Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2019 - 9

GUEST EDITOR
LESLIE YUROCKO

HELPING PEOPLE FLOURISH
THROUGH GREAT LEADERSHIP

Employee experience is essential in
today's work environment. The way
we experience work impacts our
personal growth, our motivation and
our interactions with the world around
us. Simply put, employee experience
impacts everything.

employees in their work environment.
Ask why they chose your company and
why they stay. When we dig deeper and
ask questions, we learn how to best
support our people.

Understanding what motivates our
workforce is more important now than
ever before. How do they experience
their work environment? What are their
skills and passions? As their leader,
how do you help people thrive? Use
these four leadership strategies to
create a workplace where employees
can flourish.

Listening is a simple concept that most
people struggle to master. Constant
distractions create an environment
where it's easy to be inattentive as
a leader. When someone stops by to
speak to you, you may be distracted by
incoming emails or upcoming deadlines
and respond ineffectively. How are you
eroding trust in this moment? Can you
listen now or is there a better time to
talk later?

UNDERSTANDING
WHAT MOTIVATES OUR
WORKFORCE IS MORE
IMPORTANT NOW THAN
EVER BEFORE.
1. BUILD TRUST
Building trust requires vulnerability and
courage as the leader. Demonstrating
vulnerability allows leaders to share
times they were wrong and the lessons
they learned as a result. When leaders
open up, employees feel comfortable
sharing their struggles and triumphs
as a result. This is how we create
trust. Humility can go a long way when
leading others.
Building trust also requires a genuine
curiosity in the people you lead. Learn
what excites, frustrates and fulfills your

2. LISTEN

Address the situation and avoid
distractions in that moment. Plan
another time to talk if you can't give
someone your undivided attention.
When people feel heard, they are
more likely to approach you again in
the future when they need your help.
Listening builds equity in relationships
over time.
3. MODEL GROWTH
To help people flourish, we need to focus
on our own growth as leaders, too. Set
goals for yourself and your work in order
to model the importance of personal
growth in the workplace. Then, share
what you're discovering in your learning
with your employees. Remind yourself
of why you chose the company and your
beliefs in the people and communities
the company serves. Our employees
need to see us living these values, so

they know how to model and reflect
positive workplace behaviors.
4. PROVIDE CLARITY
For our people to thrive, we need to be
clear with them. Do you wait for a yearly
performance review to let your people
know how they are doing and what they
need to work on? Clearly communicating
your expectations regarding employees'
strengths, shortcomings and progress
should be consistently practiced
throughout the year.
Clarity defines success. As the leader, it
is also important to clearly communicate
your own vision for your team. Share
with your people what success looks like
and how you can support them along
the way. Guiding your team toward
success requires honest feedback, even
when the feedback may not be easy
for the receiver to hear. Constructive
criticism is the greatest gift you can give
someone who truly wants to grow.
Helping people flourish is the greatest
responsibility and gift as a leader. The
ultimate employee experience occurs
when people feel supported to become
better versions of themselves. Creating
this experience requires intentional and
focused leadership that builds trust,
listens carefully, models growth and
provides clarity.
Leslie Yurocko is the director of talent
development for RevLocal in Granville,
Ohio. In her role, Leslie oversees training and
professional development for operations
employees. Email Leslie.

T RAIN IN G I N DU STR Y M AGAZ INE - UNDERSTANDING YOUR LEARNERS 20 1 9 I WWW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2019

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