Steven shifts nervously in his seat as we review his company’s culture survey results. He has many reasons to celebrate. Employees love working at his company. They believe in its mission. And they’re grateful for Steven’s strong business acumen. But they feel unappreciated and he’s struggling to accept this. “I don’t believe in lazy praise” he tells me. “Isn’t it enough that I pay well? That my company is successful? Must I also play cheerleader?” I want to say yes – because it works! ALSO READ: The hidden business leaders who will shape Rwanda’s future Over the past two years I’ve completed 360° feedback surveys for nearly 50 leaders. The results are astounding. Leaders in Rwanda are more constructive than in any other country where these surveys have been done. Specifically, they encourage behaviours like achievement, innovation, encouragement and team building that are most associated with high leadership effectiveness. Some people scoff when I share this. Surely survey respondents are just kissing up? And if these leaders are so good, why aren’t there more internationally successful Rwandan firms? ALSO READ: The art of encouraging initiative For reasons too boring to expand on here, I’m pretty sure the surveys are accurate. I’m also confident that the recent growth we’ve seen in the local finance, event management, food processing and global services sectors is only going to accelerate. There’s no reason why companies like Steven’s can’t grow to dominate local and international markets. ALSO READ: Automate admin, not trust My results include some fascinating trends. One factor that separates the most and least effective leaders is positive reinforcement. Effective leaders compliment colleagues for handling challenges well, sincerely tell them when they are impressed with their efforts and let them know when they’re exceeding expectations. ALSO READ: ‘You got this’ is hard to hear and even harder to say Giving this kind of recognition costs nothing and takes only a few minutes. If, as my surveys suggest, it’s associated with high effectiveness, why don’t more people do it? Possibly because it feels awkward and even risky. Accepting a leadership position opens you up to levels of visibility and judgement that can be acutely uncomfortable. First time leaders may try to control these feelings by remaining aloof and hard to impress. This can deliver short term results as people scramble to meet their new leader’s needs. But this strategy is also exhausting, both for the leader working hard to maintain a tough persona, and for team members who quickly tire of feeling unseen. The outcome is often burnout and disengagement. ALSO READ: The risk of not delegating work The alternative is dropping the boss act and just giving voice to what you see. This isn’t always easy. Your top talent will probably do some things better than you ever will. Praising them might require some ego soothing! On the other hand, your less consistent performers may impress you today but what happens if you’re seen congratulating someone who lets the team down tomorrow? My advice is not to overthink this. Just try to be a little bit more regular and generous with calling out the things you like. You might be pleasantly surprised by how well the organisation responds, and how few of the risks you’d envisaged come to pass. Another factor that drives effectiveness is the setting you create for others to do their best work. The most effective leaders consciously create opportunities that prepare their team members for advancement. They share information, resources and relationships that help others succeed. And they focus on building a culture where people can grow. Again, this takes some courage. Giving subordinates the opportunity to shine and advance feels super challenging if your own advancement is uncertain. And sharing valuable information, resources and relationships with your reports requires a level of trust that you might not be ready to give yet. As before, the best response is just to lean in. Time spent setting others up for success yields far greater returns than time spent on your own initiatives. The last point to make about cheerleading is how much it gives back. Paying more attention to other peoples’ needs greatly strengthens your work relationships and increases how rewarding your work can be. Christian Sellars is the CEO of Transforming Engagements (TES) Ltd, a Kigali-based consultancy that helps organisations prosper by transforming leadership and culture.
