Archive for Leadership
Good Leadership Skills
Posted by: | CommentsMany people consider themselves to have good leadership skills when in reality they’re better at discouraging than encouraging. They’re better at scattering people than gathering people around them. Just being in a leadership position does not turn a person into a leader any more than sitting in a garage turns a person into a car.
Leadership seems to be innate in a few people, but most of us have to learn how to be a good, effective leader.
What are Good Leadership Skills?
Good leadership skills encompass so many aspects, they are rather intangible.
Yes, a leader leads in the most basic definition, but how do they gain the trust of those following them? How do they make people feel safe in their situation, even if it’s a dangerous situation? What do they do that makes people say, even years later, “She was such a great person to work for” or, “If he hadn’t been my boss, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am today.”
There is nothing more rewarding than helping others to be more successful. If you help others to improve their abilities and they are able to better provide for themselves and their family, what is better than that?
Good Leaders Care
Good leaders care about those they lead and seek to provide for their well-being. A military commander tries to keep his troops alive and win their battles. Parents work to provide a house and food. Supervisors look for opportunities to better their employees, perhaps through additional training and responsibilities that prepare them for promotions.
It’s important to care about your people, there isn’t a way to shortcut this. If you don’t care there are several books that can help you care and understand caring. You can get training and coaching on Emotional Intelligence and it will help. (It helped me!)
Good Leaders Listen
Good leaders listen. They assimilate information and process it against the big picture goal. They listen to people who work above them to understand the big picture and company goals. They listen to team members working for them to understand their concerns and ideas.
Good leadership skills
The best information you can get is from your people. Your people have vital information, perspectives, understanding, even tidbits they hear from other departments or competitors. Your people have good ideas, if you are fair and manage them well they will do their best to help the team succeed. Build the team. Follow the steps, use the tools.
Good Leaders Change
Because change in life and business is inevitable, a leader has to be able to adapt well to change. More than just adapting, good leaders continually look for ways to improve a situation and, where possible, initiate positive changes themselves.
One saying you can be assured is accurate “The only constant is change.” Don’t fight it, it’s useless. Embrace it. Use the change to build your team and help them grow from it. There’s no point making a negative if you can turn something into a positive. Every chance you can turn negatives (or spin them) into positives is a win for you and your team.
Good Leaders Share
Leaders are all about teamwork, not dictatorship. Now, your position may have you working in a bureaucratic type of environment where “the rules are the rules” and there’s not much room for creativity. You can still be an effective leader to your team. You can still encourage, listen, create goals for their personal and professional growth, and develop them into the best team in the company. It just takes adapting to your situation.
You can create motivational fun things with potlucks, movie tickets. Find leadership development material and have a mini-series of classes for them, they will appreciate it and become better managers themselves. Volunteer as a group to paint a children’s center or volunteer as a group somewhere, have a cause that matters. If the company is stifling you should try to find outlets for creativity of your team.
These are only a few good leadership skills. Do you recognize any in yourself? If you don’t already you can if you want to.
Leadership Theories
Posted by: | CommentsGreat Leaders are born, not bred.
Perhaps you’ve heard this statement. Perhaps it’s even discouraged you because, although you want to be a leader, or have even been promoted into a position of leadership, you doubt your own leadership skills and abilities.
Don’t give up. The “leaders are born” statement and others like it are leadership theories, not necessarily leadership facts.
Actually, there are other leadership theories that favor those of us born to regular parents, rather than being 
descendants of great historical leaders like George Washington or Martin Luther King, Jr.
Great Man Theory
To be more specific, the “leaders are born” theory is formally called the Great Man Theory. It also purports that when there is a need for a leader, a leader will arise.
You’ve seen the Great Man leadership theory in practice. Some of the reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother cast groups together from which leaders emerge. Leaders, even if informal, arise in military boot camps. They’re the ones encouraging others who struggle to complete the physical challenges or to motivate those ready to quit boot camp.
Trait Theory
Similar to the Great Man Theory is the Trait Theory. The Trait Theory suggests people are born with specific, inherited traits, and that the right combination of inherited traits makes a person suitable for leadership.
An example would be the child that takes charge of the neighborhood to organize a game of hide and seek, that introduces others to a group and ensures everyone plays together.
Behavioral Theory
For those who are genetically challenged in the leadership DNA department, the Behavioral Theory says leaders can be made. Part determination, part training, and voila! A leader emerges.
The reality?
All three have merit. Why is it among a group of young kids, one emerges as a “natural born leader”? Is it genetics? Is it because they are raised in a way that unleashes leadership traits?
Leadership theories
Why is it in the face of disaster, a normally quiet, unassuming, even shy person suddenly gets a surge of something deep inside, stands up among the group and says, “C’mon… this is what we’ve got to do to get through this…” and they start delegating tasks to ensure the survival of the group?
Perhaps you’ve felt this very feeling yourself. A tough or dangerous situation faces you. You look around. Everyone else is looking around, too. Nobody takes charge. You feel a stirring in your gut, an inner voice that says, “Stand up! Take charge! You know what needs to be done. Do it!”
You’ve seen possible Trait Theory leaders when sons and daughters take over a family business generation after generation. Did the children inherit the right combination of traits from their parents to make them the next generation of company leader? Or, as the Behavior Theory suggests, could it be that the children of great leaders become leaders simply because that is what they are trained for by their parents, even unconsciously?
A good author who is an easy read
An amazing author who has written exhaustively about leadership is Malcolm Gladwell. In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, on page 245 he talks about leadership. In the beginning he understood leadership development as primarily a process of personal development. That’s still part of his leadership theories, but he’s added understanding of the importance of leadership in a team, and, especially, the importance of developing other leaders.
The book is practical. Leadership is a skill that you continually develop. You learn most of it on the job, by trying things out, observing how you do, and adjusting how you do things in the future based on results and feedback.
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership gives you a great starting point for learning. At the end of each chapter there’s a section on applying this lesson to your life. There’s also a law called “The Law of Process” that reminds you that “Leadership develops daily, not in a day.”
There’s no promise of magic here. But you can count on improved results if you use the book to guide your actions.
If you like to read another great book that has good, real life examples is It’s Your Ship, by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. Excellent book! I read it a few years ago and then reread it!
A must read if you run teams, especially more complex teams with higher level personnel is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. If you have staff that is knowledgeable you also end up with issues regarding egos, trust, hierarchy, and more. This book was fantastic at explaining some of those problems.
Types of Leadership
Posted by: | CommentsDifferent types of leadership styles exist for different personalities and businesses. 
One leadership style might naturally suit you best, or you might have to adapt to one due to the company you work for.
All of these styles are important in the right environment. Don’t think one is the perfect method. In certain situations each of them has positives and negatives.
It’s best to understand how each of them work and watch them in your boss or other supervisors. Know how you are being managed. How does it make you feel? Which style do you prefer to be managed with?
Types of Leadership:
Laissez Faire
Laissez Faire leaders are very “hands off” in their management style. Face time with their team members is minimal.
Some managers seem to employ this type of leadership – if you can even call them leaders – because they don’t want to get involved. It’s more of a “lazy” type leadership for them. This is not laissez faire leadership.
The laissez faire style works well if you have a team of highly trained individuals who are also highly motivated. They know what needs to be done, they do it, and they do it well. One problem that can come up with this style is the employees don’t feel valued or appreciated.
Types of Leadership: Autocratic
An autocratic leader has the total authority to make decisions. They make the rules, period. The autocratic leadership style can work well on teams needing close supervision and are new or still learning. But it’s not so effective when you’re working in an environment where team collaboration is necessary.
Many people find this style to be stifling and they don’t feel valued if their boss uses this style exclusively. This is a good method when there is an emergency and someone has to take charge. This is also a good method when handling a dispute between a couple employees.
Types of Leadership: Democratic
The democratic leader, on the other hand, has the authority over the final decision, but they go to the employees to get their input and suggestions.
Because the team has a part in the process, they feel ownership of the decision and are more likely to embrace it. Even if they don’t agree with the ultimate decision, they know they were heard and considered. They also have the benefit of knowing the “whys” of the decision and understand the big picture better than someone under an autocratic leader.
This method is great for building teams and the why behind that will fill up another entire page!
A dry erase board or giant paper with an easel comes in handy when using this type of management style during a meeting. Ask a question or describe the problem then have everyone contribute ideas to answer a question and write them down. Then systematically go through the answers and ask the group the pros and cons of each.
I often knew the outcome of the question I asked but instead of just telling everyone what to do I knew they would do it better if I involved them in the decision.
This method is great if you are trying to develop junior managers. You can go through all the steps of your thought processes by asking questions and letting the group begin the journey of understanding the why behind solutions.
If you use this method exclusively you can run into problems just like the other methods, although this leadership style has the least amount if used correctly.
The people that don’t appreciate it are the people who want things “perfect” or who believe completely in the chain of command. I have had employees that would rather not be involved in a decision, they want to be “told” what to do, it reassures them and makes them more comfortable.
The other people this method doesn’t work well with is the disengaged employees, they might think you are “weak” just because they aren’t in touch with the rest of the group.
Types of Leadership: Bureaucratic
If you’ve ever been managed strictly “by the book,” you’ve experienced a bureaucratic leader.
While it might sound outdated and unpopular, “by the book” bureaucratic leadership types work well and are necessary in some fields. Universities, hospitals and banks benefit from bureaucratic leadership. The strictness of following particular rules helps increase security within the company, and reduces corruption. A downside is that it’s slow-moving in order to ensure adherence to policies and procedures.
This leader has a tendency to be very un-motivating and is prone to not having synergy in their teams. They don’t like “flow” because you have to “fly by the seat of your pants”, they just want things exactly as they have dictated. They are necessary and excellent in certain fields or positions.
If this type of manager works for you it’s important to follow up with their people and ensure they feel appreciated and valued. It’s easy to forget to tell this manager the same thing, so make sure they get told, usually they won’t tell you they enjoyed hearing it, but they do.
Types of Leadership: Charismatic
Charismatic leaders are all about energy and motivation. Teams led by a charismatic leader can have a very difficult time when that leader leaves. If you are taking over a management position that was previously led by a charismatic leader, be prepared for some challenges.
In certain positions at certain times I have been very charismatic, and indeed the manager behind me had a difficult time.
This method is perfect if you are trying to feed energy into a group. Feed energy you may ask, yes, FEED energy. When I was doing this it was to bring the intensity level up in the group, the energy level, the drive.
It is extremely exhausting to do it, you have to be consistent, do it every single day. But it works! It’s a great method to increase sales or get some big projects done. You also need to make really big deals out of every positive, thank EVERY person exuberantly. Say “hi” to everyone. You have to stay highly visible for it to work.
Plan this well because it can take a few days or even a few weeks for it to even begin to work, but once the energy in the group is going it usually starts to snowball and feed itself. Also be aware, this method doesn’t work if you don’t have employees that care and respect you. You have to have trust and respect first.
Types of Leadership: Relational
A relational (or transformational) leader is opposite the laissez faire leader. They are highly communication based and highly visible. This is not to be confused with a micromanager. Relational leaders are focused on the big picture and they are surrounded with people who accomplish the details of the big picture.
They don’t usually care about the details of something, they care about the who. Who is doing what? How is so and so doing? How was your weekend? Who is doing that? If you start to go over a bunch of details you will find their eyes start of glaze over and their mind wanders. They care about the who.
What’s Your Style?
You might have natural tendencies towards particular types of leadership. Your company may require you to lead in one of these particular methods, which can be difficult if you’re used to an opposite style.
Learning to manage in a different style will only benefit you in the long run. If fact, using only a couple will slow your career down. You need to understand when to use the different styles to fit your employees.
It’s even possible… NO… I would say you will need to alter your leadership type multiple times working for the same company if you take on different teams or projects over your years of employment.
Most likely you will need to change your style multiple times a year at a minimum.
Define Leadership
Posted by: | CommentsTo define leadership is akin to holding onto a big blob of Jell-O. It’s not the easiest thing 
to do, but in its most basic definition, a leader does just that — leads.
Do you want to be a leader? Do you have natural leadership skills? Have you taken a leadership test and been pegged as a good leader — or perhaps a bad leader?
Even if you’re not a manager or supervisor at your job, you can still learn effective leadership skills and apply them throughout your life. Your job, your family, your marriage, even your social activities call for the skills of a leader.
There are several types of leadership and many leadership theories.
Some experts say leadership attributes are innate, that we’re born with them. Others say they must be learned. Innate or not, leadership skills can be learned and improved all throughout life.
Trying to list all the qualities of good, motivational leadership will end up in a very long list, very quickly, but some of the top traits or skills that really define leadership are: integrity, dedication, giving credit where credit is due (magnanimity), humility, fairness, assertiveness, and being open to new ideas.
Young Leaders
Age knows no bounds for those who are led and for those who are leaders. You’ve seen leaders all your life. Back when you were growing up, playing in the neighborhood, a leader emerged from among your group of friends. Leaders emerge in school groups, in athletics, in peer groups. Leaders even rise up among siblings. Leaders are the ones other people follow.
An informal leader in the workplace might well be one of the lowest-level employees. It’s not an official leadership role, but he or she may be a leader among their coworkers.
And certainly not all managers or supervisors are leaders, despite their defined leadership title of Team Leader, Shift Leader or whatever.
Define leadership
Leadership is one of those skills that gives back to you what you put into it. It is a growing and continually evolving skill, like a mountain you are climbing who’s peak is always just out of reach, you never really arrive. There is always something you could do better, someone you could have done more for.
Leadership skills are something often looked for in every level of staff. While contemplating the next promotion most managers don’t just look at tenure or skill, they look at the person who also is the problem solver, who makes a decision, who is confident in what they are doing, able to network and get others involved.
Leaders are also those who do things without asking, who make sacrifices without fanfare, who simply do what needs to be done.
Not all leaders are necessarily good people leaders. Many times we promote someone because they show all the qualities we want a leader to have but maybe they haven’t been taught good leadership theories–the philosophy of managing, communicating, delegating, etc. It’s not enough to be told you need to do something, it’s important to understand the mechanics of why. If you don’t know that you can’t teach others and develop leaders under you.
Leadership is one of those areas of life in which continued learning is never a waste. Leadership training seminars are great for learning new techniques or as a refresher for that which you already know. Most individuals can write off a few hundred dollars a year towards their own work related self improvement. Check with your tax adviser.
Leadership training seminars are available for new and current managers, most training is done online and on the phone depending on the subject being covered.
Leadership
Posted by: | CommentsLeadership is a critical part of our day to day lives……
It determines how we handle things in our day to day life. Those with strong leadership skills typically take control of most situations they find themselves in. They typically know where they are going.
It is easy to use to skills for the good of others and to the detriment. Some leaders feel they are entitled to let their mouths fly with every trivial thought. That isn’t really being a leader.
A great quote that says a lot about people….
Excellence is an act won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle
