Frontline Leadership Skills: 5 Key Competencies 

Frontline supervisors are responsible for critical day-to-day operations, from training and development to conflict resolution, and are often the organization’s largest population of managers. 

They are crucial to the health and operational performance of your work environment, yet 81% of frontline leaders say that they’re not satisfied with their own performance. 

It shows. 

Over 80% of hourly workers are planning to leave their job in the next year, and 27% of them want to do so because they’re unhappy with the management. 

For organizations that want to improve employee engagement and retain talent, these trends are daunting. But there’s a solution. 

The Importance of Frontline Leadership Skills 

In many cases, frontline managers are entry-level or first-time managers that are facing unique demands and challenges of the post-pandemic work environment and impending labor shortage. 

To improve turnover rates, productivity, and workspace morale, you need to help frontline supervisors become frontline leaders. 

How? Leadership development starts with equipping your frontline managers with vital skills that’ll help them engage their team members and encourage better performance. 

Frontline Leadership Skills: 5 Essential Qualities

1. Productive Communication

When frontline workers, like nurses or grocery store clerks, have a question or need encouragement, their manager is who they turn to. 

Being a good communicator helps frontline leaders set clear expectations, provide effective feedback, and build stronger relationships with their team members. 

97% of employees believe that communication impacts their task efficiency on a daily basis and well-connected teams may see their productivity improve by as much as 25%. 

Benefits of successful communication extend beyond work output. 

They also build trust in the workplace and create an open environment where employees feel valued and appreciated. This is essential for hourly workers, who often feel less important than salaried employees. 

That said, when it comes to hourly workers, building a productive communication system is not only a question of leadership skills. 

With many frontline employees working unfixed hours and changing their locations, performance management software like Secchi makes it easier for frontline leaders to connect with workers in an organized way.

2. Adaptability 

Frontline supervisors often need to act quickly and deal with unexpected situations, from supply chain issues to overcrowded hospitals. 

Knowing how to adapt to changes and adjust your approach when something goes wrong is key to being a successful frontline leader. 

That said, adaptability is not only about real-time decision making. 

It’s also about analyzing performance data over time, identifying gaps & repeated mistakes, and strategizing positive improvements in organizational politics for better overall success. 

To do that, frontline leaders need to implement continuous performance review practices, effectively gather feedback from their hourly teams, and pay close attention to what’s working and what needs to be fixed. 

3. Emotional Intelligence

A good leader is self-aware and able to strike the right balance between empathy and discipline. 

In the often-stressful environment of the front line, supervisors need to be able to see different perspectives, handle interpersonal relationships with grace, and effectively manage their own emotions & reactions. 

When employees feel that they’re being treated with respect, they’re 55% more engaged, 63% more satisfied, and 58% more focused on their job. 

Moreover, emotional intelligence helps frontline leaders make informed decisions instead of resorting to subjective judgment or confrontation. 

57% of workers quit because of a bad relationship with their boss. Being emotionally aware can help frontline leaders better navigate tough conversations with their team members and take fair corrective action. 

This is where emotional intelligence goes hand-in-hand with relying on performance trends & strong documentation practices instead of personal opinions. 

Secchi streamlines performance data and allows frontline leaders to make informed decisions based on data, not emotion or confrontation. 

4. Team Building 

Frontline workers want to feel connected to their organization and recognized for their hard work. 

In fact, 63% of employees report wanting to stay at their current role instead of looking for another job if they’re routinely recognized for their contributions. 

Now more than ever, frontline leaders need to be adept at creating a positive workspace environment, facilitating productive relationships between employees, and knowing how to effectively motivate their teams. 

When it comes to frontline worker engagement, it’s important to go beyond financial incentives (although monetary rewards can be effective) and focus on fostering a high-performing environment that consistently inspires engagement. 

5. Training and Mentorship 

One of the reasons why frontline workers leave their positions is because they start feeling uninspired by their responsibilities and “stuck” in their professional development. 

Successful frontline leaders understand that wanting to get better is a part of human nature and regularly create opportunities for their teams to learn new skills and develop as a professional. 

While traditional motivators (ex: promotions) may not work for frontline employees, frontline leaders can still offer upskill and reskill opportunities that’ll make their team members feel that they’re moving forward. 

Secchi’s easy-to-use interface makes it easy to identify coaching opportunities and use them to build stronger & better-skilled teams. 

Frontline Leadership Training: Concluding Words

Transforming your frontline supervisors into leaders is not only a question of skill development. 

Running a frontline team comes with performance management and administrative tasks that, when done manually, take away the time that managers need to engage workers and cultivate a productive work environment. 

(Plus, manual performance management can be unorganized and, quite frankly, painful.) 

To enable your frontline supervisors to become better leaders, you need to equip them with better tools. 

Secchi is an hourly performance management software that streamlines performance process & data, giving frontline supervisors the time and clarity they need to become effective leaders.

From enhanced connections between managers & teams to instant performance reviews, Secchi removes barriers that prevent frontline supervisors from fully stepping into their role.

Book a demo today to learn how Secchi can redefine leadership at your frontline organization.