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To put it simply, today’s leaders need to motivate their employees and change their styles to meet the needs of those employees. It may be a tall order, but it is vital to the success of the organization.

There is no shortcut to getting to know your employees and some leaders may find this uncomfortable. After all, it was not that long ago when managers were trained to keep their employees at arm’s length.

In today’s workplace, however, employees expect their managers to know about them on a personal level, to understand what motivates them at work. It is about relationship building.

You can begin by asking yourself how well you know your employees. Rate your knowledge of each person on a scale of one to five with one as not having a clue how the employee thinks and five being a clear understanding of what makes that person tick. Once you have completed that step, ask yourself what practical steps you can take to get to know the people who you rated on the lower end of the scale.

Strong leaders not only get to know their employees but they also do something about it. As a leader, you play the prime role in letting your employees know that they are cared for and supported. You are the person who is most responsible for creating a culture of engagement. Yes, your employees are responsible for their actions but they will take clues from you as a leader.

Each generation deals with authority quite differently. As you get to know the people in your office better, on a more personal level and become comfortable flexing your style, you will also be able to make excellent judgment calls on how to treat people whom you don’t know on the basis of that person’s generation.

So, get to know your employees, grasp how they think and work and act on their preferences. Soon you will notice a more unified, efficient and motivated team emerging.