If people are working off the best or worst case scenario, they’re not thinking effectively enough. Leaders teach others to think past hope. It means learning how to effectively consider a variety of outcomes. And to plan with each contingency in mind.
Dan Rockwell says “Confidence comes after you press through fear, not before.” He’s exactly right and it’s why one of the most important leadership tasks for any supervisor is to help their teams understand that everything won’t be easy. Leaders prepare their teams for hard times.
Like members of a once-popular band, leaders like to go “back to the basics” – hoping that their tried and true strategies and approaches will work one more time. The reality is that context matters in leadership. And to that end, leaders must constantly learn and constantly re-invent the approach they take with their teams and staff. In other words, what got you here won’t get you there.
There are two kinds of leaders out there. Isn’t that always the case? What I’m talking about is the leaders who have the best ideas and can help get you out of a jam when you need them, and the leaders who don’t have to because they’ve already equipped their teams.
I’ve often talked with folks about the most destructive leadership tool in their homes – which in my mind is the microwave. Mostly because it suggests to us that everything can happen quickly, and when it comes to leadership this just isn’t true. But when we’re talking about the most important leadership tool, I find that many people ignore or walk by it regularly without giving it the glance they ought to.
There is a tendency to shrink the goals of an organization to something attainable, so as not to demoralize the staff. The result of this kind of behavior, unfortunately, is the exact opposite of what was hoped for. The leaders leave and the folks that are left will need the goals lowered again. High performing organizations need to embrace stretch goals.
Titles, especially the good ones, suggest that a level of authority and trust will come with them and that people will respect and follow you. But what happens if they don’t or if you don’t have the fancy title? Can you still lead? Leading without authority (working without an official title) is one of the most important skills to master as a young leader.
Earning the respect from the teams you lead is critical to the success of any leader. Unfortunately, too many people assume that the title or role will grant them the trust and respect they need to succeed. Here are four ways leaders earn the respect they need.
One of the first challenges a new manager faces is the new relationship they have with the employees that report to them. Should they befriend them? Hang out with them outside of work? Connect on social media accounts like Facebook? All of which can be summarized by the simple question: can you be friends with your employees?
Employee innovation isn’t simply a by-product of a great innovation program or company culture. It’s also the removal or reduction of one key key dynamic.