Managers manage. They manage space, time usage, inventory control and many other things. At times, they even attempt to manage people. However, people are not things. They cannot be managed. They must be led. Applying these simple leadership principles will transform your managers into leaders. And, that will transform the bottom line into your best year, yet.
1. Be technically and tactically proficient.
2. Know yourself and seek self-improvement.
3. Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates.
4. Make sound and timely decisions.
5. Set the example.
6. Know your Subordinates and look out for their welfare.
7. Keep your Subordinates informed.
8. Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.
9. Train your subordinates as a team.
10. Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities.
11. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.
1) Be tactically and technically proficient
Roughly translated, this means to know your job, and the jobs of all who report to you, and be able to perform those jobs when called upon to do so. It goes without saying that you should know your job and be able to perform it. However, if the need arose and you were required to perform the jobs of your employees, what is your proficiency level? You may have held those positions at sometime in your career path, but how has the job changed since your promotion? It is a good idea to spend some time with each of your employees to keep those skills fresh for three reasons. One, you should be able to perform essential tasks when the employee is absent. Two, you should be able to train the next employee in case of a termination. Three, by showing the employees that you are capable of performing the job, you earn their respect. And, while knowing your job and the jobs of your employees is vital to your day to day success, knowing the job of your supervisor is just as important to your career path. Showing an interest in the work of your supervisor prepares you for the day when that position becomes available.
2) Know yourself and seek self-improvement
It is vital to know your strengths and weaknesses. What are you good at and what do you need to improve at. Frustration awaits the individual who attempts to fill a position he or she is not qualified to fill. This is the reason that the first part of the Reach for Your Dreams leadership training covers the fourteen leadership traits. By knowing your capabilities, you are able to perform the tasks you excel at, share the tasks you are good at and delegate the tasks you are not so good at. By knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you also have created a list of things that you need to improve. If endurance is a weakness, then you know you need to improve your physical fitness training. If knowledge is a weakness, then you understand what classes you can enroll in to increase your level of knowledge in your chosen field. Leaders must constantly seek self improvement if they are going to expect the same of their employees.
3) Know your employees and look out for their welfare
How many children does your employee have? Is he or she married? Do they like walks on the beach and pina colladas? I am not suggesting that you get romantically involved with your employees. That is a very bad idea. But, you do need to know what makes them tick. Each of your employees is unique individual. What motivates one will shut another one down. It is critical in your success as a leader to understand the likes and dislikes of your employees. Again, I am not suggesting that baby them, or give them special treatment, but you do need to know these things if you are going to build and effective team. Once you know them, you begin to understand what they need. Do they need good medical insurance? Do they need special equipment to perform a job? Would they like to go to college at night to increase their level of education? It is okay to show an employee that you care. As a matter of fact, it is critical to your success and the success of your team. Doing these little things make the employees feel important. If they feel important, then they will be more efficient. If they are more efficient, well, I think you get the picture. The performance of the team is the best indicator of your ability as a leader.
4) Keep your employees informed
Give your employee all the information they need to complete the task at hand. If you instruct an employee to work overtime they may do it, but they may not put in the extra effort you need to get the mission accomplished. However, if you explain the importance of the task, and how their role is critical in the completion of it, then you will probably get the effort you need to complete the mission. People want to feel important. Many studies have shown this to be one of the leading factors in gaining and retaining quality personnel. Of the five W's, who-what-when-where and why, the why is the most important. The first four can be explained in one sentence. You do this now over here. The why can take several paragraphs and should never contain the words, "Because I said so!" An informed employee is a good employee. A misinformed employee is a disaster waiting to happen.
5) Set the example.
This is the core principle of leadership. If concentrating on eleven principles leaves a pain in your brain, then focus on setting a positive example. By doing this, most of the other principles will fall into place. People, as a rule, don't listen well. They do follow an example that is set for them. It is the old game of Simon Says. If you are saying one thing and doing something else, then most people are going to follow your actions and not your words, even if they are some what confused while doing it. If you are sending the same message with your actions and your words, then your employees will feel secure in your leadership and will follow you to the ends of the earth.
6) Ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished
If you were rating this three words for their importance in completing a task, which would you say is most important? Answer. All of them. They are steps that must be taken with each assigned task. The first step is to ensure that the task is understood. How many times have you told someone to do something only to have them do something that in your mind is totally unrelated? Try this. Once you have assigned a task to someone, have them repeat it back to you to make certain that what you said is what they are going to do. Second, the task must be supervised. This does not mean watching their every move, but there must be a procedure in place to ensure the task is moving along according to schedule. If the first two steps have been done well, the task should be accomplished in a timely manner. This assumption will almost guarantee failure. Stick with the task through completion. It is your support that will guarantee success. So many tasks have fallen short of their goals because of the final step. It is your responsibility as a leader to ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished.
7) Train your unit as a team
How many times have you heard, "There is no I in team." One of my athletes responded, "But, coach, there is an 'I' in win." Let's look at the definition of a team. A team is a group of individuals working together to achieve a common goal. This brings to light the a few questions. What is the goal of your unit? Do the employees depend on each other to help the unit achieve the goal? If one employee is absent for whatever reason, can the goals still be achieved? The goal of the Chicago Bears was to win a Superbowl. They went out and hired a guy named Walter Payton to help them do it. He was the greatest of the time. But, they couldn't get the job done. That is, they couldn't get it done until the filled all positions with other people who had the same drive and determination as Walter. Once they got the job done, every one of them felt they were the reason they won the trophy. The rise and fall of the bears was legendary. They got to and won the Superbowl when everyone was working toward a common goal. When they put their own personal interest before the team, failure was inevitable.
8) Make sound and timely decisions.
The decision making process is a critical part of success. If the decision takes too long to develop, a great opportunity may pass you by. If the decision is made to quickly, important factors may be over looked. It is vital to have a process that will allow the leader the best of both worlds. This requires a method to efficiently identify all essential factors. One of the best choices a leader can make is to have decisions made at the lowest possible level. The CEO doesn't need to tell someone where to buy paperclips, but the janitor shouldn't make the final decision on new product development.
9) Develoop a sense of responsibility within your subordinates.
Building off principle number eight, it is critical to the success of your organization, whether it be civilian or military, corporate or sole proprietorship, for profit, or not for profit, is immaterial. Having employees who have a sense of responsibility to the organization will be the difference between success and failure. If someone feels responsible, then the decisions they make will be in the best interest of all involved. However, if the employee simply feels like a number on a file in your office, you can count on them to be missing in action when there are challenges that need to be overcome. When you develop a sense of responsibility within your subordinates, it means giving up some of your control of the organization. If you can do that, you will build a company that will last forever. If employees are a necessary evil, then get a job. You don't belong in management.
10) Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities.
Did you ever hear about the widget the salesman offered the client? It wasn't quite what the client wanted, so he asked for some modifications. The salesman, without batting an eye says, "No problem." Then, it is up to you to manufacture the item, which is border line impossible. Everyone on the team should know that capabilities of the organization. When this is done, and information is shared completely, then the above situation will not happen. Don't make promises that will place the company's reputation at risk.
11) Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.
This may be at the bottom of the list, but it is one of the most critical principles to follow if you are going to be a successful leader. In this day and age, so many people want control, but aren't willing to bear the responsibility that goes with it. Everybody wants you to sign a waiver so that they will not be responsible. Successful people, especially leaders, seek true responsibility. They are willing to stake their reputation on the line to get the job done and to get it done right. There is a really cool thing that leaders do. Pay attention next time when something goes either right or wrong in an organization. You will notice the leader giving credit to his team. The other person is taking credit for him or herself, regardless if they had an actual hand in it or not. Then, when something goes the other way, the leader shoulders the blame. That other person is pointing fingers at everyone except him or herself. Leaders take responsibility and share the credit. Those other people take the credit and share the blame. Which do you want to be?
Wow! That is a lot to remember, or to apply. If you need more information on how to implement these principles into your company or organization, then by all means contact Tim at r4yd@comcast.net . Put LEADERSHIP in the subject line. You can do it. We can help.
