Doctor or Tyrant?
I don't expect you to be either! But, you do have to become empathetic to the needs and feelings of your team. The “doctor” can then offer sympathy and remedies when necessary. And the “tyrant” can kick an individual up the backside when that’s needed (not literally, please!. There’s an old American saying: “Different strokes for different folks”. And that’s part of what we are considering here. You’ll know those amongst your people who usually need an “arm round the shoulder” to help them perform. And, those who usually better react to a much more direct style of leadership. But, the key word in both of these last two sentences is “usually”. Sometimes even the most self-sufficient need kindly treatment. Equally, sometimes the mollycoddled need a quick dose of the “real world”
It’s not about Number One!
If you’ve ever had a boss who takes all the credit and is equally willing to dispense the blame, then you understand the phrase: “looking out for number one”. But, effective leaders look out for all their people (whilst expecting great things from them). For example, a top leader would never let other managers directly criticise their people. They would want to deal with the situation themselves (and then hand out any relevant and appropriate “bollockings”. A top leader will let his or her boss (and all other team members) know who, specifically, is responsible for individual good performance or successes And, where blame may be due, a good leader will start by analysing what part they, personally, played in the problem. This can be a sin of commission (what that leader said or did) or one of omission (what actions the leader should have taken but didn’t)
Control v. nurture Many moons ago, I worked in a branch office of a national bank. The worst sight you could ever see as you closed the doors at night? The bank inspectors wandering up the path to the door to pay us a “visit”. Because, as far as we could see, this inspection was never about anything else than finding out what we were doing “wrong”. As a leader, if you want to make sure that one of your team makes a mess of any task they are undertaking, simply walk up behind them, look over their shoulder for a few minutes, and then leave saying nothing!
Every leader must exert control; and both inspect work and audit performance (to some degree). And this is likely to vary depending on an individual’s (and the team’s) competence, skills, knowledge, attitude etc. But, your aim should always be – as often as you can - to stimulate rather than order, suggest rather than instruct, develop rather than inspect, and challenge rather than control
Human resources Don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of this particular departmental title (one company I heard about prefers to call it their “people department”). The danger is that “resources” can be seen as an impersonal term – on a par with computers, desks etc. And, one dictionary definition is: “a source of economic wealth”. However, some other of the definitions include: “capability, ingenuity, and initiative”
So, if we stick with the latter of these, then it’s easier to see what a valuable resource your team members are. But, do they appreciate this? Do you use them as often as possible as this “resource” e.g. looking for ideas, suggestions, solutions? All companies say that their people are their biggest asset. It’s up to you to demonstrate this for all your people to see and appreciate If you have any questions about leadership, please email me at info@thevenworks.com
- I look forward to hearing from you
Leadership Stepping Up the Ladder Part Three - To learn more about this author, visit Gordon Veniard's Website.
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