9FEBRUARY - 2022Lauren moved from my department into a field in which she was trained, and while I lost a valuable team member, the company kept an outstanding employee. It's important to keep the lines of communication open with your employees and to let them know they can talk to you, even when the conversation might be uncomfortable. Encourage them to speak upWith greater purpose in leadership, you are much more likely to keep employees, which is extremely important during the current Great Resignation, when they feel empowered to share new ideas. That also means the ability to voice concerns when something in their department or the company isn't quite right.Perhaps they have a suggestion that could enhance company culture or a new business strategy for driving growth. Having an open-door policy and truly listening to employees is part of being a purpose-driven leader.When someone knocks on my door, unless I have another meeting scheduled or a deadline that's looming immediately, I put everything down to give that person my undivided attention. Hearing your employees and truly listening matters; so does having a broad representation of diverse folks on your team and in your organization.Foster diversity, equity & inclusionAccording to a 2020 McKinsey & Company report, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25 percent more likely to outperform their competitors on profitability than organizations in the bottom quartile. Further, the greater the gender diversity, the higher the likelihood of out performance.Gender diversity and ethnic and cultural diversity are important, and accounting leaders should strive to achieve a better balance with their teams. The greater the mix of individuals diversity-wise, the greater the assortment of knowledge and skills. Harvard Business Review reports a diverse workforce implies an attractive place to work and that leaders with diverse backgrounds help their companies innovate more.Work and play hard togetherWhile I work with diligent team members, we understand the importance of authentic camaraderie and look for ways to inject a sense of fun into the workplace.For example,every Halloween we pick a theme and dress up as those characters with my team donning Harry Potter attire one year and as Wizard of Oz characters another! Of course, I always dresses as the villain! Building a true sense of team comes in many shapes and forms and dressing up for Halloween and enjoying each other's company during the year-end holidays are just a couple of ways we do so. Having fun is purposeful ­ just like our work.At FLEETCOR, we strive to be purpose-driven leaders that encourage employees to reach their full potential. Becoming a manager people look up to can include mentorship, ensuring they have opportunities to learn, grow and find their niche, letting them know they can respectively say what's on their mind, hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce and having fun, too. Alissa Vickery
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