“Strict rules do not encourage people to give their all”

Supportive leadership is needed more than ever

During a recent ACV Kader workshop about “supportive leadership in telework”, the participants reflected on their own leadership style. So did Sandy De Leus, who leads the technical service desk at Crelan. “Clients who experience technical problems during their banking operations, can contact our team,” he explains. That sometimes leads to difficult telephone conversations. “Then it is important to have someone around to ventilate to,” remembers Sandy, from when he was part of the team himself.

The members of the service desk are now inevitably working from home, due to the coronavirus. Before the pandemic, they used work at the office every other week. “We take turns working at home and at the office. That makes it completely different. When they are sitting next to me, I can see their facial expressions, which tell me a lot. Currently, I sometimes do not hear anything from my employees all week. My team works very independently. They do not need me very often for functional issues – even if they know that I am always there for them. Due to the coronavirus, people who contact us appear to have a rather short fuse. I can see that the obligatory telework is also weighing on my team.”

Little things

Sandy tries to keep his finger on the pulse. “I do not want to control them, I just want to know what is going on,” he explains. “That was easier when I still saw my colleagues more often,” he admits. “Sometimes we went for a drink or had something to eat together somewhere near the office. We cannot do that anymore. And a WhatsApp group is not the same as seeing each other in person.” Fortunately, there are other ways to check up on someone. “The little things often tell me a lot about what is going on. If someone finishes fewer calls or takes longer breaks all of a sudden, it often means that something is not right. Then I try to do something about it as soon as possible. I do not want to put them on the spot, I only want to ask them what is wrong and find a solution. For example, I recently agreed with one of my employees that he could take a break. He urgently needed some time for himself. He was thinking about taking unpaid leave, but we changed that to parental leave, by mutual agreement. Soon he will take a month’s leave. That is better for everyone, instead of him heading straight for a burn-out.”

He also stays in touch with colleagues who are absent from work. “Yesterday I paid a visit to a colleague who is currently at home because of a burn-out. We went for a walk for a few hours. We did talk about work, but only about the informal side, not about cases.” However, a while ago Sandy did talk about work with that colleague. “When he had only just left work, I did not know he had a burn-out, so I contacted him about a work issue. That was not my best moment, but good leaders learn from their mistakes. Now I think twice before I contact a colleague who is absent from work.”

Mutual respect

Anyway, the colleague involved did help Sandy at the time. That says something about the atmosphere within the team, according to Sandy. “Within my team, we have a lot of respect for each other. I know that my employees are driven. They know their jobs. They know I am always there for them if something is wrong. Strict rules do not encourage people to give their all. Autonomy does. If I ask someone to work late to finish an urgent job, that is never a problem. At the same time, we will not be rushed without reason. If something is not possible, it is simply not possible. Not every call that comes in can be solved immediately.”

Sandy is looking forward to having his employees near him more often, even though he does not know how telework and office work will be combined in the future. “I have noticed that some of the colleagues are tired of full-time telework, not coincidentally the singles,” he says with a smile. He understands that sitting at home alone all the time is not ideal. He is also looking forward to the daily commute himself. “Working at home with two young children is not easy. Dad is home, but he cannot play. When I am going back to the office soon, it will at least be clear for my children: if dad gets home, he is there 100% for them!”

The best leaders learn from their mistakes.