Everybody’s always feeling something, and the way they feel will impact the way they work. Ignoring these feelings means leaving your business at risk of being blindsided by low morale, diminished productivity, or outright departures. One of the best answers to how to grow as a leader is to build your emotional intelligence. Here are a few tips for improving your “EI” from Harvard’s Professional Development program: Take time to recognize and name your own emotions. How do you feel in a certain situation, and how does that change the way you respond? Ask for honest feedback from peers, friends and family about how you tend to respond to tough situations, and about how empathetic they feel you are in your daily interactions. Seek out stories from perspectives unlike your own. One study found that participants who frequently read fiction had higher scores related to empathy. Development Area #2: Practice Effective Communication. How do you know what each employee wants and needs? Well, you have to ask them. But, the “direct approach” may not always yield the results you need. For instance, if you only check in with employees when they’ve done something wrong, they may decide that communicating with you is about appeasement, rather than expressing what they need to do the job better. Even if you check in regularly and openly, failing to show the impact of the desires or concerns they voice will make them more likely to “check out” of the process and just say what they think you want to hear. Employees will only truly feel heard if you put their words into action when and where it makes sense. Note that this doesn’t mean you should get tunnel vision in chasing each employee’s individual requests, especially since there may be times when they conflict. You very likely have a better view of your business’ overall needs and goals than individual employees, and that perspective should be the primary one to inform your decisions. But, even if it’s indirect, employees should be able to draw a line from what they said to what has changed within the business. In short, effective communication must be not only intentional and proactive, but impactful, too. Development Area #3: Prioritize Adaptability. The Roman poet Ovid famously said, “Everything changes, nothing dies.” While the statement reflected his outlook on the ways of the world, it could also be taken as sound advice for business leaders: Businesses that keep living keep changing. How do you prioritize adaptability in your day-to-day affairs as a business leader? The best way is to keep learning. Read periodicals related to your industry. Solicit suggestions from employees about what they’re interested in. Attend conventions or networking events with peers. Exposure to new ideas and alternate points of view helps you refine your own perspective while also offering up new avenues for consideration. Some of this information will go back to honing your business plan, working more effectively, and potentially uncovering new areas to pursue. But, remember that being adaptable isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about being ready to respond when and where it makes sense — and knowing how to tell the difference. Development Area #4: Be Decisive. We’ve touched on how important it is to listen to your employees. But, for someone wondering how to grow as a leader, it’s just as important to be decisive as it is to be thoughtful and considerate. An effective business requires someone at the top who is willing to make a call on any given issue. This is not to say you should be impatient with arriving at the right decision, or that you should adopt a “what I say goes” attitude and expect everyone to fall into line. Instead, you should be willing to trust what your team members say, what market conditions dictate, and what your own experiences tell you is the right thing to do. This complex combination of data inputs is often what people really mean, consciously or subconsciously, when they refer to “following their intuition.” You won’t always make the right decision. But, by giving your business the firm direction it needs, you’ll be able to make sure every part is working toward a common goal. That cohesion will be much better for your business in the long run than losing hours’, days’, or weeks’ worth of productivity to disagreements and misunderstandings. Growing Forward Here’s some more good news: The fact that you’re interested in developing yourself as a business leader already shows you’re better suited to the role than many others who occupy it. That feeling of responsibility to your business and your employees isn’t something you can learn in a master’s program. Even if there are some ups and downs as you seek to grow alongside your business, remember why you started in the first place. And remember that you don’t need to go it alone. Whether you need some lastminute supplies to prepare for a big presentation, tasty treats to celebrate a cherished employee’s workiversary, or materials for a new hire’s desk, Walmart Business has your back. Check out the Walmart Business Content Hub, where we offer guides, checklists, and more to help keep business humming as you take some time to grow. DAWN NICHOLS is Head of Digital Strategy at Walmart Business. Reach her at Dawn.Nichols@walmart.com. enterprising Women 93
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