We all have struggled either to be a good leader or under a poor one.  The good news is that there is no shortage of technology out there to help you be a good leader and communicate better with your employees.  However, simply owning or deploying these technologies isn’t a guarantee you will become a good leader.  Remote meeting software like GoToMeeting installed on every computer is great, but if your staff still drive to a main office to meet every week it’s worthless.  It is how you approach the technology and how you implement it that will make an impact.  So how do you make a big impact?

  • Do More with Less – Not only does technology allow you to do more with less, it opens up brand new avenues that were not possible before.  This is something that local government and education based sites have been doing for a long time.  In many of these locations it is not uncommon to find 2 people tech departments managing 500 – 1000 user environments.  This includes email, iPad deployments, logins, and even multiple site environments.  Although most corporations don’t struggle with this lack of staff, we can all learn from their ingenuity.  Just because you can afford 2 of something, sometimes you should ask yourself “could we do with just one?”
  • Offer Trainings Consistently – Tech that is underused or unused will be forgotten easily.  Even worse, if users don’t feel comfortable using a particular software or piece of equipment, it may be avoided.  Offering trainings quarterly (making these mandated may be a good choice) will help keep skills fresh.  Following up with staff members that struggled or requested additional training will boost their confidence.  Consider including them in the implementation of the software or hardware when it first starts to rollout. This helps them feel involved and gets them hands on from the very beginning.
  • Identify Employee Needs and Provide Support – This can be difficult, but technology makes it easier.  Create online surveys and have your staff fill them out.  This can help determine needs and issues in your workplace, especially if the surveys are anonymous.  You can also use this to figure out who needs more training in what tools, and who needs more training.  These questions will however lead to answers.  You will have to provide support once the surveys make it clear where the greatest needs lie in your organization.  It is recommended you create a tech team with one representative from each department.  That way this person can help you provide support and implement new technologies into each department, as well as voice grievances on behalf of that department to you.
  • Empower your Staff with Technology – Technology should be an open topic for any staff member, not restricted to just IT or Administration.  If a user has an idea for a new product, or how a current software or device could be used more efficiently, they should be encouraged to speak up.  In fact, asking them to bring up ideas in meetings may be a good way to keep them in the loop of current technologies, and get a different perspective on certain items.

These may not solve all your problems, but if you implement technology with these suggestions in mind, you will see positive results.