As parliament returns from its summer recess, Keir Starmer must surely be feeling the weight of responsibility that comes with his role as prime minister of the UK.
All leaders have a huge responsibility, and there are commonalities to being a good leader which apply whether you are leading a small team or fulfilling the role on a global stage.
To be a successful and respected leader, it’s important to be able to develop and maintain positive relationships. Good leaders have compassion and really understand the people around them, creating a culture where honest feedback can be given and heard. It’s their responsibility to bring people together, whether it’s a team at work, a family, a community or even a country. Self-awareness and strong relational skills are the key to success for any leader.
Leaders need to foster a workplace environment built on trust and psychological safety; a place where people can be creative and collaborative, where they feel genuinely listened to and understood. Such environments lead to better performance outcomes and result in happier workforces.
OnePlusOne has spent decades examining the science behind relationships, and there are three core skills that all leaders should develop if they want to improve their workplace environment. These are:
Emotional capability. This is all about identifying and managing feelings – both your own and those of the people you are working with. An emotionally competent leader can work with those emotions to get the best out of a team while meeting the needs of the individuals within it.
Reflective capability. A reflective leader is self-aware, and curious about what makes them, and others, tick. They understand how they are perceived and how their actions impact others. Flexible and adaptable, they use those insights to remain responsive to the needs of those around them, while staying focused on what they need to achieve.
Collaborative communication. Active listening, and the ability to read verbal and nonverbal clues are skills that underpin all others when it comes to being a relational leader. Ensuring people know that they are heard and that they matter is essential.
These skills apply to leadership roles in any environment. Leading both his government and the country, the prime minister’s responsibility is huge. We urge him to lead with humility, unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy.
As an elected leader, he has a duty to really listen and understand what the people around him are saying, and to build a government that follows that lead.
We welcomed Keir Starmer’s openness about wanting to protect his family time by ensuring a 6pm finish on Fridays. We’d like to see more leaders encouraging workplace cultures that are sensitive to their employees’ lives outside of work. We remain hopeful that this government will demonstrate its commitment to families by supporting working practices that offer a good work-life balance, and funding support services needed by so many families when they face challenging times.
To find out more about how OnePlusOne can help leaders develop good relational skills with its evidence-based training, visit the OnePlusOne website or contact info@oneplusone.org.uk.
