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5 Keys to Leadership for Small Business
Even Parties of One Need a Leader
Are you a leader just because you run a small business? No. But you need to be. Without
leadership, the ship that is your small business will aimlessly circle and eventually run out of
power or run aground.
Its not having followers that defines leadership. Cool-headed, farseeing, visionary,
courageous whichever adjectives you choose, leadership is a winning combination of
personal traits and the ability to think and act as a leader, a person who directs the activities
of others for the good of all. Anyone can be a leader, even if the only person theyre leading
is themselves.
But you cant become a leader just by saying you are. Leadership needs to be worked at.Transform yourself into a leader with these five keys of leadership.
1. A leader plans.
The core of leadership is being proactive rather than reactive. Sure, leaders are good in crises
but that doesnt mean they sit around letting crises develop. Leadership involves identifying
potential problems and solving them before they reach crisis proportions and the ability to
identify and reap potential windfalls. So good leaders analyze and plan and adapt their plans
to new circumstances and opportunities.
2. A leader has a vision.
Vision is essential to good leadership. Vision provides direction and without direction, theres
not much point to all that planning; your small business will still flail about. So if you dont
have one already, take your first step towards leadership by creating a Vision Statementfor
your business. Because it embodies your dreams and your passions, a vision statement will
also serve as a leadership vision.
3. A leader shares her vision.
Sharing your leadership vision helps your vision grow and your leadership develop. As you
tell your leadership vision to others, you will strengthen your own belief in your vision and
strengthen your determination to make your leadership vision become reality. And other
people will start to see you as a person whos going places. Your leadership skills will
grow as you and other people recognize you as a person with leadership potential.
4. A leader takes charge.
At this stage of leadership, you put together your planning and your leadership vision and
take action. Whether its implementing a specific plan to improve your businesss bottom line
or responding to a crisis, you, as the leader, are the one who makes the decisions and sees that
the appropriate actions are carried out. You cant just talk a good game to be a leader; youneed to act and to be seen as taking effective action for the good of your small business.
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5. A leader inspires through example.
If I asked you, you could easily name three people whose leadership qualities inspire you. If I
asked you why, youd tell me about the things these inspiring people did or are doing.
Leadership is defined through action. Therefore, in developing your own leadership skills,
you have to act in ways that are fitting to your leadership vision and your self all the time.We can all name many actions of other people whom we admire, but what inspires us is the
integrity that gives these actions meaning.
Becoming a leader isnt easy because it takes a conscious commitment and consistent effort
to develop ones leadership skills. But on the positive side, anyone who is willing to make the
effort can become a good leader.
And as good leadership is critical to business success, your efforts to improve your leadership
skills will be amply rewarded. By working on these five keys of leadership, you can become
the leader your small business needs.
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/smallbusinesslearning/a/leadership1.htm
20 WAYS TO BECOME A LEADER
by Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D.
A recent woman law school graduate might be surprised to find so few women among the
leaders of the firm she just joined. After all, half of her law school classmates were women.
And although this law school statistic is often reported as if it represents some dramatic
change, the fact is that roughly 40% of law school students have been women since the mid1980s.
Although there have been small positive changes, for the most part, legal workplaces
continue to be sadly lacking in women leadership.
There are several reasons for this, perhaps chief among them, the fact that a "committed
lawyer" is defined so that it excludes the majority of women lawyers. If "commitment" is
mutually exclusive with pregnancy and motherhood, then the odds of a woman lawyer
advancing to a leadership position are slim.
This definition also excludes male lawyers who want to be more than just financial providers
for their families. In fact, any lawyer seriously wanting "a life" is at risk of being deleted
from the potential- leaders list.
The best chance of changing this systemic obstacle is to tip the gender scales in leadership
balance. As more women become leaders in legal organizations, organizational values and
definitions are likely to change. The concept of the "ideal lawyer" [1] will broaden to become
equally inclusive of women as well as men whose wives handle family matters. The inclusion
of men and woman who understand that work and life are not a zero sum game would benefit
the profession as well as the individuals practicing it.
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As organizations move from mono-cultural clubs to diversity-welcoming institutions, one
might expect that the "ideal lawyer" image would also evolve into one that equally includes
lawyers of color and those of non-majority sexual orientation.
There is another reason to expect that fostering leadership ability among women lawyers will
benefit the careers of these and future women attorneys, as well as the organizations in whichthey work:
Research on leadership indicates that 50-75% of organizations are currently managed by
people sorely lacking in leadership competence [2]. They are hired or promoted based on
technical competence, business knowledge and politics - not on leadership skill. Such
managers often manage by crisis, are poor communicators, are insensitive to moral issues, are
mistrustful, over-controlling and micro-managing, fail to follow through on commitments
they've made and are easily excitable and explosive. The result is low morale, alienated
employees, and costly attrition. Since the best business outcomes are achieved by satisfied
employees, the legal profession can only gain by an increasing focus on the development of
attorneys' leadership competencies.
Women lawyers can take the lead in this endeavor. Here are 20 ways to become a leader:
1. TAKE CHARGE
Become the sculptor of your own career and life not the sculpture. Leaders are authentic
the authors of their own lives. Take responsibility for your professional development. No one
has a greater investment in your success and satisfaction than you. Especially as a woman,
you cannot depend upon the traditional management structure of your organization to put you
on the path to achievement. It's up to you to direct and protect your career and to develop
your own potential. You cannot afford to be passive or to accept roles assigned to you. Know
what you want and why and be prepared to take action to make it happen.
2. KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS
Work is most meaningful and satisfying when it gives us an opportunity to use our strengths.
Leadership is fundamentally about character. Knowing your character strengths enables you
to find ways to select work environments and work assignments that allow you to express and
develop them. For example, if one of your greatest strengths is loyalty and teamwork, you'll
be most effective and satisfied working as a member of a team. If fairness is among your
greatest strengths, you'll be frustrated and dissatisfied without an opportunity to work onissues of justice. If you're someone who loves to learn, you'll feel bored and frustrated unless
you find ways to master new skills and bodies of knowledge.
It's also important to keep track of your own accomplishments. Unfortunately, legal
workplaces are notorious for focusing on mistakes and defeats rather than what people have
done well. However, good leaders develop talent by matching peoples' strengths with work
tasks. They recognize contributions and celebrate accomplishments.
Start practicing good leadership by keeping a log of your successes. Record even small wins
this is essential for building your own confidence as well as developing a crucial leadership
competence.
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You can assess your strengths by taking the VIA Strengths Survey at
http://www.authentichappiness.org. Dr. Martin Seligman, a psychologist known for his
research in the areas of helplessness, depression, optimism and positive psychology has
developed this website. Since he continues to do research on the instruments on his website,
you can take them for free.
The Gallup StrengthsFinder is another way to assess your strengths. You can learn about it at
http://www.gallup.com.
3. CREATE YOUR VISION
Leaders are vision directed. A leader creates a compelling vision, is committed to this vision,
and inspires others to action by aligning their goals with this vision.
Start developing this leadership competence by creating your own personal vision. Your
vision statement is a picture of the future to which you can commit. It expresses your values,
the contribution you want to make, and the way you want to live your life.
Without a clear vision, it's easy to be led by the expectations of others. As a professional
coach, I can attest to the unhappiness of lawyers who've allowed the demands and approval
of others to become their compass. It is heartbreaking to look back on your life with regret.
Your vision statement is your own personal "why." Knowing what you're working toward
allows you to plan your professional development as well as to be resilient in the face of
obstacles.
If you'd like a format for a personal vision statement, you can email me [email protected] with "Vision Statement" in the subject line.
4. CHOOSE A WORKPLACE WITH COMPATIBLE VALUES
One of the biggest mistakes many attorneys make is to accept a position in an organization
with values contrary to their own. This situation leads to misery at worst, and job change at
best.
Furthermore, you are much less likely to achieve a position of leadership in an organization
with values at odds with your own ethics than you would in an environment that echoed your
principles.
5. ESTABLISH YOUR OWN PERSONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Although the legal profession puts a premium on self-reliance, everyone needs guidance, role
models and support. Old-style mentoring rarely exists in the 21st century legal workplace.
Even if you have an assigned mentor, such "arranged marriages" rarely meet your most
important professional development needs. It's especially difficult for women and attorneys
of color to find mentors who identify with them or to whom they can look for time-tested
strategies that apply to their unique challenges.
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Establishing your own personal advisory board enables you to obtain assistance from several
people. Each has a unique contribution to make to your career success. This approach also
gives you an opportunity to seek needed assistance without over-burdening any one person.
In order to construct an effective personal board of directors you need to assess your learning
needs. Identify the skills you need to acquire or improve in order to achieve the career goalsyou've set for the next year or two. Having identified your knowledge needs, you'll be ready
to identify potential advisors. You can get recommendations from others. At the same time,
observe people you'd like to emulate or those who have some special expertise in the areas in
which you're interested. Look both within as well as outside your current work setting.
The people on your board will change as your learning needs change. Here are a few
important tips for developing your advisory board:
Select people whom you trust.
Keep in mind that the alliances you form with your advisors are substantive,
strategically important, and meaningful relationships. Clarify each person's expectations for the relationship. Negotiate how long you expect
the relationship to proceed in this form.
Understand what you mentor needs in order for the relationship to be mutually
rewarding. For some advisors, helping another attorney succeed is sufficient. Others
might feel rewarded by your offers to assist them in their own work.
You'll need to have advisors who serve different functions. The most important of
these are:
A Culture Guide
If you're a new attorney, or are new to your current work setting, you'll need an
advisor who can help you learn about the organizational culture. This mentor can
provide tips on who is powerful, who the key players and decision-makers are, whom
to seek out and whom not to cross. This mentor may also suggest committees to join
and other avenues to pursue so that you will become more visible.
A Legal Skills Mentor
It's useful to find a mentor with deep knowledge in your area of the law a senior and
successful attorney who can provide candid and constructive feedback about yourwork. You need to have someone you trust to whom you can turn with substantive
questions about your work. Ideally, this would not be someone who will be in a
position of evaluating you: you can't hold back if you want to really learn.
A Role Model
It's especially helpful for women attorneys to form alliances with other women
lawyers who share their work/life balance values. Ask someone you admire to share
her strategies for balancing work and family.
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It's particularly helpful to identify leadership role models. Think of the most inspiring
leaders in your life and list the attributes that elicited your admiration and respect.
Find role models who can advise you about how you can become a leader.
A Good "Connector"
Unless you have a well-established network, it's helpful to know someone who can
introduce you to people you'd like to know. As a knowledge worker in today's
economy, you simply cannot know everything. Establishing a knowledge network
enables you to identify the fastest route to the information you need and the people
who can connect you to that information. Whether you're seeking information
requested by a client, connections to business development opportunities, or looking
for another job, a well-developed network is an essential resource.
6. FIND A CHAMPION
It's essential to have someone who will be your champion in the organization. Most likely,this will be someone with whom you practice. The more value you add to the practice of a
senior lawyer in your practice group, the more he or she will be invested in retaining you.
People who like you, as well as your work, are more likely to be in your corner. It's also
necessary that this person be in a secure position in the organization; someone in a tenuous
spot is unlikely to feel able to go out on a limb for you.
7. WORK TOWARD EXCELLENCE IN YOUR PRACTICE
Excellent work performance is a necessary, although not sufficient condition for leadership.
Stay on top of your professional development. Don't wait for your firm or organization tooffer a seminar in the skills you want to learn seek out your own training opportunities.
Keep in mind the difference between excellence and perfection. Maintaining high standards
for your work reflects positive striving. On the other hand, being harshly self-critical for the
smallest error will undermine your success. Perfectionism easily leads to micro-management
and harsh criticism of others, neither of which are effective leadership behaviors.
It's difficult to strive for excellence unless you're doing what you love. People who are
committed to what they do who are strongly interested in their work are resilient in the
face of challenges. Enthusiasm and passion motivate hard work. Genuine interest sustains
focused attention.
It's important to know what skills you should be developing as you progress in your career.
The ABCNY Report of the Task Force on Lawyers Quality of Life delineates specific
training goals for corporate and litigation associates. You can find these at:
http://www.abcny.org/taskforce.html
Look for Attachment C. For a list of skills against which to assess your progress, you can
send an email to me at [email protected] with "Skills" in the subject line.
The more knowledgeable you are and the better your skills, the more you'll be a resource to
others. Expertise builds your reputation as a credible and trusted resource, which is essentialfor attaining leadership roles.
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8. TAKE INITIATIVE
Whatever you're trying to accomplish, you need to take control of your own destiny and act
on your own convictions. To become a leader, you must first learn to lead yourself. Initiative
is a fundamental leadership competence. Choose your work don't let it choose you. Seek
out work you like or from which you can learn. If the work you really want isn't coming yourway, make a plan to find it. Forge alliances with people both within and outside your
organization who can help you work with the kinds of matters and clients you prefer.
Avoid the "tyranny of the in-basket." [3] You need to actively work on your career, not just
on your work. Develop a career plan. Identify specific, measurable goals and routes for
accomplishing them. Go beyond adapting to whatever comes your way. Proactively select
and influence the situation in which you work rather than merely reacting to situations
created by others. Work to change yourself and your circumstances for the better.
Leaders create a vision, set goals that embody the vision, inspire action to accomplish the
vision, and develop strategic plans which lead to their goals. Start on your path to leadershipby leading yourself.
9. TAKE RISKS
Developing leadership skill requires getting out of your comfort zone. Set "stretch" goals that
enable you to develop new skills. Join committees and take a leadership role. This is an
opportunity to develop leadership competencies as well as increase your visibility. Many
women lawyers have told me that they do their best to fly under the radar. They believe that
this demonstrates that they are team players. I disagree. You stand to lose far more by being
invisible than you do by taking risks. In order to break through the stereotypes that keep
women from achieving positions of leadership, you'll need to appear confident. That means
being willing to learn on the job instead of waiting until you know everything before you take
on challenges. Ask your advisory board and network to help you fill in knowledge gaps.
Present your ideas. Be decisive and to the point. Speak in a convincing manner and make
your statements strong and powerful. Claim authorship of your ideas. Don't qualify your
statements or apologize for speaking. Be assertive, not aggressive. Manage your emotions
when you set limits and make requests. Avoid harsh criticism and always respect the dignity
of others. Depersonalize your mistakes. Just because you failed at one thing doesn't make you
a failure. View mistakes as learning opportunities. If you become so worried about how
you're perceived after you make an error that you never try again, others will conclude that
you always make mistakes. But if you attribute your error to insufficient information, you'lllearn more and try again. Your track record of successes will outweigh the memory of your
small errors. Taking risks builds resilience and self-confidence. The more you stretch
yourself and succeed, the more confident you'll feel. This will empower you to strive toward
a leadership position.
10. BE OPTIMISTIC
As "purveyors of hope," [4] leaders must be optimistic. Realistic optimists take control where
they can and stop investing energy in things beyond their control. When faced with a setback,
optimists don't succumb to feelings of helplessness. They maintain their focus on the larger
purpose, finding ways to bounce back and pursue alternative routes to their goal. Optimistssee mistakes as learning opportunities, not as catastrophes from which they'll never recover.
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This enables them to take the kinds of risks necessary for becoming a leader. Optimism is
especially difficult for lawyers, since so much of legal work is about anticipating and
preventing disaster. But even though pessimism may help you be more effective in practicing
law, it will be an obstacle if you think this way about career planning or the rest of your life.
You're probably used to thinking that optimism is just a personality characteristic and you
either have it or you don't. But, the fact is that research has demonstrated that people canlearn to think more optimistically and that these changes are enduring. If you want to learn to
be more optimistic, I'd encourage you to read "Learned Optimism" by Martin Seligman,
Ph.D. [5].
11. BECOME "UN-FUNGIBLE"
Find a niche which your organization values and about which you can be passionate. Develop
your expertise in this area. If you are the only expert, or one of a few experts in this area,
you'll be of considerable value to your firm. This increases your power to lobby for flexibility
in your scheduling and opportunities to take on leadership roles.
12. MAKE YOUR CAREER MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR JOB [6]
Focusing on your long-term career goals enables you to minimize the power of any given
employer. If your goals are incompatible with those of your organization, or if you can't get
the support you need to make your vision a reality, look elsewhere.
13. DEVELOP YOUR SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE
Leadership is interpersonal. Effective leadership is fundamentally about how you relate to
people. Social intelligence consists of several components:
Self-management People who cannot manage the expression of their own emotions
are unlikely to effectively manage others. It's important to develop an awareness of
your own feelings and make deliberate choices about how best to use them in any
given situation. Managing your emotions keeps them from clouding your perceptions
and judgments. Being able to influence how others perceive you and coming across to
others in the way you intend require self-awareness and self-regulation. It's essential
to have a deep understanding of your own values, motives, strengths and limitations.
Though it's not always easy to be honest with yourself, you need to develop this kind
of honesty if you want to be interpersonally effective. Realistically appraise yourself
without being overly self-critical. Ask others for feedback. The knowledge of howothers perceive you is a powerful tool. Monitor yourself; pay attention to your
feelings, actions and intentions. Observe the impact of your actions on others. Self-
awareness is also critical for empathy since we tend to perceive others through the
filter of our own needs, fears, expectations and hopes. When we are aware of what we
expect to hear or are afraid of hearing, we can get past the filter and hear what's really
being communicated.
Social radar Effective leaders can read emotional signals and assess other's emotional
states. Your ability to influence others depends upon your skill at sensing their
reactions and adjusting your approach accordingly. Practice "active" listening
listening not only to the other person's words but also their nonverbal expressions.
Leaders are more persuasive when they can attune their message to their listeners.
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Seek Win-Win Solutions to Problems Leaders elicit far more cooperation when they
work toward equitable solutions, which all participants can embrace. Be flexibly open
to others' points of view and demonstrate your understand of their perspectives.
Always try to preserve the dignity of everyone involved in a problem or project.
Leadership is about building and empowering teams. Practice creating an atmosphere
of collaboration and openness.
14. BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE
Many women attorneys who are excellent advocates for their clients are fearful of
advocating for themselves. In our culture, women are socialized to believe that self-
promotion is not only unbecoming and aggressive but will also damage their careers.
But failing to advocate for yourself can have far-reaching consequences. In the short
run, too much modesty feeds into the gender stereotype that women aren't "tough
enough." Keep in mind that other people see only a small percentage of our actions.
The missing information has to come from the actor herself. Share your knowledge by
offering to help others. Broadcast your wins through in-house newsletters. Expressyour convictions. Self-advocacy is necessary for reaching positions of leadership. At
the same time, make sure that you acknowledge and appreciate everyone who
contributed to the group effort. Leaders are able to make their employees feel proud
of their contributions. They don't need to steel the credit for themselves.
15. BREAK THROUGH EXPECTATIONS
Gender role stereotypes are an obstacle to women achieving leadership in the legal
profession. But believing you'll never break the "glass ceiling" is sure to hold you
back. Sometimes the only way to get past these stereotypes is to address them
directly. Shining a light on unspoken assumptions can enable your listeners to hear
and see beyond their expectations. By identifying these assumptions, you're
conveying power and insight, which inspire trust.
16. BECOME AN EXCELLENT COMMUNICATOR
A leader must communicate her vision in a way that energizes people and galvanizes
them toward action. The ability to gain the cooperation and support of others
through negotiation, persuasion and influence - depends upon communication skill,
which in turn is essential for leadership. Be aware of gender differences in
communication style. (For details, see Issue # 27 of "Beyond the Billable Hour athttp://lawyerslifecoach.com/newsletters/issue27.html.) Essentially, you must take
your listener's expectations into account in tailoring your communications. For
women, it's especially important to give the other person a reason to listen by
addressing a goal your listener wants to achieve. When people feel heard, they're
more likely to hear you. When you understand their goals, you can articulate how
their aspirations can be aligned with your vision. Although implicit gender role
stereotypes foster the belief that mothers cannot be good leaders, the fact is that
parenting is excellent training ground for leadership skills. As a parent you learn to
plan strategically, negotiate, enlist cooperation and persuade all of which you can
transfer to the workplace.
17. SHOW CONCERN FOR OTHERS
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Research [7] indicates that among the most important characteristics of effective
leaders are compassion, nurturance, generosity, altruism and empathy.
"Agreeableness" is a social trait and leadership takes place in a social context, so it's
not surprising that these characteristics are so important for effective leadership.
Women lawyers need to keep this in mind. All too often women are urged to "act like
men" in working toward leadership positions. Be encouraged to learn that the mosteffective leaders demonstrate traits most often attributed to women.
18. DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN A SUPPORT SYSTEM
Taking the time to maintain supportive and close connections with others is necessary
to attain and sustain the energy and well-being you need to achieve career success. At
home, you'll need a partner who will agree to negotiate and share family work with
you. Be clear with your significant others that you need their help in order to reach
your goals. Being overloaded with family responsibility is as much of an obstacle to
women reaching positions of leadership as is the "glass ceiling" at work. You'll also
need the support of people you supervise - your support staff, paralegals, juniorassociates, etc. It's easier to recruit such support if you understand their needs and
goals and treat them with compassion and respect. Compassion and encouragement
motivate people much more than impatience and harshness. Learn to delegate well.
Remember, leaders don't do all the work themselves: They effectively match people
to tasks based on knowledge of their subordinates' strengths and aspirations. They are
clear about their expectations when giving assignments. But don't allow perfectionism
to derail good delegating. If you're not satisfied with the finished product, resist the
urge to do it over yourself. Instead, return the work to the person who produced it and
make sure that he or she understands your expectations. That way, you won't feel
overburdened and you'll help the other person increase their own competence.
19. MAINTAIN INTEGRITY
Integrity may be the single most important characteristic of competent leadership; it's
the sine qua non of a trusted advisor and effective leader. People are willing to be led
by someone who follows through someone they trust. Do what you say you will do.
Don't promise to do what you can't. People without integrity may gain power, but they
don't truly lead.
20. PERSEVERE
Persistence in the face of adversity is one of the cornerstones of resilience. Take
responsibility for your own fate. Stay resolute in your values and goals and remain
determined and self-disciplined in your efforts to achieve them. Persistence doesn't
mean you never feel discouraged. Rather, it means maintaining your focus on the goal
in spite of your feelings of discouragement. Like a marathon runner, you keep going
because you believe in what you're doing. You simply will not give up. If your goal is
to become a leader to help the legal profession become a truly diverse, welcoming and
equitable profession, then don't give up. Your leadership is most needed.
Notes:
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1. Williams, Joan (2000). "Unbending Gender Why Family and Work Conflict and
What to Do About It." New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Hogan, Robert (2003) "Leadership in Organizations." Paper presented at The
Second International Positive Psychology Summit, Washington, D.C. October 2-5.
3. Covey, Stephen R. (1989) "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People." New York:
Fireside
4. Bennis, Warren & Goldsmith, Joan (1997). "Learning to Lead." Cambridge, MA:
Perseus Books.
5. Seligman, Martin E. P. (1998) "Learned Optimism." New York: Pocket Books.
6. Wickouski, Stephanie, Esq. Personal communication.
7. Judge, Timonthy A. & Bono, Joyce E.( 2000) Five- factor model of personality andtransformational leadership. "Journal of Applied Psychology," 85 (5), 751-765.
http://www.emergingleader.com/article31.shtml
The Top 10 Strategies for Becoming the Leader That Others Want to FollowBy Bea Fields
One of the most important qualities of a great leader for the future will be his or her ability to get along
with people, to show compassion, and to make others feel good about themselves. This top ten willsupport you in becoming a great leader that others want to follow.
1. Ask each employee what he/she most values, and begin to set company goals to support theseimportant aspects of the lives of your employees.
2. Help people reach their full potential by catching them doing something great!
Compliment them on their successes, even if they are minute.
3. Distribute a monthly company newsletter, whose sole purpose is to recognize and congratulate the"wins and wows" of your employees.
People love to be recognized for their accomplishments, and this will instill a sense of pride in youremployees.
4. Host one fun day each month.
Take employees to lunch, to a matinee, or host a party outside of the office. This one day off willrejuvenate your employees and build loyalty to the organization.
5. Build consensus by allowing employees to vote on changes within the company.
Your job will be much easier if you have the support of the people on the front line.
6. Deal with conflict by being upfront and honest.
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Own up to your role in the conflict and move toward resolution as quickly as possible. If you havebeen wrong, state it, followed by an extension of an apology.
7. Eliminate company gossip from your life, and keep all employee concerns confidential.
If you need support for company gossip, hire a coach who has a reputation of being trustworthy.
8. Trust your employees to make smart decisions without your interference.
Self-esteem is built by allowing others the opportunity to try new things and to be successful byadding their personal touch to a project or assignment.
9. Provide work that is meaningful and that allows your employees and/or volunteers the opportunityto stretch and grow, and above all, provide the training necessary for implementing a change.
10. Cheer the company on by announcing on a daily basis the successes of the previous day.
This surge of energy early in the morning will increase productivity throughout the day.
http://www.icbs.com/kb/inspiration/kb_the-top-10-strategies-for-becoming.htm
How to Become the Best Leader You Can
Be By Using the 4 Principals of Leadership
You do not have to be the most outspoken and charismatic person on the planet to be aneffective and respected leader. There is a great acronym to help you remember the 4 basic
principals: C.A.V.E.
Difficulty:
Moderately Easy
Instructions
1.
o
1
C is for Communication. There are hundreds of ways we communicate each
day. To be an effective leader you need learn to which methods will motivate
and sustain your team and adapt your style to meet their needs. Great leaders
must also be able to quell disputes within the team and recognize members
strengths and weaknesses. As a leader, their success is your success.
o 2
A is for Action. Get out there and do it! Without action goals aren't met and
nothing will get accomplished. How many times have you heard someone saythey are going to do something and then turn around and not do it? No jobis
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too small or beneath a good leader, you must support them with your fullest
capacity. As a leader you need to set the example for your team even if it
means making the coffee.
o 3
V is vision. Think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.' s "I have a dream." Now that is
a vision! It is the well defined goal of the group. A great leader will clearly
articulate the goals of the team and the objectives for how to get there. The
vision should inspire your team to work hard, stay motivated and be
committed to the end. A great leader will also be able to adapt their vision as
circumstances arise in a way that maintains the same level of motivation and
commitment from the team.
o 4
E is Empowerment. Empowerment is the cornerstone of great leadership,
however it is often the most overlooked step. It is willingly giving the
authority and skills to team members to make decisions, run with them and
come to you for support as needed. Excellent leaders know that they are not
the best at everything, and team member's skills and abilities can combine for
a more effective outcome. They will also ask the team what resources they
need and work to provide for them.
Tips & Warnings
You can't go wrong with C.A.V.E. Sadly, empowerment is often most lacking in highly structured, insecure and/or
bureaucratic environments.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5204497_become-can-using-principals-
leadership.html
7 Secrets of Leadership Success
Part 1: Top Business Leaders Share Their Best BusinessSuccess Advice
From Paul B. Thornton
Fortune magazine once published an article entitled The Best Advice I Ever Got. It was a
great article that offered wit and wisdom about achieving business success. I liked it so much,
that it motivated me to produce my newest book, Leadership: Best Advice I Ever Got, which
describes the best leadership advice 136 successful CEOs, coaches, consultants, professors,
managers, executives, presidents, politicians, and religious leaders received that most helped
them become effective and successful leaders.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5204497_become-can-using-principals-leadership.htmlhttp://www.ehow.com/how_5204497_become-can-using-principals-leadership.htmlhttp://www.betheleader.com/http://www.ehow.com/how_5204497_become-can-using-principals-leadership.htmlhttp://www.ehow.com/how_5204497_become-can-using-principals-leadership.htmlhttp://www.betheleader.com/ -
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Here are seven secrets to leadership success:
1. Leadership is about making things happen.
If you want to make something happen with your life in school, in your profession or in
your community, do it. Perceived obstacles crumble against persistent desire. John Baldoni,Author, Leadership Communication Consultant and Founder of Baldoni Consulting LLC,
shared this advice that had come from his father, a physician. He taught him the value of
persistence. At the same time, his mother taught him compassion for others. Therefore,
persistence for your cause should not be gained at the expense of others. Another bit of
leadership wisdom!
2. Listen and understand the issue, then lead.
Time and time again we have all been told, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a
reason"... or as Stephen Covey said, "Seek to understand, rather than be understood." As a
leader, listening first to the issue, then trying to coach, has been the most valuable advice thatCordia Harrington, President and CEO of Tennessee Bun Company has been given.
3. Answer the three questions everyone within your organization wants answers to.
What the people of an organization want from their leader are answers to the following:
Where are we going? How are we going to get there? What is my role? Kevin Nolan,
President & Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Health Systems, Inc. believes the more
clarity that can be added to each of the three questions, the better the result.
4. Master the goals that will allow you to work anywhere in todays dynamic businessworld.
Debbe Kennedy, President, CEO and Founder of Global Dialogue Center and Leadership
Solutions Companies, and author of Action Dialogues and Breakthrough once shared this
piece of advice that was instrumental in shaping her direction, future and achievements.
She was a young manager at IBM just promoted to her first staff assignment in a regional
marketing office. For reasons she cant explain, one of her colleagues named Bookie called
her into his office while she was visiting his location. He then began to offer unsolicited
advice, but advice that now stays fresh in her mind. He mentioned that jobs, missions, titles
and organizations would come and go as business is dynamic - meaning it is alwayschanging. He advised her not to focus your goals toward any of these, but instead learn to
master the skills that will allow you to work anywhere.
He was talking about four skills:
The ability to develop an idea;
Effectively plan for its implementation;
Execute second-to-none;
Achieve superior results time after time.
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With this in mind, Kennedy advises readers to seek jobs and opportunities with this in mind.
Forget what others do. Work to be known for delivering excellence. It speaks for itself and it
opens doors.
Paul B. Thornton presents more of the best advice for achieving business success that seven
top leaders ever received on the next page. Click to continue reading about effectiveleadership.
More of the best leadership advice ever received by successful people, advice that helped
them to become effective, successful leaders:
5. Be curious.
Curiosity is a prerequisite to continuous improvement and even excellence. The person who
gave Mary Jean Thornton, Former Executive Vice President & CIO, The Travelers, this
advice urged her to study people, processes, and structures. He inspired her to be
intellectually curious. He often reminded Thornton that making progress, in part, was basedupon thinking. She has learned to apply this notion of intellectual curiosity by thinking about
her organizations future, understanding the present, and knowing and challenging herself to
creatively move the people and the organization closer to its vision.
6. Listen to both sides of the argument.
The most valuable advice Brian P. Lees, Massachusetts State Senator and Senate Minority
Leader, ever received came from his mentor, United States Senator Edward W. Brooke III.
He told him to listen to all different kinds of people and ideas. Listening only to those who
share your background and opinions can be imprudent. It is important to respect yourneighbors rights to their own views. Listening to and talking with a variety of people, from
professors to police officers, from senior citizens to school children, is essential not only to
be a good leader in business, but to also be a valuable member within your community.
7. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. If one has truly prepared and something goes
wrong the strength of the rest of what you've prepared for usually makes this something
easier to handle without crisis and panic. One of the best pieces of advice Dave Hixson,
Mens Varsity Basketball Coach at Amherst College has ever received and continues to use
and pass on is this anonymous quote -Preparation is the science of winning."
Along with this are two expressions from Rick Pitino's bookSuccess is a Choice, which
speaks to preparation. Hixson asks his teams every year: "Do you deserve to win?" and "Have
you done the work?" This speaks to the importance of preparation toward achieving your
final goal. If you haven't done the work (the preparation) the answer to the second question is
an easy "no!"
Great advice comes from many sources parents, other relatives, consultants, bosses, co-
workers, mentors, teachers, coaches, and friends. The important point to remember is to stay
open, listen to everyone, but also develop your own leadership style.
-
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Paul B. Thornton is President ofBe the Leader Associates and author of seven books onmanagement and leadership. His latest book, Leadership: Best Advice I Ever Got, is
available at WingSpan Press, amazon.com, and bn.com.
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/smallbusinesslearning/a/leadershippt_2.htm
Secrets of Leadership Success
Leadership Success Series Introduced
By Susan M. Heathfield, About.com Guide
Key leadership success secrets set the great leaders apart from the so-so leaders in today's
organizations. Leadership style is learned from mentors, learned in seminars and exists as
part of a person's innate personal leadership skill set developed over years, and existingpossibly, from birth. Nature or nurture is a question often asked about leadership. I answer,
"yes," because I believe the combination of natural leadership skills and nurture through
leadership development defines your leadership style.
Working from personal experience and research, I will define the characteristics of leadership
that make great leaders. I envision a series of interlinked articles, each of which focuses on
one aspect of leadership.
Leadership differs from management and supervision although some people and
organizations use the terms interchangeably. While the definitions of the terms differ, an
individual may have the ability to provide all three.
Supervision means that an individual is charged with providing directionand oversight for other employees. The successful supervisor providesrecognition, appreciation, training and feedback to reporting employees.
Management means to conduct the affairs of business, to have workunder control and to provide direction, to guide other employees, toadminister and organize work processes and systems, and to handle
problems. Managers monitor and control work while helping a group ofemployees more successfully conduct their work than they would havewithout her. A managers job is often described as providing everythinghis reporting employees need to successfully accomplish their jobs. Onefamous quote from Warren Bennis, Ph.D. in On Becoming a Leaderdistinguishes management from leadership: Managers are people who dothings right, while leaders are people who do the right thing.
While a supervisor and a manager may also exhibit leadership skill or
potential, true leaders are rare. This is because the combination ofskills, personality and ambition essential to leadership are difficult to
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develop and exhibit. According to Don Clark, on his excellent leadershipresource, Big Dog's Leadership Page, Bernard "Bass' theory of leadershipstates that there are three basic ways to explain how people becomeleaders. The first two explain the leadership development for a smallnumber of people. These theories are:
o
Some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadershiproles. This is the Trait Theory.o A crisis or important event may cause a person to rise to the
occasion, which brings out extraordinary leadership qualities in anordinary person. This is the Great Events Theory.
o People can choose to become leaders. People can learn leadershipskills. This is the Transformational Leadership Theory.
The Transformational Leadership Theory is the one I believe is correct for most leaders
today. This belief forms the basis for my thinking about leadership.
The Key Leadership Trait
The first, and most important characteristic, of a leader is the decision to become a leader. At
some point in time, leaders decide that they want to provide others with vision, direct the
course of future events and inspire others to success. Leadership requires the individual to
practice dominance and take charge. If you choose to become a leader, whether in your
workplace, community or during an emergency, the discussion of these characteristics will
help you formulate the appropriate mix of traits, skills and ambition. Successful leaders
choose to lead. Unlike Keanu Reeves as Neo in 1999s smash hit, The Matrix, you get to
decide whether you are the one. The first characteristic of a leader is Choice - leaders
choose to lead.
Characteristics of a Successful Leadership Style
Much is written about what makes successful leaders. I will focus on the characteristics, traits
and actions that, I believe, are key.
Choose to lead. (Current article - you are here.) Be the person others choose to follow. Provide vision for the future. Provide inspiration. Make other people feel important and appreciated. Live your values. Behave ethically. Set the pace through your expectations and example. Establish an environment of continuous improvement. Provide opportunities for people to grow, both personally and
professionally. Care and act with compassion.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_success.htm
Leadership Inspiration
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.htmlhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_follower.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_follower.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_vision.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_vision.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_inspire.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_inspire.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_reward.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_reward.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_values.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_values.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_success.htmhttp://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.htmlhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_follower.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_vision.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_inspire.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_reward.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_values.htmhttp://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_success.htm -
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Leadership Success Secrets
"Coaching isn't a great mystery. It's just hard work, determination, and inspiration at
the right moment." --Bob Zuppke in The Book of Football Wisdom edited by CriswellFreeman, 1996.
"Leadership is based on a spiritual quality; the power to inspire, the power to inspire
others to follow." --Vince Lombbardi
What makes a leader inspirational? The ability to inspire people to reach great heights of
performance and success is a skill that leaders need. Passion, purpose, listening and meaning
help make a leader inspirational. The ability to communicate that passion, purpose and
meaning to others helps establish the inspirational culture of your organization. These points
will tell you how to enable inspiration and motivation in the people you lead.
How Leaders Instill Inspiration in the People They Lead
The inspirational leader feels passionately about the vision and mission ofthe organization. He or she is also able to share that passion in a way thatenables others to feel passionate, too. The nature of the vision andmission is critical for enabling others to feel as if their work has purposeand meaning beyond the tasks they perform each day. Sometimes leadershave to help their staff connect the dots by explaining this big picture toall. Communicating the big picture regularly will help reinforce the reasonyour organization exists.
The inspirational leader listens to the people in her organization. Talking topeople about your passion is not enough. To share meaning - mydefinition for communication - you must allow the ideas and thoughts ofyour staff to help form the vision and mission, or minimally, the goals andaction plan. No one is ever one hundred percent supportive of a directionthey had no part in formulating. People need to see their ideasincorporated or understand why they were not.
To experience inspiration, people also need to feel included. Inclusion goesbeyond the listening and feedback; for real inclusion, people need to feelintimately connected to the actions and process that are leading to theaccomplishment of the goals or the decision.
At a client company, we cancelled an annual employee event because ofcustomer orders for product. Many people did not like the decision, but weinvolved the whole management group, the Activity Committee membersand many other employees in the discussion about whether to cancel orre-schedule the event. The inclusion led to a compromise that, while notperfect, still enables a celebration and a positive motivation boost, yet
allows the company to meet customer needs.
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Important to inspiration is the integrity of the person leading. Yes, visionand passion are important, but employees must trust you to feel inspired.They must believe in you. Your person is as important as the direction
you provide. Employees look up to a person who tells the truth, tries to dothe right things, lives a "good" life and does their best. Trust me. Youractions play out on the stage of your organization. And, your staff doesboo and cheer and vote with their feet and their actions.
Finally, an inspirational leader gives people what they want within hiscapabilities. (You cant provide a raise in pay without companyprofitability, as an example, but you absolutely must share the rewards ifthe organization is doing well.) The inspirational leader also understands
that, while money is a motivator, so are praise, recognition, rewards, athank you and noticing an individuals contribution to a successfulendeavor.
Characteristics of a Successful Leadership Style
Much is written about what makes successful leaders. I will focus on the characteristics, traits
and actions that, I believe, are key in this series of articles.
Choose to lead . Be the person others choose to follow .
Provide vision for the future . Provide inspiration. ((Current article - you are here.) Make other people feel important and appreciated. Live your values. Behave ethically. Set the pace through your expectations and example. Establish an environment of continuous improvement. Provide opportunities for people to grow, both personally and
professionally. Care and act with compassion.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_inspire.htm
How to Be a Great Leader
X
Teachforever
This article was created by a professional writer and edited by experienced copy editors, both
qualified members of the Demand Media Studios community. All articles go through an
editorial process that includes subject matter guidelines, plagiarism review, fact-checking,
and other steps in effort to provide reliable information.
Website
http://lifelessonsformysons.blogspot.com/
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By Teachforever, eHow User
Be a Great Leader
The making of a leader. Believe it or not, if you are committed to the process, you can
develop great leadership qualities and become a great leader.
Difficulty:
Moderate
Instructions
1.
o 1
Develop Vision: As a leader, you must provide your people with a blue print,
road map to where you are taking them. Your people will never reach your
desired goals the way that you desire unless you spell it out in clear terms
what the end product should be.
o 2
Delegate Responsibility: Yourjobas a great leader is not to do all of the work.
It is essential that you delegate, assign others, to carry out responsibilities. The
more you duplicate yourself into others, the more that can be accomplished.
Delegating responsibility does not alleviate you from your responsibility to
ensure that everyone is accomplishing the desired goals of the group,
company, business, etc..
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o 3
Execute the plan effectively: Once you have determined where you are taking
the group, business, etc... you have to ensure that the plan is effectively put
into action. Ensure that your people are reporting back to you in a timely
manner, making the appropriate adjustments to ensure success.
o 4
Spread the Credit: One of the worse things that a leader can do is take the
credit for all of the work. You will never be a successful leader until you
appreciate the contributions of the people that make you look good. Guesswhat? When you appreciate the people that work for you, they will go over
and beyond to ensure that you look good.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4677763_be-great-leader.html
How to Lead Like a Natural Leader
X
Scott Carpenter MBA SPHRThis article was created by a professional writer and edited by experienced copy editors, both
qualified members of the Demand Media Studios community. All articles go through an
editorial process that includes subject matter guidelines, plagiarism review, fact-checking,
and other steps in effort to provide reliable information.
By Scott Carpenter MBA SPHR, eHow User
Some people seem to be natural leaders. Others have to develop the skills to become great
leaders. This 'How To' briefly explains the three basic skills all leaders possess. You can be a
great leader; just build your skills.
Difficulty:Moderately Challenging
Instructions
1.
o 1
Develop a vision of greatness. What do your people want or need to
accomplish? Where do you need to go together, some point to reach or
accomplishment that people must stretch to attain. Some examples could be towin a game, reach a sales goal, write a book, start abusinessor a church. This
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vision must be challenging and attainable. It must be relevant to the reason the
people are together. Your vision may be the mission of the group or a specific
project you are trying to acomplish. Your vision peaks people's interest!
o 2
Communication! Develop an extraordinary sense of communication with your
people. You must 'connect.' Leaders speak to their people in such a way that
everyone understands; not an easy task. Telling people to do tasks is NOT the
same as a developing rapport. Developing rapport means speaking so each
listener understands and, then, DESIRES to accomplish the vision. You speak
to the listener, but not be condescending. Improve your speaking and listening
skills. Excellent communication greatly improves your ability to accomplish
strategic objectives.
o 3
Be trustworthy. Probably the toughest leadership trait is to get people to trust
you. It sounds easy to just be trustworthy. However, everyone wants to get
what he/she 'deserves' out of the organization. When people percieve your
personal intentions far outweigh their interests, you lose trust and leadership
credibility. The next step explains some of the attributes that help you become
trustworthy.
o 4
-Show that you are dedicated to the vision. Believe to the point that yousacrifice or will sacrifice as needed!
-Dress the role of the leader. Maybe a suit, maybe coveralls and boots. Your
appearance tells people whether or not you are working toward your vision.
-Show that you care about your people. Ensure mail and paychecks are
delivered. Ensure people take necessary breaks. Ensure people are trained to
and understand your standards.
-Show confidence in your people. Trust that your people will make good
decisions. If you can't do this, conduct training/counseling to build your team's
maturity. Usually, the team's maturity mirrors the leader's maturity.
-Keep people informed. Develop several communication techniques, ie. face-
to-face meetings, written notes, signage, e-mail, daily/weekly newsletters,bulletins, good policy manuals, procedure books, uniforms with a
message/slogan.
-Follow up, follow up, follow up. If you don't follow up, eventually, tasks
don't get done. If you don't care enough to follow up and thank people for their
work, you will not succeed and you are not a leader.
-Reward people for their exemplary work. Create an atmosphere that rewards
people who contribute greatly toward the vision. People love to be recognized!
Leaders have the self-confidence to rewards others, even their peers!
-Develop basic management skills. Management skills include planning,
organizing, people/counseling skills, and control skills. Get any basic
management book to learn more about these skills. Know who your bestplanners are (Planning). Likewise, who organizes people and equipment well
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(Organizing)? Who can train/counsel others (People/counseling)? Who can
decide if the team is on the right track or is wasting resources (Control)? You
must have a good understanding of each of these. However, if you can deligate
some of these tasks to a group expert, you demostrate excellent leadership!
-Be technically competent. Know your industry's details. Read trade
magazines. Understand what is new and upcoming in your business.Constantly study and learn. Expect your people to do the same.
-Display great integrity. Expect people to do as you do.
-Have courage and encourage others. Take smart well-thought out risks rather
than gamble.
-Associate with other leaders. Be involved as a member of leadership
associations.
-Be proactive. Don't rest on past success. Build for the future.
-Be effective and efficient. Use resources wisely.
-Stay calm!
o 5
Understand that some people will simply never follow you. They may never
follow anyone. Treat these people fairly and consistently. Expect to have
difficult days/weeks/years. Other people may also have their future ambitions
as taking your position. They may not see you as a leader and may work
against you. These people will test your leadership ability.
Stay strong and determined! Work with your people and enjoy working
toward your vision. It is your decision to be a leader, anyway. If you don't
lead, who will?
Self-evaluate your performance. Guaranteed, everyone else is evaluating you.
Have fun in your leadership roles. Their is no reason to be an emotional drain
on your organization. Build up everyone.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4702650_lead-like-natural-leader.html
How to Become a Leader Instead of a Boss
A leader leads, a boss rules.
Becoming a leader in your role as owner, manager, supervisor, or administrator can have
many advantages over being a boss. If you want your employees to be autonomous and
independent in their work, accomplishing their tasks with a minimum of supervision, then
become a leader and watch your employees follow your lead. Learn to lead your team like a
leader instead of rule your employees like a boss, and you will become the motivational force
in your company.
Instructions
1.o 1
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Think of your employees as a team and yourself as their leader. Avoid
attempting to control your employees' every move. Take the view that it's your
job to get your employees to want to do theirjobs, just as a coach or manager
of a sports team would get the team members to perform with enthusiasm and
vigor.
o 2
Inspire your employees with your vision for the business, company, or
institution for which you work. Share your vision of what you want to achieve
and fire your employees with your own enthusiasm.
o 3
Motivate your employees with your concerns. As much as possible, let your
employees know when the team's in trouble, when the team needs to improve
performance, and when the team is being called to action.
o 4
Motivate your employees with tangible rewards like a good salary and
bonuses and employee benefits. Show your employees the advantage to being
a productive part of the team. Being a good leader means being practical and
understanding that your staff did not join the company out of a sense of
goodwill, but rather has to make a living.
o
5
Be a leader who is accessible. Unlike the boss or manager who discourages
two-way communication between employees and management, let your
employees know their feedback and concerns are always welcome. Provide
employees with many ways to contact you so they truly feel they have access
to communication with you.
o 6
Be strong and effective. A leader is a leader because she or he can take
resourceful action in times of conflict, troubleshoot problems, and provideconcrete solutions to ongoing issues. Be someone who can do what needs to
be done in times of crisis.
o 7
Be a role model. Behave in the business and work environment as you want
your staff to behave. If you want honesty, be honest. If you want loyalty, show
loyalty to your staff. In business, as in life, people learn by example.
o 8
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Avoid exploiting your position as manager and boss to your own exclusive
benefit. In other words, a leader leads by being part of the team, not above it.
If you're lenient with yourself, be lenient with your employees. If the team
succeeds, share the praise and rewards with your employees.
o 9
Respect, honor, and take full advantage of the skills and talents of your staff.
Your employees are your team; let them do the work. Leading employees
means avoiding micromanaging. Empower employees to work by giving them
as many freedoms to do their jobs as possible, within the constraints of
company policy.
o 10
Insist on the same freedoms and rewards and respect that you give your
employees. You have limitations and needs, yourself. While you must have
high standards for your own behavior, a good leader takes care of him or
herself. A suffering or stressed leader leads to less than optimal leadership.
Your taking care of your own needs, both personal and professional, helps
reduce work stress in everyone.
Tips & Warnings
A boss is pitted in opposition to his or her employees; a leader leads his or her
employees to success.
Good leadership is not easy, but it gets tremendous rewards. A business that operatesunder good leadership has lower turnover, is more efficient, and commands superior
job performance.
How to Become an Effective Leader
X
Nicole Smith
Faith Books & More Publishing brings your dream of becoming
an author to reality. Faith Books & More Publishing is a family
and faith based book publishing company. Whether you write for
children, teens, or adults, we are here to preserve your faith in
print. All Faith Books & More books include an ISBN number,
unlimited wholesale printing, fulfillment and distribution via
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Books-in-Print,and wholesale distributors in the U.K.
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experience with 5 different packages to choose from. Our
packages offer various levels of publishing and design support,
so you always get exactly what you need, without paying for what
you do not.
Website
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By Nicole Smith, eHow User
Become an Effective Leader
As a leader you have a responsibility to your employees, group, organization, or team to leadfairly and ethically. The title "Boss" or "Manager" does not automatically make you a leader.
Difficulty:
Moderate
Instructions
things you'll need:
Pen Paper Printer
1.o 1
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Understand what is a leader. A leader is the appointed head of a group, a team,
or organization. He or she is a charismatic person who is able to make good
decisions and inspire others to reach a common goal.
o 2
Understand what is leadership. Leadership is the power to communicate
assertively and inspire others. It is the ability to influence others.
o 3
Understand the leadership qualities. Charisma is one quality that is oftenmistaken as the most important leadership requirement. However, you can
attain charismatic leadership more easily if you work to develop the following
qualities: knowledge, trust, integrity, standards, decisiveness, assertiveness,
optimism, results, vision, and an appearance of power.
o 4
Understand the leadership styles. Just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike,
no two people lead in exactly the same way. Here are the leadership styles: 1)
Dictatorship, 2) "Almost" Democracy, 3) Partnership, and 4)
Transformational.
o 5
Understand the traits of a leader. 1) Positive Thought - visualize yourself and
team winning 2) Positive Talk - communicating a winning attitude. Tip:
Positive talk is key to helping your organization visualize a win.
o 6
Learn how to communicate as a leader. Communication is the ability totransmit information, thoughts, and ideas so that they are satisfactorily
understood by a listener or listeners. As a leader you need to communicate
through verbal communication (i.e., high-impact words, buzzwords, using
analogies and metaphors, anecdotes, and speeches) and non-verbal
communication (i.e., exhibiting assertiveness, facial expressions, posture, hand
gestures, interpersonal distance, and personal appearance).
o 7
Learn how to empower others. Leadership has great flexibility in varying the
level of empowerment based on the individual's capabilities and seriousness ofthe consequences of the individual's action/inaction. When assessing
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capabilities of others, consider the following: 1) willingness to accept
empowerment, 2) training, 3) judgment, and 4) experience.
o 8
Develop a vision. Idealistic in nature, a vision gives a sense of the differencesbetween the present and future states of an organization. To develop a vision
you need to: 1) start with aspirations, 2) do research, 3) spend some time
thinking about the organization, 4) think about possible and necessary
improvements, 5) think about do-ability, and 6) use your intuition.
o 9
Communicate the vision. As a leader, you need to develop ideas and plans for
an organization's future and communicate them effectively by: 1) informing
management about the care of the future and 2) informing employees & others
about the importance of being innovative thinkers.
o 10
Transform into becoming a good leader. You will need to fortify yourself by
keeping up with the latest leadership trends, observing other leaders (including
leaders in your own chain of command and leaders in the news), and
recognizing that your own unique brand of leadership will change as you gain
experience.
Read more: How to Become an Effective Leader | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_4704970_become-effective-
leader.html#ixzz1HPcs2jrB
Tips & Warnings
Key steps to think positively:
Break a given problem down to its most basic components and deal with each
separately.
If you deem something as negative, figure out why: lack of experience? Past failure?
Figure out what you can do to increase your chance of success. For example, if your
concern is lack of experience, could you take a class or ask a colleague to help you
learn about a particular topic or procedure?
View each challenge thrown your way as a chance to lengthen your list of successes.
Visualize yourself winning.
Read more: How to Become an Effective Leader | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_4704970_become-effective-leader.html#ixzz1HPd5Jrq6
How to be a guild/clan leader
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Ever want to become an effective leader? In this article you will learn how to become an
effective guild/clan leader by following these tips and learning from other's mistakes.
Difficulty:
Moderate
Instructions
things you'll need:
A clear head A goal/purpose
Atleast 2 loyal friends
1.o 1
Gather your most loyal friends, they will aid you in creating a cirlce of elites
and with busy work.
To be the best, requires dedication.
o 2
Choose the game you wish to dominate with your clan/guild
o 3
Define the goal or purpose of your clan/guild
o 4
Make an example, go out there in the game and show others what your group
is all about, using your most loyal friends you can set an example that people
want to follow.
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o 5
Set a standard of excellence that all your members should live up to.
o 6
Gain followers, either through your actions or through networking and
advertising (Note: this is the most difficult part of the process)
o 7
Respect, is everything. It is difficult to teach one how to earn respect however
the most effective way is through actions. One must show they are capable of
their position and treat others as you wish to be treated.
o 8
Begin molding your new recruits into your ideal, establish comradship and
trust, especially among your elites and make the lower levels feel needed and
always keep them content, listen.
o 9
Do not overemphasize rank, instead focus on belonging and community.
o 10
Rekindle the fire during peaceful times and create a new sense of urgency to
keep your members sharp.
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o 11
As leader you are obligated to fullful your diplomatic duties, you must act
politcally at times and show your men you are just one of them, not to mention
the citizens of your new realm, they are the pool from which you will draw
influence, both good and bad.
o 12
Constantly test your members to make sure they have not gone soft, remember
you have a standard of excellence to uphold. Do this by creating tournaments
within the ranks, to re-establish a pecking order and allow others to gain new
respect, but don't let it go to their heads. Remember you are the top of the food
chain. It is best if you yourself do not compete in such events. Simply evaluate
and give the prize.
o 13
Remember the fallen, retire old members, honor their passing.
o 14
Do battle with the utmost fury, no mercy to your enemies, let it drag on too
long however, and moral will suffer. Make sure to rotate warriors in a time of
war.
o 15
If your're really into it, do research, find out the public opion of yours and
other clans/guilds, discreetly ofcourse and keep in mind the press can be your
greatest ally, or your worst enemy.
o
16
Depending on your goals, halt all recruiting and make your membership
exlcusive, this will help build community, however if you require manpower
you must constantly expand, if this is the case, don't spread your self too thin,
make sure effective leaders are always where they should be, but again, you
are the head hancho, they should answer to you. Building new leaders should
be from the ground up, to ensure loyalty.
o 17
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As with all things, it must come to an end. Go out with dignity.
How to Identify a Leader
X
Freunde
There are so many people in this world that need help. I write on eHow to earn a little extramoney that I can use to do all that I can to make a difference in the world. Money I earn here,
I am saving so that I can fly to Africa and volunteer in schools there. Eventually, I hope to
make enough residual income here that I could volunteer full-time.
Website
http://twitter.com/EricWester
By Freunde, eHow User
Identify a Leader
Leaders are someone that people are naturally drawn to, and naturally want to follow theirlead. Although managers may also be leaders, there's a distinction between a manager and a
leader. A manager explains to people what needs to be done, and a leader takes the charge
and gets things done. A leader will usually serve as an inspiration for others. As a leader, you
will have to build support for projects from people whom you have no authority over.
Identifying a leader is easy if you just look for some of the key traits demonstrated by leaders.
Difficulty:
Moderate
Instructions
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1.
o 1
Identify whether or not the person seems ambitious to do what they are doing.
Does the person just show up each day because they are bored and need to kill
some time, or are they there because they have a passion for what they aredoing?
o 2
Observe whether the person is caring and friendly. A good leader should
always care about other people and be friendly to those they are around. As
well as being caring and friendly, the leader be able to be mature at the same
time.
o 3
Determine whether the person can work alone. Although great leaders will
work in teams quite often, it's important that when the time comes for the
person to work alone, they are able to do so. In other words, does the person
always rely on other people, or can they also do things on their own?
o 4
Identify whether the person is inspiring. This is probably one of the most
important characteristics of a good leader. In order for any leader to be
successful, they must also be able to inspire those they surround themselveswith. People should be able to look at the leader and say "wow, they really
have a passion for what they are doing, and they are inspiring."
Read more: How to Identify a Leader | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_5613439_identify-leader.html#ixzz1HPfNV7jh
How to Differentiate Between Managers
and LeadersX
eHow Business Editor
This article was created by a professional writer and edited by experienced copy editors, both
qualified members of the Demand Media Studios community. All articles go through an
editorial process that includes subject matter guidelines, plagiarism review, fact-checking,and other steps in effort to provide reliable information.
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By an eHow Contributor
The success of any business depends on having both capable managers and dedicated leaders.
While most outstanding leaders also have superior management skills, not all managers
possess true leadership skills. It's important to differentiate real leaders from within the ranks
of competent managers so that your business grows and evolves over time. Leaders are theguardians of a company's future, and identifying and positioning leaders within your business
structure is crucial to its success.
Difficulty:
Moderate
Instructions
1. Assess the Skills of Employees in Management
Positionso 1
Discuss the vision for the company. Managers are more concerned with
executing the day-to-day functions of a company, but leaders think long term.
Employees who do not have a vision for the company or cannot communicate
one effectively will not be good leaders.
o 2
Monitor how employees work within a team environment. Being able tocollaborate with others both above and below you is an important part of being
a leader. Good leaders welcome other people's ideas, foster an environment
where people feel free to share their opinions and then choose between those
opinions effectively.
o 3
Require managers to be evaluated by those under their commands. Inspiring
others to do their best work is an essential leadership skill. Good leaders are
able to train, develop and motivate those under their purviews.
o 4
Use self-evaluation methods to determine if managers are able to learn from
their mistakes. By making your managers report on their own performances
regularly to their superiors, you can gaug