Top Tips on Leadership

Leading people has its challenges, some find it easy, some find it difficult. The meaning of leadership means different things to different people. For the purposes of this article, I take the perspective of leading a business, where leadership is visionary and creates leaders to follow. Here are 10 tips to help you on that leadership journey.

1. TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE – Leaders think about the future and help others see the future. As Mark Collar says, “Leaders teach people to dream, not just execute”.
2. TEACH SOMEONE SOMETHING – Leaders are involved in their organisation and committed to growing organisational capability. Nothing sends that signal stronger than taking a moment to teach someone something.
3. SEEK OUT A NEW IDEA – Actively look for ideas and then champion them in the organisation. This says a lot about your ability to accept change as a leader.
4. TELL SOMEONE THEY DID A “GOOD JOB” – Leaders are not afraid to hand out praise when a job, large or small, is well done. This builds not only enthusiasm for the work, but trust in your management.
5. GET MAD, THEN GET OVER IT – Leaders all have passion for the business and sometimes this passion turns to anger or frustration. This shows you are only human. An effective leader has the capacity to move beyond emotion into constructive action.
6. MEET SOMEONE NEW IN YOUR ORGANISATION – Get out of your office and say “hello,” to someone new in or near your group. It’s guaranteed that you will learn something and it is visible proof to your organisation that you care.
7. SAY “YES” – Leaders aren’t afraid to make a commitment, to make a choice, to move on. Find something where you can say “yes.” Nothing says you trust your organisation more than the power of agreement.
8. ACTIVELY LISTEN – Many of us talk about being good listeners, but few of us are really good at it. The next time you are asked to listen to someone, use clarifying and confirming skills, but don’t offer a point of view until the presenter says, “What do you think?”
9. BE ENTHUSIASTIC – Leaders have enthusiasm and energy. They transfer this energy to the organisation and the business issues at hand. Practice being outright enthusiastic about an idea and watch how people change.
10. HAVE FUN – Leaders typically enjoy what they are doing, no matter how tough the task. People want to follow someone who enjoys what they are doing.
11. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF – Strange as it may seem, taking care of yourself means taking care of your business, organisation, company and team. If you are on prime form your business will be also. Previously I talked about the culture being a direct reflection of your actions and behaviours. A few key points to quiz yourself on:

• What are your non-negotiables in your personal life?
• How often do you have a medical check-up?
• Do you have a fitness plan?
• What is your personal development plan?
• Do you have a mentor or executive coach in place?
• What is the succession plan, or organisation one-up strategy?
• Do you have booked free time to review and reflect?

Answering these questions might give you some invaluable insights to the organisation you lead. As in inside so it is on the outside!

12. CHALLENGE IS NECESSARY - Ok not a shouting match or stand up argument. In our businesses and organisation no matter what size we need diversity of thinking and approaches. Too often we employ and appoint people that have similar characteristics to ourselves. Of course we need the right skills and attitude. There are many tools available to assess this, one of which I find useful is DISC. We need the action takers, the decision makers, those that follow or make the processes, those that focus upon people, those that take a big picture view and those that don't, those that can move quickly and those that like to pull things apart to the finest detail. Each on their own could be a disaster, but combined an incredible machine that can assess everything without grinding to a halt.

Leadership is about encouraging a safe environment where accepting that feedback is the biggest gift any person or organisation can receive.

The challenge of Leadership in this case is 3 part; 1. to remove the reliance and dependence upon you and create leaders that follow, 2. allow challenge and feedback (in the right format) to be part of the culture, and 3. ensure you employ the right mix and balance of styles.

13?BE THE COACH

The Best Leaders are Coaches!

That word coach sometimes for the non-experienced conjures weakness for some or a test of what one might know.?These perceptions are so far from the truth it is scary to say the least.?What does coaching actually mean? It simply means helping people get the most from what they do, the operative word “helping”?and "illuminating" the way forward.?Often when speaking to CEOs, COO’s Founders and Business owners they claim "no-one else knows this better than me, or it is simply quicker for me to do this stuff".

As a leader, here is your challenge.?First, if you can make only one massive decision each day (or week), and second if you create a culture of creating leaders, you will have fulfilled your role.?What is more, you’ll end up spending more time in strategy and support than in the doing in the business.?Imagine that…

So where does one start, here is a simplified model of how one moves from directing to coaching. Step one understand your style - Tell or Ask

Step two, understand the dependence upon you.?Dependence will starve performance and lock out your team’s performance.?Independent thinking and problem solving creates leaders and innovation.

D = Dependence, I = Independent thinking and problem solving.

Work your way up from creating dependence and limited outcomes to the Trusted Advisor, whose comments, candour and questioning is well received.

14?Support Risk Taking

Feel the TAPs…see the SIGNS, and listen for the CHANGES you need to make…

Remember, you learned to walk by falling down... The same is true of life, business, sales, marketing and creating wealth. Creating a learning organisation is paramount.?In the right environment we can all learn from each other, as long as the mistake are not made multiple times, and there is sound thinking as well as analysis behind the decision. Facts speak for themselves – emotional thinking leads to rash decision.

As the MD, CEO or Director, Leadership also mean knowing when to step in, that is why you are the Leader.??It’s a fine balance which could challenge trust… remembering dependency will starve performance and lock out your team’s performance.

Tip 15 100% INCLUSION

INCLUSION = PARTICIPATION = CLARITY = ENGAGEMENT = HAPPY TEAM

In this Leadership Tip Series the next is 100% INCLUSION. We hear a lot of talk about culture and the impact upon the organisation.?As well as the big things we talk about, its also the seemingly little things we tolerate or signal inadvertently.?Inclusion of everyone – in the right framework will unlock potential blindsides, bottlenecks, relationship and communication issues, but more importantly CLARITY.?Setting in place rituals that are non-negotiable is a great starting point.

Here is a great ritual to consider – WIFLE

• The complete team pull their chairs into a circle
• Remember no crossed arms or legs
• Be Present and in the moment
• Just say whatever you feel like expressing
• What I Feel Like Expressing is...
• And, that’s what I feel like expressing...
• Thank-you, (name)...
• And, (name), what do you feel like expressing?
• Pass to the person on your left …

Leadership is ensuring everyone has clarity of what they are doing, where they are heading, the part they play and being heard.

Our Mission at Action Coach Witney:

Our mission is to positively impact one million lives within our communities, we are doing this by empowering 20,000 business owners to rise above those challenges that stand in their way, helping them attract amazing employees and clients, to find time for friends and family and create boundless opportunities and abundance for all.?

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