Qualities of a good leader, and how a leader-employee relationship creates success.

Research shows that when leaders and their followers have good relations, they feel better and accomplish more, the organization prospers.

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

Why is this important to know?

Firstly, a developing leader is like a rocket on which you can quickly fly into a successful professional future, or, contrarily, with a poor choice of a leader and company, get stuck in a swamp.

Secondly, we all want to test ourselves: are we great leaders — a leader is often lonely, and it is not always easy to understand whether he is right. Self-testing is always exciting, especially when based on a newly formed scientific concept.

Leader-Member Exchange Theory

The LMX (Leader-Member Exchange) theory dives deep into leadership as a process centered on the interactions between leaders and employees. The LMX theory divides people in organizations into two types: the competent workers with solid motivation who are seen as trustworthy (in-group employees), and the incompetent workers with an untrustworthy reputation and little reason (out-group employees).

The LMX theory also distinguishes two leadership styles based on how leaders use their authority. Leaders implement the first type of leadership with incompetent workers (out-group employees): setting them tasks with little responsibility and not requiring extraordinary abilities. There are almost no personal contacts between the leader and employee in this case. With competent workers, leaders behave like mentors and entrust them with important, responsible work, the performance of which requires particular proficiency. A personal relationship that includes support and understanding establishes between such workers and leaders.

This theory forms a “circle” of interaction within the organization. The leader is in the center, and all workers are at different distances from him. The further the worker is from the circle’s center; there is less personal contact and less effective results. A good leader will always try to make valuable connections with everyone on their team to build an inspiring atmosphere.

Good leader Checklist

You might be asking, how do I know that my leader at work is good and developing? Here’s a checklist of what a good leader may look like:

1. A good leader sets tasks so that everyone understands their meaning and what and why to do it. After talking with them, your head does not boil from the amount of information, and you have a clear plan of action that you can start performing right away. You have been explained why it is essential to do this.
2. A good leader creates an atmosphere of productive discussion where everyone wants to share their ideas. In a joint conversation, they ask everyone to speak, listen, and consider new ideas. They appreciate my contribution and the opinions of my colleagues.
3. When a good leader analyzes the work of his employees, the feedback he gives is informative, helpful, and interesting. In the future, employees will be guided by his words. Criticism of your leader should not offend you; it should inspire you to grow and develop.
4. Your leader is interested in employee development and invests in you. A good leader discusses your prospects in and out of the company — providing, for example, gym opportunities, personal therapy, and training courses.
5. When employees talk about work difficulties and problems, a good leader goes deep and seeks to understand. A good leader will not be ashamed to tell you that something is not working out well. When a worker has problems, the leader should take them as his own and solve them carefully, gradually, and help form an action plan.
6. A good leader appreciates everyone’s input. They will reward their employees for their contribution: they will issue an award, offer flexible hours, an extra day off, or simply constructively praise and personally thank them for the work done.

Here’s the vital morale: success cannot occur without a strong leader. Workers in higher-quality relationships with their leaders perform better as they are motivated to put forward more effort into their tasks and rely on their leader for support and guidance if they encounter challenges.

Sources:
1. The Leader–Member Exchange Relationship: A Multisource, Cross-Level Investigation — Janaki Gooty, Charlotte Francis J. Yammarino
2. Scale Indicators of Social Exchange Relationships: A Comparison of Relative Content Validity — Jason A. Colquitt and Michael D. David M. Long