ICF-certified executive coach, business psychologist, and leadership development expert. CEO of Barnhill Group Consulting
Within companies, loyalty is the emotional commitment and dedication of an employee’s time, energy, and resources to the success of their team and organization.
According to recent evidence, establishing a culture of loyalty is not just essential for businesses but imperative.
Gallup’s study on the global workforce, “State of the Global Workforce,” shows that only 21% of employees are engaged.
More than half of employees don’t feel like they are fully appreciated, which can make them more anxious, tense, or even angry.
These emotions have detrimental effects on a person’s physical health, motivation, productivity, and decision-making.
According to the McKinsey study, non-monetary acknowledgment generates more than half of employee engagement.
My research backs up this idea. If a person doesn’t feel appreciated or respected by their boss, they are more likely to feel unmotivated, angry, and eventually quit.
Gallup says that the manager alone is responsible for 70% of the difference in team loyalty and engagement.This supports my position.
Hence, fostering loyalty is the role of leadership.
Three Criteria For Team Loyalty
I feel that involvement and loyalty are two sides of the same coin.
When team members are loyal to their leader and the organization’s goals, they are more likely to be engaged, go above and beyond, and give their all.Without a culture of loyalty, companies are doomed to have disengaged employees, low productivity, high absenteeism, and a high turnover rate.
As a result of teaching hundreds of leaders, I’ve identified three crucial leadership qualities for fostering loyalty: caring, curiosity, and bravery.
Care: Lead with compassion and empathy.
Empathy and genuine care are crucial for fostering team loyalty.
It requires taking the time to listen to team members, comprehending their emotions and experiences, and having compassion when they make errors.
It also necessitates going out of one’s way, if feasible.
When a leader demonstrates such concern, people feel respected and appreciated.
In turn, this promotes a more inclusive, happy work atmosphere that enables team members to flourish and perform at their highest level.
Also, it is essential to be consistent with your care, since any inconsistency in your leadership style might result in uncertainty and mistrust.
Curiosity: Exhibit Real Interest and Comprehend
Curiosity entails having an open mind and a genuine curiosity in the opinions of others.
Leaders should aim to provide an environment that encourages the examination of diverse views.
This will stimulate research and originality, resulting in the development of novel solutions.
It is also crucial to ask questions to acquire insight into the team’s objectives and potential obstacles.
A deeper awareness of the team’s dynamics will aid in identifying areas for growth, facilitating everyone’s progress towards individual and collective achievement.
Acting with authenticity and assertiveness is courageous.
I consider bravery to be a mix of being genuine and aggressive.
This involves being real and truthful in your interactions with your team, as well as being open to understanding their perspective and forthcoming about your own views and experiences.
As a leader, expressing oneself truthfully may help create an environment where team members feel at ease sharing their own ideas and views.
Courageous leadership entails accepting full responsibility for one’s actions, making difficult decisions, and taking calculated risks.
This might result in new prospects for expansion.
How can you determine whether your efforts were successful?
Performance is one of the finest methods for determining team loyalty.
Is your team achieving its objectives?
Is everyone successfully cooperating to address problems?
Do they feel safe expressing their emotions and worries or requesting assistance?
These are all indicators of a devoted team.
Loyalty does not develop immediately.
Only through constant leadership effort can it be acquired.
The development of the ideal team dynamic is contingent on the leaders’ commitment to convey authenticity, demonstrate real concern, and place faith in their team.
Every morning, resolve to approach your team with the three Cs in mind, and every evening, evaluate if you achieved your objective.
Continuous attention to team loyalty will contribute to the success of you, your team, and your organization as a whole.
