In leadership, management of behaviours is often only reviewed at the point where something has gone wrong. Managing, and even considering, the behaviours of a team can be an overlooked element of leadership – but one where so much value can be gained when it is given appropriate time and consideration.
Proactively managing behaviours at surface level can increase harmony in your team; on a deeper level it can influence and reshape your team’s success. In this blog, we’re going to look at the importance of managing your team’s behaviours, and not just their skills, tasks and projects.
Managing Skills vs Behaviours
For some leaders, the extent of their focus on behaviour management is performance management meetings when an issue arises, or a cursory conversation in the yearly appraisal to note if someone is adhering to, or straying away from broadly defined behaviours expected of the company. But using your leadership skills in a proactive, positive way has the potential to transform behaviour management into behavioural leadership.
For some leaders, it can be easier to stay in the realm of to-do lists and project updates – talking about tangible things is always more straightforward than picking apart people’s thoughts, feelings and desires.
There can be a few different barriers that stop leaders from feeling comfortable discussing behavioural topics and issues with their team. Let’s look at what they are.
Barriers to Behavioural Leadership
Behaviour management can be something that leaders shy away from – the fear is that it can seem punitive or micromanaging to focus on behaviours rather than tasks, but it is in this uncomfortable space where the opportunities for growth lie.
Are any of these scenarios familiar to you?
- Fear of coming across as patronising when trying to increase team morale
- Avoidance of raising the issue of negativity in the team for fear of backlash
- Not feeling equipped to deal with your team’s emotional needs
Many leaders feel uncomfortable broaching deeper topics, but it is in these deeper, sometimes hidden, areas where the failure or success of the team will lie. Do you know which of your team really love their role and the company and want to stay for many years? Which team members actually don’t feel like a good fit and are looking to leave soon? Which ones feel like the culture is negatively impacting their work?
Research from the CIPD shows that only 21% of managers in the UK working population believe that they demonstrate high levels of purposeful leadership, highlighting the significant gap between leadership aspiration and effective behavioural management.
In creating a harmonious, open and positive space for people to work, issues are dealt with quicker, staff are less likely to leave, and the quality of the work is higher as people care more about the successes of the whole team – this can be achieved through behavioural leadership.
Practising Positive Behavioural Leadership
So what does proactive behaviour management look like? And what can it achieve?
Setting the Tone for a Genuinely Positive Working Environment
Leadership can be a strange realm to be in; your team will be looking to you for guidance not just on current work issues, but on a deeper level they are looking for you to set the tone of the team, whether they appear to be looking for this (or not).
Recognising and Giving Genuine Praise
Leaders can feel afraid of exhibiting patronising behaviours in giving praise, or raising team morale (think arbitrary weekly praise or roundups). Great leaders can recognise and give genuine praise to their team members.
Active Involvement in Team Activities
It’s about actively being involved in your team’s activities – their struggles and successes – and using your observations of this to bond and strengthen the team.
Creating a Team That Is Not Fractured by Challenges
Stressors are a part of working life, yet it is sometimes shocking how quickly issues can turn a working environment sour, especially if problems have been bubbling under the surface without you noticing.
Proactive Relationship Management
A leader dedicated to proactive behaviour management will be continually aware and focused on managing the relationships within the team, for example, ensuring task delegation and skills mixes are right across the team.
Addressing Ongoing Issues
Ensure there are no ongoing unresolved, or frequently occurring issues with any individual or teams that could undermine team cohesion.
Setting Behavioural Boundaries and Leading by Example
As a leader you are not expected to be superhuman, but it does lie with you to set behavioural expectations and uphold them. The CIPD’s research on behavioural science demonstrates that understanding behavioural insights can significantly improve leadership, communication and organisational performance.
Avoiding Negative Behaviours
Avoid common behaviours that can erode morale and cohesion such as complaining and being negative in team meetings – pledge to meet every negative comment with a positive counter and see what difference this makes.
Celebrating Wins Consistently
Engage in genuine praise for team members on a job well done, even celebrating the smallest of wins, when done consistently, can greatly impact morale and strengthen the team as a whole.
It is the nuanced decisions and actions you put in place, that come from a place of positivity, that will have the greatest impact on your team.
The Cost of Neglecting Behavioural Leadership
When individual leaders or entire management teams fail to cultivate positive workplace behaviours, the result is a toxic working environment. How common is this? You don’t need to look very far either online or in your own personal and professional circles to find people who have experienced a toxic workplace.
Behavioural leadership theory states that a leader’s behaviour in the workplace determines their success, and that people learn leadership skills and are not born with them. This highlights the fact that behaviours in many teams and organisations are left unchecked, which can lead to the unfortunate breakdown of cultures.
Research consistently shows that organisations with strong behavioural leadership see:
- Higher employee engagement and retention rates
- Improved team collaboration and communication
- Enhanced innovation and problem-solving capabilities
- Reduced workplace stress and conflict
- Better overall performance and productivity
Developing Your Behavioural Leadership Skills
Emotional Intelligence and Self-Awareness
Behavioural leaders exhibit emotional intelligence, understanding and responding to the emotions of their team members whilst recognising how emotions influence thoughts and behaviours.
Building Self-Awareness
This involves developing greater self-awareness of your own behavioural patterns and their impact on others through regular reflection and feedback.
Active Listening and Communication
Move beyond surface-level conversations about tasks and deadlines. Create space for meaningful dialogue about challenges, concerns, and aspirations.
Meaningful Dialogue Techniques
This doesn’t mean becoming a counsellor, but rather becoming a leader who genuinely understands what motivates and concerns their team members.
Consistent Recognition and Feedback
Develop systems for regular, meaningful recognition that goes beyond annual reviews.
Addressing Issues Early
This includes both celebrating successes and addressing behavioural issues before they escalate into performance problems.
Frequently Asked Questions About Managing Behaviours
Leading Through Behaviour: Your Next Steps
Stressful events and challenges are part of working life, and great leaders are able to create an environment where challenges bring the team together, rather than create friction and irreversible damage to working relationships – and this all comes down to the behaviour of team members towards one another.
The most successful leaders understand that technical skills get the work done, but behavioural leadership determines whether teams thrive or merely survive. By investing time and attention in understanding and shaping team behaviours, leaders create the foundation for sustainable high performance and positive workplace cultures.
Implementing behavioural leadership isn’t about overnight transformation. It requires consistent attention, genuine commitment to understanding your team members as individuals, and the courage to address both positive and negative behaviours as they emerge. The rewards, however, are substantial: higher engagement, improved retention, enhanced collaboration, and ultimately, better business results achieved through people who are genuinely motivated to contribute their best work.