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Did you read about Satya Nadella’s message to 220, 000 Microsoft employees about the laying off of 10,000 employees by the end of the third quarter?

It’s in complete contrast to the way Elon Musk handled Twitter employees.

Nadella’s statement did a great job of communicating bad news to his people – even though less than 5% of the workforce will be impacted.

It’s a masterpiece of using Emotional Intelligence in the workplace by a leader.

Nadella acknowledged it would be a challenging time for each person impacted. He committed that he and the senior leadership team were committed to doing it in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible.

It’s clear Nadella has his own unique leadership vision. He will be using it to lead his team to manage a highly sensitive situation and ensuring goodwill damage will be minimized.

Let us wish Microsoft’s management the best in achieving this goal.

It reminded me of the time I was made redundant back in 2002 – a year after I had played a critical role in the financial close of a major project because management had decided to close the department completely.

I share that story in my post on how moving cheese positively improve career work life balance.

Great Leaders know how to steer their team through Tough Times

My boss did what Nadella intends to do now. He took care of his team.

I had worked closely with this boss, and I was one of the team who could not be absorbed into another department. My boss took me out to lunch to share the upcoming event that he had learned about just 2 days earlier.

By chance it was his 40^th birthday too and I thought it was a birthday lunch.

Over numerous gin and tonics and lunch (very rare indeed) I was the first to learn about the department close. He wanted to make sure I got the best deal possible before the axe fell on the team.

We negotiated a very handsome golden handshake. One that allowed me to repay the balance of my home loan just before the recession started and jobs at my seniority became scarce.

I exited a month later with a farewell party and glowing references.

I missed participating in the drama and bloodbath that followed. From what my former colleagues used to tell me; I was lucky.

The point is, many people can be good leaders, but it takes time and work to become a great leader. My boss was a great leader.

Are you the best leader that you can be?

If not, then don’t worry. There are several easy ways to become a better leader in a short amount of time. It’s what my boss did.

Keep your Word and avoid false Promises!

No one likes a leader that will “forget” about the promises that they made or ends up flaking out of their responsibilities. A great leader will make sure that they accomplish everything that they say that they will.

In other words, don’t make promises you know you won’t be able to keep. Saying No to a task that isn’t possible doesn’t make you look bad. In fact, it indicates integrity.

Communicate Effectively

Communication is the foundation of any relationship and team.

Don’t say things you don’t mean, listen well to what others are saying, and say your piece in a way that your team will understand.

Remember, your team is as good as the leader they report to.

Your team needs to know that you are listening to what they are saying and what their needs are. They also want to understand what you want from them and what your expectations are.

Effective communication allows for all of this. It’s a skill you need to develop if you want to be an influential leader.

Be a good Role Model for your Team

As a leader, your team looks up to you and how you are treating the work. Treat your work how you want your team to treat theirs and they will see what they are expected to do.

A hardworking and dedicated leader will produce hardworking and dedicated team members.

Besides, a great leader never asks from his team anything he himself would be uncomfortable doing.

Keep Up the Positivity

As an extension of the last tip, keeping up the positivity will encourage your team members to stay positive as well.

A cranky and frustrated boss is likely to lower productivity and damage a team’s motivation. This makes the team space a more negative one overall. If you are frustrated, your team is likely to become frustrated as well.

It’s easy to create a toxic workplace. Avoid contributing to that by keeping things positive. It will lead to a better working environment.

Embrace Failure and make it a Learning Experience

Failing at a task and making mistakes happens to everyone no matter what their status in the workplace is. Don’t hide your failures from your team.

I suggest you embrace your failure. It shows honesty and it also allows your team to embrace their failures and learn from their mistakes.

That’s how you become an influential leader, even if you don’t have the title.