LONGER ANSWERS …

Inside this category – I am placing your responses that are more elaborated.

Set the example to others – peers and subordinates: You cannot expect people to behave and act in ways other than those employed by yourself. People look at you for what you are doing, and if your heart is not where your mouth is, they will always follow what they see you do, rather than what they hear you say. 

Be thorough: Whatever you do, drive for the best you can, with no compromises in respect of Quality, Accuracy, Integrity, etc. This, of course, also reflects on the point above.

Be sure of your Values, and abide by them: So many managers either do not have any Values, or keep them as a ‘lips tax’ only.

Build healthy relationships – and all the tools that are important to building, maintaining, clarifying and/or repairing them.  Some of these skills include listening, understanding where your employee (or superior, peer, supplier, customer) is “coming from,” understanding what might her competing priorities be, helping her to identify what barriers (if any) she might be facing, and how you might be able to assist her. This also means respecting the individual – which requires an understanding of the big picture to see how the product of her work fits into all this.

Be organized – this helps you to clarify expectations, prioritize importance and focus, managing time, projects, activities, goals, objectives, etc.

Communication – Know when to be silent, when to speak, when to listen, when to plant a “seed” so others can develop an idea and call it their own, etc.

Strong trust and continually growing it is the foundation of leadership, so the first tool is doing the things that allow trust to build: listening, sharing, and accepting.  Sounds “touchy-feely” until you try following a leader who doesn’t give a rip about you – or who does not trust you (like a micromanager).

A shared vision is critical for leadership success, so the ability to develop a vision collaboratively, along with the willingness to share responsibility (and rewards) is a necessary tool.  Sounds obvious until you have worked for someone who doesn’t know where the group needs to go – or who doesn’t tell you where you are headed.

A willingness to develop people, to help people move forward and eventually to take your place – even to do your job better than you do – is a bold and exposing tool, but it is also a clear demonstration that you care about the future of both the organization and your folks.  Sounds scary until you realize how empowering it is to yourself AND your people.

A great mental exercise to develop these tools is to think about how you would like to be led.  Further, although great leadership inspires people, you have to 1) show people how to be inspired and 2) hire people who are open to inspiration.  If someone is impervious (resistant to) to input, feedback, trust and a shared vision, put them on a different bus and examine your hiring practices.

Integrity. Without it, you do not have the moral foundation of leadership, especially with your followers.

Vision. If you do not set the course and the vision for the organization, everyone will simply do what they feel is the right thing to do or they will do what they are comfortable doing. A) Without vision, people perish. B) Failing to plan (e.g., envisioning the future and developing an action plan) is planning to fail!

Communication. Communicate…communicate…communicate! Communicating your and the company’s values (integrity and other values/principles), your vision, and the way ahead (action plans) are critical for getting every level of your company to focus on what is important.  Communicate at all levels of the company and to your customers and suppliers. You need to tailor your messages to each audience.

Voilà – that’s it folks.

CONCLUSION –

Thank you VERY much for your willingness to share your wisdom with this community.

We all learn more and grow more when we contribute with our experience, when we participate with our individual perspectives, and when we ask questions.

Use these tools to become a better manager – and an unforgettable boss.

Apply them to develop your employees, to create a cohesive team, and to build a high performance organization.

And remember – if there is anything that you would like me to write about – respond to this email and tell me what you are struggling with. Even if it’s really small, don’t hesitate.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Talk soon.
Joseluis

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