How Employers Can Continuously Learn New Leadership Skills to Boost Workplace Management

According to a Pew Research Center survey about ongoing learning among Americans, “63% of those who are working (or 36% of all adults) are what we call professional learners – that is, they have taken a course or gotten additional training in the past 12 months to improve their job skills, learn leadership skills or expertise connected to career advancement.”

So many employees are taking the reins of their careers and putting in the effort to elevate their skill sets and bring more to their workplaces. But as an employer, you too must grow. Without constant learning and leadership development, you won’t be able to inspire the best out of your employees. Overall, company growth will be stagnant as well.

This article will cover how you can keep learning and developing as an employer to elevate your leadership skills and better workplace management. But first, more on why continuously learning new leadership skills is critical.

Why Learning New Leadership Skills is Critical

Simply put, growth must start from the top down. When employers take it upon themselves to improve and continuously elevate, it leads to greater performance and engagement from their employees. Not only that, but a growth mindset can help you become an employer of choice. As you grow and help your employees grow in their roles, word spreads that you’re an employer that values career advancement and learning opportunities. In turn, your reputation can attract new talent.

There are different leadership styles, all of which can impact growth and culture. An executive can start with a laissez-faire leadership style, where they’re passive and allow the team to govern themselves. The lack of structure in this leadership style may eventually lead to dissatisfied, disengaged workers.

If this executive continues their leadership education, it will lead to them learning additional leadership styles. They’ll eventually come across transactional leadership, where they’re a bit more engaged and rely on rewards and punishments to fuel productivity.

And then there’s transformative leadership. Transformative leaders are true role models, inspire and motivate the people around them, encourage creativity and innovation in problem-solving, and act as mentors to the people following them. Growing into this kind of leader will advance workplace management and promote employee productivity naturally.

It’s also important to touch on workplace culture and its connection to employer leadership. A positive workplace culture values its employees. There are clear expectations for workers and processes that keep the workflow well-oiled. Employees feel good about who they are and what they do when they’re there and that, in turn, boosts employee morale and productivity.

Creating a positive workplace culture rests on the shoulders of employers. They must continuously learn how to keep their employees engaged and happy. They must also constantly elevate their leadership skills to keep up with ever-growing business and culture needs.

How To Incorporate Ongoing Learning into Your Routine

As important as constant development is, employers are busy people. Growing an entire organization takes up a significant amount of time and effort each day. But incorporating ongoing learning into your routine is easier than you think. Try these tips to continuously learn new leadership skills despite being incredibly busy.

Attend Leadership Workshops

Leadership workshops offer a structured environment for people to work on their leadership skills. You’re being taught by some of the best leaders around and also get the chance to meet fellow employers on the same journey as you.

Commit to going to a leadership workshop once a month if you can, but every quarter at the least. It’s best to choose a specific thing to work on when you’re looking for a leadership workshop so that you don’t get overwhelmed and can focus on what you really need to focus on.

So, if that’s soft skills, like listening or problem-solving, search for workshops that focus on growing the specific soft skills you need to develop. If you want to work on team management, look for a workshop for this.

Rely on Google to find in-person workshops in your area or virtual workshops that you can participate in at your convenience. Fellow employers can give you some great suggestions as well.

Seek Mentorship Opportunities

Employers are often the ones offering mentorship opportunities. But it’s a good idea for employers to be mentored themselves. There’s always someone more experienced with a lot of knowledge to offer those who want it. This kind of guidance can be invaluable in your efforts to continuously learn new leadership skills. 

Actively look for a mentor that can teach you more about how to be an exemplary employer. You can look for a mentorship program with a top business leader. It’ll probably require you to go through an application process and the program may be a bit rigid with a detailed timeline of events and projects to complete.

There are also less structured mentorship opportunities. For instance, if you have a friend who’s an employer, they may be willing to take you under their wing and help you grow gradually through different experiences.

Or you could seek mentorship from someone who works with you. People don’t have to be in a higher position than you to teach you something that will boost workplace management and employee productivity.

Join Professional Networks

There’s no shortage of groups geared toward professionals. Joining a professional network provides the support you need to grow. You also get to tap into varying perspectives on what makes a good employer and leader and can use that information to inform your approach to leadership.

Join a network that meets in person as well as virtually. That way, you can rely on it daily, whether you’re having a discussion in your group text, meeting at a coffee shop, or attending a remote meetup to reflect on the day.

Professional networks are easiest to find online via social media. So, explore the platforms you’re on and see what’s available to you.

Focusing on employee development is admirable as an employer. But don’t forget about the growing you need to do, as that will inspire and motivate employees to blossom. And your company will flourish because of it.

Author Bio: Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, business, education, and fitness-related content. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.

Tags: attend leadership workshops, join professional networks, learn leadership skills, learn new leadership skills, seek mentorship opportunities