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My favourite boss was handsome and charismatic with a wicked sense of humour. He walked the floor each Friday, stopping by a hundred or so desks just to say hi and ask what we were working on. He made a point of remembering our names and memorized snippets of personal news about each and every one of us. Jack Steele MBA didn't get to the top because he was a natural born leader. He got there because he watched how others operated, copied their strengths and worked hard to hone a few key skills. These are just seven of those skills he passed on to me and over the years, I've done my best to polish them.
Hold your people in the highest esteem - for as long as you can. That doesn't mean you condone failings. Every person you lead has massive potential. It is your job as leader to nurture, develop and encourage their growth, learning and their personal development. On the other hand, if your people continually screw up then deal with it. Mentor them, coach them, chastise them then get rid of them if you really have to. But don't forget that there are rarely bad workers, only bad masters.
Focus on the end game. If you can't see where you are going then how will you know you've succeeded? Having a clear vision of the future is vital if your team is to succeed. But please don't keep it to yourself. Present your vision with passion. Enthusiasm is infectious so fire up your team with a clear, well articulated picture of the destination. And when you do communicate it, make sure that everyone understands what the vision is. Ask for feedback. Prompt them to describe the vision in their own words. Don't assume that just because you design great slides, that everyone can see the road ahead.
Plan six weeks ahead. If there is a crisis at the end of the month, you are already set for the next cycle. This is one of the best pieces of advice I ever got. And planning is not just about listing down all the things you need to do. It is about taking your vision and mapping out the smartest way to achieve it. Mindmapping is a great tool to do this. Once you have created your list of planned activities, date them. Type every activity into a spreadsheet. Sort on the date and hey, you have a schedule. Now you can go into the detail and build your team's weekly task sheets and your daily To Do lists. Simple. Try it then practice it. But remember, only perfect practice makes perfect.
Be as organised as you can be. Build your daily task lists from your six week plan. But don't make your To Do lists too long. Unrealistic task lists become a stinging whip for even the most energetic teams. Make room for upsets and unforeseen demands that always shoot into your inbox, out of the blue.
Automate as much as you can. Don't waste time hunting for information. Build your PC dashboard with RSS feeds so you don't have to research stuff. iGoogle? is a great way to do this. Every contact should be on your phone and regularly sync this with your PC. Insist on reports in WORD so that you can cut, paste, highlight and review on screen within the team. Set your screen for a comfortable brightness and font size. With a solid folder structure and disciplined filing, all you need is a click or a tap to keep information under control.
Confront conflict before it gets out of hand. In my experience, the only folk who enjoy conflict are soldiers and psychopaths. The rest of us normal people avoid it at all costs. No-one wants a fight at work. But sometimes, you have to face that dismal boss, chastise that irritating colleague and call to account a poor performer. And if you want to be a good leader, you have to learn how to manage conflict. Wrapping up criticism in praise is always the best way to start the conversation. If you are on the receiving end of a vitriolic volley then smile, apologize and ever so gently walk away. When your attacker is calm, that is the time to bundle up your issues among the nice words. One warning though. If your target is a psychopath, don't try this tip. It doesn't work. Find yourself another job instead.
Use your wit whenever you can. Seeing the funny side of things in stressful times, laughing at yourself and bringing a sharp wit into play can make a massive difference to every team. People spend half their waking hours with people they didn't choose as friends. As their leader, if you make those eight hours productive AND entertaining no team will ask much more of you. Although if you work for an undertaker, this may not apply. Good leaders are neither born nor made. They work hard at it, with passion, with commitment and then over time, build up trust and respect so that everyone wants to follow them. Take these tips on board and you will soon be the best leader your team could ever wish for. Good Luck!
Charlotte StClair has thirty years experience in managing people, projects and companies. She has worked in many different organizations, in government and in the private sector. Charlotte is a writer on a wide range of business and IT related topics and can be contacted at http://www.772consulting.com/.