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Culture, mindset, leadership, team – it’s all about people!

Whether we talk about culture, mindset, leadership or teams, the common ground of all these aspects is people. From the management to the interns, a company is made up of people who influence its success with their actions, their thoughts and actions, their know-how and team spirit. Important factors influencing success are the motivation, satisfaction and performance of each individual person. In summary, we state right at the beginning: everyone, not only leaders or decision-makers, contributes to the success of the overall organization! But as so often, it is the together that counts. And what is necessary to create a successful togetherness in which individuality is also valued? Among other things, the establishment of a “people first” mindset.

 

5 core elements of a “people first” mindset

1. Enablement

Enablement is about making it possible for the people in your team to do their job in the best possible way. This can be enabled by providing additional training, offering ongoing development, improved processes, the right resources, or even autonomy in how they do their jobs. On the other hand, the availability of the manager in case of questions or challenges is also important. All these aspects also help to create a culture in which each individual has both the opportunity and the understanding to make an essential contribution to the success as part of the organization.

2. Engagement

“People first” does not mean “me first.” It revolves around the question of how everyone:r in the team can contribute to the big picture within the range of their individual strengths. Far from hierarchies or departments, the people with the relevant know-how and necessary strengths who are best suited for certain tasks and challenges should be called upon. The strengths-based involvement of employees also promotes cross-team thinking and the breaking down of silos. Of course, engagement can also extend beyond the boundaries of the company: For example, ask your customers for feedback on a new product design.

3. Ennoblement

Monetary incentives such as salary, bonuses or discounts are attractive, possibly effective in the short term, but not likely to be successful in the long term. To build sustainable relationships with internal or external people, it is necessary to go a step further and show genuine appreciation. Honest interest in the other person, gratitude, active listening, and responding to individual needs can make all the difference and elevate a relationship. Leaders have an important role model function in this respect. Because appreciative interaction with one another must first and foremost be lived top down.

4. Entelechy

In the battle for talent and skilled professionals, many measures are needed to retain employees. One of them is to create opportunities for individual development on a personal and professional level. Regular conversations about strengths and areas of responsibility can have a great impact here. Feedback talks or development meetings create the perfect space to jointly focus on the right topics in further development. Here, too, openness and agility are needed on the part of all those involved in order to discover potential and to deploy people correctly throughout the company and, as mentioned above, on the basis of strengths. Leaders act as coaches to show employees ways and possibilities and to encourage them to try things out and to take the plunge.

5. Empathy

All the elements mentioned above can be implemented if the people involved have mastered one decisive competence above all. And that is the ability to show empathy. The willingness to put oneself in the shoes of others and to understand the motives and values of the other person holds enormous potential for better collaboration. After all, responding to individual concerns while at the same time mastering day-to-day business can be quite challenging. Despite all the obstacles, however, it is important not to forget to meet each other at eye level and to communicate openly and transparently. And the best way to do that is to have mutual understanding.

 

Great people make all the difference

People are never perfect, but that is what makes them unique. And this uniqueness is a key factor for success!

As a leader, as a team or as an individual employee, people make the difference and this is exactly what we at Leaders21 want to emphasize with our motto “Great people make all the difference” and make it visible to the whole world. Of course, we consequently follow the “people first” approach internally as well, because without our employees Leaders21 would not exist. As CEO, I would not be able to realize our ambitious vision alone!

You also want to establish a “people first” mindset in your company or need individual support in implementing it? We are looking forward to accompanying you and your team on the journey!

“You build a better company by building better people” (Zig Ziglar)