychological health can influence the health of staff and faculty (e.g., via positively impacting sickness, presenteeism, and absenteeism rates), as well as the health of the organization as a whole (e.g., in terms of vigour, vitality, and productivity).

Leaders who are more instrumental in their approach (rather than transformational) are more likely to find staff and faculty health complaints including general feelings of malaise, irritability and nervousness. Similarly, leaders who do not demonstrate visible concern for their own physical and psychological health set a negative example for their staff and faculty and can undermine the legitimacy of any organizational program, policy and/or service intended to support staff and faculty. Middle managers are at greater risk due to the fact that they must be leaders and be led simultaneously. This role conflict can lead to feelings of powerlessness and stress.

• in their jobs, staff and faculty know what they are expected to do;
• leadership in the workplace is effective;
• staff and faculty are informed about important changes at work in a timely manner;
• managers provide helpful feedback to staff and faculty on their expected and actual performance; 
• the organization provides clear, effective communication.

When it comes to clear leadership and job expectations, fostering communication is incredibly important. This means emphasizing the importance of having managers who have an emotionally intelligent leadership style. This also means regularly fostering opportunities for open and honest communication between leaders, staff and faculty, as well as check-ins that ensure a clear understanding of not only a staff and faculty personal role, tasks, and responsibilities at work – but also how their work contributes to the organization overall.

Use this four step guide to help lead a collaborative conversation about clear leadership an expectations!

It’s also important to provide managers with training opportunities to build and improve on their communication skills, including emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills. This also means orienting new leaders to their role by ensuring they understand the organizations’ culture and values.

Here are some concrete ways to regularly enhance communication in the workplace:

• keep your staff and faculty members informed on what is happening in the organization through regular newsletters, bulletins, intranet, or other communication-channel updates;
• ensure there is regular, open and helpful communication between managers and direct reports, particularly during times of change and uncertainty;
• hold regular staff and faculty meetings and ensure management attends; 
• strive for direct, accurate and timely communication from senior management, particularly about difficult decisions (e.g., layoffs, terminations).

People leaders play a critical role in terms of promoting organizational psychological health and safety. The Psychologically Safe Leader Assessment is a free resource to help managers become aware of the impact they can have on the psychological health and safety of staff and faculty at work.

1. Does it support/align with the mandate? 
2. Is this decision/direction/initiative in the best interest of our staff and/or faculty psychological safety and wellbeing?
3. If this decision/direction/initiative has a potentially negative impact (perceived or actual), is there a way to remove the risk factor(s)? If not, is there a way to minimize it?
4. If the potential risk factor(s) cannot be removed, have we considered and communicated internal strategies, resources and supports that will assist staff and/or faculty to overcome it successfully?  
5. Have we consulted staff and/or faculty about the decision or involved them in the process?