Leading the Way to Loyalty
The secret is relationships.
Loyalty.
This is a big topic these days considering two phenomena of recent years: quiet quitting and massive firing.
Can you rely on your employer? And the other way around, can employers rely on their employees? Especially when they do the bare minimum or search for a new job.
Loyalty makes a difference. Where do you stand? Loyal or not?
Loyalty cannot be delegated.
Frederick F. Reichhelp wrote in his HBR article one thing that caught my attention.
“The challenge of engendering loyalty can’t be delegated to a task force or a bright young up-and-comer. It can’t be addressed with a software upgrade or a new wireless strategy.” … “Outstanding loyalty is the direct result of the words and deeds—the decisions and practices—of committed top executives who have personal integrity.”
Loyalty cannot be delegated. Do not hope it comes with a higher salary or that other leaders do it for you. No.
Everyone in a leadership position must understand how much influence they have on loyalty. You are not loyal to the company but to the people. It sounds like a broken record, but people leave managers not companies.
So, if there is one thing leaders can’t delegate, it is loyalty. You have that in your hands.
The ONE thing that makes people loyal.
Relationships.
How do you build relationships? My podcast guests touched on this topic in different ways:
Hampton Dortch: Get to know their stories.
Oakland McCulloch: Serve them.
April Shprintz: Pour into people.
David Marlow: Help them discover their Ikigai.
Melissa (Rider) Carson: Be intentional.
Relationships are two-way communication. Don’t approach work as an anonymous place. Some tend to ignore their colleageus because they are ‘just’ people they work with.
Yet, for loyalty, you can’t see people as chairs you need to fill in. See them as your partners. All they need is honesty, space to engage, a feeling they are listened to, and straight talk.
If you have trouble with transparency, don’t expect loyalty.
How do you see the people you work with? Do you prefer having lunch alone? Do you find your team annoying? Friday after-work-beers, you take one drink and go home?
Relationships need effort - time, interest, integrity, and emotions. Without them, you may have a good culture on paper, but it is shallow and not loyal.
Relationship readiness is not automatic.
Not everyone wants to ‘get involved’ with work colleagues. I get that. It is why not every person is a good leader material.
It is similar to when you are ready to start a relationship, build a family, or become a member of a sports club. You are ready for commitment.
Without a commitment to the people you work with, you can’t expect them to pay you respect back. I can talk for hours about how you need to be authentic, build trust, communicate effectively, be empathetic, etc.
Yet, if you are not ready to start a relationship with your team, it will be useless.
Remember that building loyalty is like building a partnership. It is a process that requires genuine care for others. Not that once a year you have a team building and once in a while one-to-one. (It is better than nothing, though! :D)
When you are ready to commit, aim to build relationships that will create a strong culture that withstand the test of time and challenges.
Think long-term. Loyalty is not automatic and is not linked to the salary level.
TL;DR
Loyalty is crucial to face trends in the job market, such as quiet quitting or losing experienced professionals.
Loyalty cannot be delegated. Do not expect others to do it for you. Your actions and decisions play a huge role. Leaders must understand their role in fostering loyalty, as people tend to leave managers rather than companies.
The Key to Loyalty: Building Relationships: invest time, and effort, and genuinely care about others. Even if they are ‘just’ your work colleagues.
What do you think is the best way to build loyalty?
Have a great weekend! Ivona
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