Want better engagement with your new hires? Try these leadership behaviors
In my last post, I wrote about Situational Leadership II (SLII) behaviors that do not, according to research, support engagement with new hires. Before I reveal the SLII behaviors that do engage new hires, I ask you to consider answering a few questions regarding your leadership behaviors. Before you begin, consider getting a notebook and pen or opening up a Word document so that you can capture your thinking.
(1) What leadership behaviors do you think you demonstrate daily?
(2) If you were to ask people with whom you have worked for more than a year to identify the leadership behaviors you demonstrate the most, what might they say?
(3) If you were to stop and think about the reactions your leadership
behaviors typically elicit in the people with whom you lead, what would they be?
(4) What leadership behaviors do you think are the most helpful when trying to engage with new hires?
(5) What leadership behaviors do you think are the least helpful when trying to engage with new hires?
As a former head of learning and development for several Fortune 500 companies and a veteran facilitator of leadership training, I know that the answers to these questions offer leaders valuable insight into the behaviors they demonstrate and the impact those behaviors have not only on their employees but also on the people with whom they have regular contact. Hundreds of leaders who have answered the questions posed above during one of my leadership training sessions have consistently said “I never knew what an impact my leadership behaviors have on others.” Or I never knew or I wished I had stopped and thought more about my behaviors and the impact they might be having on my team members. As a steward of the most valuable assets of your companies—the employees—wouldn’t it be powerful to know how to positively impact your employees? The obvious answer to that question is “yes”. So, let’s take a look at some insights from recent research regarding leadership behaviors and new employee engagement.
My doctoral research sheds light on the last of the two reflection questions posted above. For those of you who are not familiar with my research and findings, I’ll offer a brief overview. I studied leadership behaviors and new employee engagement through the lens of Blanchard and Company’s Situational Leadership II (SLII) framework. For my study, I defined a new hire or employee as someone who has worked for a leader for less than one year. I chose SLII as the leadership framework for my study for three reasons: (1) because research has demonstrated the validity of this model as both a research tool and a leadership model, (2) because the model has staying power among leaders, and (3) because leaders typically find the model easy to understand. SLII is framed around a combination of directive and supportive behaviors. Directive leadership behaviors are actions that shape and control what, how, and when things are done. Leaders who show high directive leadership behaviors consistently model, structure, define, organize, teach, and monitor the work of their employees. Supportive leadership behaviors are actions that develop mutual trust and respect, resulting in increased motivation and confidence. Leaders who exhibit high Supportive Leadership behaviors consistently listen, facilitate problem-solving, ask for input, explain why, and encourage. SLII behaviors are anchored in the following four leadership styles: (S1) Directing, (S2) Coaching, (S3) Supporting, and (S4) Delegating. The underlying framework that supports SLII is focused on the developmental level of the employee. This framework assumes employees move back and forth along a continuum of four developmental areas depending on the length of time in their role; namely: (D1) low competence and high commitment, (D2) low- to some competence and low commitment, (D3) moderate- to high competence and variable commitment, and (D4) high competence and high commitment. If you would like to see the full SLII model, click here.
The results of my research indicated that a Coaching (S2) leadership style is the most significant predictor of new employee engagement. If you want to engage with your new hires, start Coaching earlier in the relationship. This is not to say that you will never use Directing (S1): we all know that at some point, you will need to tell your new employees—what to do. However, the research shows clearly that if you want to engage with your new hires more quickly, you should implement Coaching (S2) as your primary leadership behavior. The research additionally shows that Delegating (S4) is the second most statistically significant predictor of new employee engagement. This data point indicates that new hires are looking for their leaders to delegate role-based tasks more quickly in their new-hire development journey than the manager might consider advisable. These research findings do not mean that new hires are ready for additional responsibility in their roles sooner than the manager thinks they are. Rather, the data indicate that new hires think they are ready for more role-based responsibility than managers are currently offering; in other words, the new employees are ready for their managers to delegate more quickly.
If you would like to know more about this research, schedule a free thirty-minute appointment with Leader Behaviors.