Leadership - Attitude and Actions - Part One

Be a “we” leader – not a “me” leader


Have you ever worked for a manager or supervisor who didn’t believe this point? If you have, you also have all our sympathies! It can be very frustrating when the individual leading a team is more interested in their personal glory than in helping create and sustain an effective, successful team

I remember attending an awards ceremony many years ago where two departments from the same company had won the “team of the year” trophy for their individual disciplines. As the chief executive presented the trophies, the first manager said: “It’s taken me 15 years to get my hands on this!” The second manager then said: “I’d like to thank everybody in my team for all their hard work. It’s their trophy not mine”

Which manager would you prefer to work for? Unfortunately, I was in the other team! Our manager was moved soon afterwards and isn’t a leader any longer. The other manager became a senior executive within the group! A great example of a leader benefiting from teamwork – rather than seeking the personal glory



Apply the benefits of your experience


I bet you know people who have worked for your company for many years. Ask this question about them: have they gained that many years of experience – or have they simply repeated their first year over and again?



Make sure you never over-manage and under-lead


You know the scenario – it’s the boss who either has to do everything for themselves, or checks up constantly that you are doing something “right”. And, in this scenario, “right” always seems to mean doing it “their way”. Tied to this over-management, might well be a lack of real leadership. When this exists, the leader helps you to see where the team or company needs to be and how you can work and develop in helping achieve this by use of your own skills and initiative (within clear, workable guidelines)



Provide comfort when it’s needed – and remove it when it’s un-necessary


It’s a key part of a leadership role to understand both the worries and the capabilities of your people. When a member of your team is anxious e.g. when taking on new responsibilities; or when other factors are hampering their performance e.g. outside-work worries; then they are entitled to expect their leader to offer a measure of support

The other side of the same coin is to make sure that those people who don’t make a real effort are dealt with. These individuals are often happy in a comfort zone below their true level of ability. Or, are happy to plod along making excuses to cover their laziness. A professional leader will tackle this situation before it affects other members of the team who resent the “skiver”. But, often, especially if results are generally good, a leader will shy away from “causing trouble” (and, sadly, leave it to store up for later when things are tougher)



Be a feedback-active individual


This doesn’t simply mean providing balanced, helpful feedback to members of your team. It’s about asking for feedback on your performance from them. And listening honestly to it! And, acting upon it as appropriate!


Leadership - Attitude and Actions - Part One - To learn more about this author, visit Gordon Veniard's Website.

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