Include others to gain commitment
I am a huge supporter of inclusive leadership. I believe that you should include others in as many of your daily duties as possible to grow their buy-in, experience and it ultimately lightens your load. Here are several reasons why you should commit to including others in workplace activities.
Including others raises their knowledge level
There is nothing like gaining knowledge at the source. It’s just more impactful than hearing it second-handed or in a training video or message. People learn quicker and retain knowledge longer when they experience something. In the talent development community, we refer to this as experiential learning and it’s the reason why new training avenues like VR are so impactful. They create an experience that we remember.
Including others in your daily work routine is the natural progression of the one-level-up mentality. (Everyone can do the job one level above their own) You may not think much of mundane items like making a schedule or approving a budget, but it’s valuable knowledge for someone else. Don’t take your small responsibilities for granted and teach others how to perform them.
Involving others in meetings can be helpful as well in growing their knowledge. Set out the expectations beforehand. (Are they an active participant or merely there to observe). Stick to meeting boundaries, and connect afterward to check for understanding and learning points. Having someone sit in with you during a meeting also opens up the opportunity to sub in for you when you are unavailable.
Including others creates ownership
When others are included, their ownership in whatever it is is naturally increased. It’s one of the main benefits of including others in your hiring process. They have a sense of ownership over the role and they will put in extra effort in order to ensure that the new person is successful.
Inclusion also helps the person understand the why behind what needs to be done. Understanding that why always drives more ownership to complete the job well.
Including others raises retention
People stay longer when they feel valued, respected and cared for. Isn’t that exactly what you are doing by including them in the strategy of your team?
Inclusion is sometimes even more effective than a raise in keeping someone with you longer. Sure the money is great, but you can give them a phenomenal raise and if they feel isolated, not appreciated and not challenged than they will leave anyway.
Think of increases in salary and growth opportunities as part of an equal package instead of an either-or scenario.
Including others fleshes out your strategy
Yet another benefit of including others is that it provides you with another perspective on the meeting, strategy or idea that you are working on. You may discover a new more efficient way to complete those mundane tasks that you hate doing. I’ve seen this benefit regularly pay off in marketing meetings. Oftentimes they walk out with a more encompassing strategy after presenting to people with different perspectives.
Be supportive and encourage the person to share ideas and perspectives when you involve them. Otherwise, you may lose out on valuable knowledge yourself.
Include others in your strategy sessions, daily routines, and even mundane activities, and watch your team grow stronger and stay longer in the new year.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH
