September 2008
Inspiring Leadership – In Challenging Times
Recently there was a newspaper survey on ‘who inspires Dutch women’. It was interesting to note that Dutch women voted Princes Maxima as the most inspiring woman in Holland and that 42% of Dutch women also mentioned that they get great inspiration from friends and family. More concerning is the 3% score which managers received from Dutch women for their leadership inspiration.
Our own Europhia HR Surveys show that employees greatly value leadership. In our survey “what makes a good employer” earlier this year, it is mentioned as a key factor for professionals in their choice to stay with their current employer or not.
In today’s market a number of new risks are challenging managers. These include critical matters such as slowing demand for products and services caused by high energy prices and rising interest rates. The shortage of talent remains another key concern for senior executives.
On the other hand, challenging times are an opportunity for managers to display leadership towards their company and staff.
High energy prices are an additional motivation for companies to think about their ‘carbon footprint’ and take the required environmental actions within their span of control to reduce energy usage and reduce emissions. Apart from the cost savings it is also a clear strategic signal to staff and stakeholders that they take ‘green’ logistics serious as a social challenge impacting society as a whole. It is also a great way to get staff motivated to get involved to brainstorm ideas to reduce energy usage within their workplace. The idea of a simple incentive scheme to motivate staff to come up with ideas to create energy cost savings is one way to display corporate and social leadership.
Within the logistics sector there are many possibilities to improve loading capabilities, improve fuel efficiencies, reduce emissions, improve packaging concepts and reduce waste. There could also be ideas around alternative energy useage and alternative transport incentives for staff to get from home to work. One German logistics company called Trans-o-flex recently announced a complete switch to eco-power as a signal of excellent corporate leadership. http://www.transportintelligence.com/content/logistics-markets/road-freight/
In today’s market of talent shortage, all our global HR surveys make clear that professionals look for inspirational leadership. It is a key reason to join and/or stay with a company. What can be more inspirational than providing solutions which motivate staff, reduce costs for the company and are good for the environment It is a win-win situation for all. Inspirational leadership motivates staff to get involved and be part of a company.
