Microsoft has undergone a transformation when Satya Nardella took the reins of Microsoft’s CEO and became the top leader of the organization. Satya’s approach is very different from his predecessors, Steve Ballmer, and Founder Bill Gates. Satya Nadella’s approach to leadership is a kinder and gentler one. However, a kinder, gentler, and often quiet approach to leadership doesn’t mean there isn’t a competitive mindset.
When Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft’s CEO, his leadership style took hold and the core culture of the organization improved. Employee engagement, happiness, productivity, and thus business improved. Shareholders certainly seem to approve based on the improvement of their stock price since he took over.
What a Softer Leadership Looks Like
Success, or failure, can come with both a harder or softer style of leadership. There are times in an organizational life-cycle when one style would seem to be needed over the other. Regardless of the issues at hand or the challenges facing the organization, these softer approaches to leadership should be at the core of your style.
Questions, however ignorant or critical, are answered:
With a harder leadership style, the responses to certain questions can result in “that’s stupid”. Whereas with a softer leadership style all questions are listened to openly and objectively and answered patiently. Because the goal is to have a well thought out answer and that it is understood by the recipient. This encourages participation, questioning what isn’t understood, clarity, and makes people feel like they matter.
Competitiveness still matters but it’s different:
Regardless of your style, business demands competitiveness. Not all competitiveness is equal and unfortunately, the aggressive, loud, and obnoxious display of competitiveness is often the only time it gets recognized.
The softer leadership approach to competitiveness is different because it focuses on different things that inspire and encourage a healthy competitive mindset.
- It starts with the team and company vision above all else. This is done by linking behaviors and what is tolerated vs not tolerated to those visions.
- Personal and professional goals are set for and shared with everyone. For the team to really win everyone on the team must be winning. By sharing personal and professional goals everyone on the team has visibility into what everyone else is working towards. They are no longer competing solely on professional achievements.
- Continuous improvement. Whilst most organizations try to promote a culture of coaching, improvement, and self-awareness they fail to connect this to competing with oneself. No matter how competitive a person is, first and foremost they are always competitive with themselves. The softer leadership approach is to inspire an environment that challenges everyone to be better than they were the day before.
- Have fun, keep score, and provide wins. A harder leadership style highlights individual contributions and peer-to-peer rankings.
- The softer leadership approach first highlights team-to-team performance and then peer-to-peer. When doing one-to-one’s they address individual performance but then also talk about how they are helping improve team performance or atmosphere.
A less abrasive, more open culture:
With a harder leadership style, you will often find that teams are kept separate and their activities highly guarded. When mistakes are made people are shamed publicly. Employees are dictated to more than engaged in the improvement of the business. Employees aren’t empowered and access to executives is restricted. Communication and training are sub-par.
The impact a softer leadership style has on culture is:
- Teams become cross-functional not only to work on projects but also team-building exercises that improve inclusion and loyalty.
- Mistakes are acknowledged and the messaging includes encouragement to keep going and that they are being fully supported to keep learning and improving.
- Creates a culture to allows all employees to constantly renew themselves by having a focus on training and development.
- Communication from the top is frequent and valuable.
A softer approach to leadership matters more now than ever. People who take this approach to leadership are well-regarded, find it easier to retain top-notch talent, exceed organizational goals, and develop a highly educated, committed, and high performing team.
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Did you know that when Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft, his first step to change the toxic culture was to hand each of his execs Non-Violent Communication by psychologist Marshall B. Rosenberg? Non-Violent Communication teaches compassion and empathy in communication.
Last updated on September 12th, 2020 at 07:23 am
