SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: How much exposure do your team members have to the leaders above you?
- A lot — those leaders see my team all the time: 28.43%
- Some — my team members occasionally get the spotlight: 34.73%
- Little — leaders above me see my team during crises or major updates: 28.71%
- Never — my team members are kept in the dark: 8.12%
Give them the spotlight. One of the best ways to help your team members grow is to expose them to the leaders above you. Doing so helps your team appreciate the way those leaders think and the issue those leaders face. It will also give them insight into different leadership styles and techniques. On top of that, it’s a source of pride for your team members to get to show off their hard work to senior management, and, conversely, being kept in the dark and locked away can hurt morale and motivation. So find some opportunities to let your people shine — they’ll be grateful you did.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”