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Leadership

Written by: Robyn Pollard

Article Overview: Leadership is an ongoing journey that will benefit your business, your staff and your own personal development.

Leadership

"Is your leadership style the way you think you behave or the way others say you behave?" Leadership and The One Minute Manager, P20.

Before starting this article I want to point out that leadership is a journey. It is not just a training course, it is about who you are and how you do it. It is an ongoing process of learning.

Employees often make decisions about whether they like working for a particular manager or not. What is it about a manager that staff members base their decision on? In working with clients I notice time and time again that it is the leadership ability of a manager that inspires, motivates and empowers staff. It is the ability to look to the future and then inspire their staff to make the journey with them. Employees perform because they are motivated to achieve their targets and are there for the greater achievements of the business that they want to play a role in.

It is so easy to get lost in the daily stresses of managing a business and to lose sight of the vision and what will help the business be successful. It is easy to get so caught up in the business that you forget to focus on what is making you profitable and what the staff enjoy doing. A leader who treats staff as individuals and acknowledges their achievements, motivates by example and empowers them to make decisions gets rewarded with results. Create a learning environment for your staff and lead the way, asking for their input.

It is very easy to attribute lack of commitment and non-achievement to an employee being lazy or lacking ambition. Quite often it is the lack of communication to the employee of their role and what you want in terms that they can understand. What is your vision for your business in simple terms and what do you want from each staff member? How do your staff and their goals fit in with your business? Do you know what their goals are?

Quite often managers are chosen because of their technical skills, but there is much evidence that it is the people skills and emotional intelligence that lead their staff to higher performance. A good leader must be able to do each of the following:

• create a strong vision
• inspire staff to take the journey and support the vision
• understand their own strengths and weaknesses
• set goals and actions steps
• motivate staff
• communicate clearly (oral and written) to all groups
• listen to staff
• be able to delegate
• nurture team building
• nurture staff
• coach staff to perform better
• enjoy learning
• manage by performance measures
• be open to change

Developing leadership skills is a journey and it is necessary to reflect on what is happening while also acquiring new skills. This is the reason why coaching or mentoring is so valuable. Contact us to discuss our coaching programs to improve your leadership skills. Leadership skills are a very necessary component for creating a very successful business.

To find out more about Moving Forward Business Coach, visit the website at: www.movingforwardcoaching.com.au

© Robyn Pollard 2005

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