Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe

Conflict is reduced when employees feel safe. But what do leaders do to create a feeling of safety?

In a TED Talk, management theorist, Simon Sinek, explains that when we fought sabre-toothed tigers we lived and worked together to survive. The outcome was trust and cooperation.

We have different dangers today, including new technologies that could render our business model obsolete overnight, and ups and downs of the economy.  Every organization experiences these.

The only place we have control is inside our organizations – that’s where leadership matters. The leader sets the tone – if people do not feel safe and protected, they fight with other for their survival. If people feel safe, they combine their talents and skills to work together.

Sinek feels that business has things backwards, “In the military, they give medals to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may gain. In business, we give bonuses to people who are willing to sacrifice others so that we may gain.”

What can you do as a leader to make your people feel safe?

1. Make people, not profits, your first priority

2. Invite people into decisions that impact them

A true leader makes the difficult decisions and puts their employees first. Employees want to follow a true leader.

Leadership is a choice, it is not a rank. Choose leadership!

To listen to the full TED talk click here: //www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe

Let's talk about making you a great leader! Contact me Valerie.MacLeod@HainesCentre.com

Photo by Valerie MacLeod