Tag: lead

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE #6: KNOW YOUR PEOPLE AND LOOK OUT FOR THEIR WELFARE

No one is asking you to ask your people to move in with you or take long hayrides together. However, what is expected of you as a leader is to at least know some of the basics that make them tick. Know if they are married or seeing someone. Know their date of birth or if they have children and their date of birth. Get to know them. They create more value to you as a leader and to the organization the longer they stay with the organization. Failing to go beyond calling them by their last name will create a sense of alienation and detachment.

Alienation is the first step to creating distrust and discord between the leader and his followers. Detachment is the natural by-product of failing to get a little closer to your followers.

Once you get to know them, you create an environment based on trust and cohesion. They will turn to you in times of trouble and need. They will do so because of the bond created when you, as the leader, took the time to get to know them and trust them.
There is a train of thought trying to make a comeback: NEVER TRUST YOUR EMPLOYEES THEY WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU.
Maybe in the 1970s this was the prevalent train of thought. It has been 40 years since the mid-1970s and that mindset is not only very antiquated but also so very wrong. Today, this kind of thinking comes from individuals who use fear, intimidation, and other such scare tactics to get their way. These individuals would prefer going through life as managers rather than actual leaders.

Now to be clear, I should say that as a leader, you must make your intentions, vision, and expectations made as clear as possible to ALL your followers. Failing that, then yes I can see where your employees will take advantage of you.
If you want to be the leader, then step up and be the leader. Do not worry about what others will think. Worry about being yourself and doing it your way. Trust me; NO ONE becomes the leader by doing either or both of these things:

1. Intimidating Others
2. Imitating Others

Be yourself and the rest will fall in place. Especially, when you are getting to know those you lead. Be the one to open up first then they will open up. Now, I will offer a word of caution. You did not get to where you are by falling for every trick in the book so don’t. There is nothing wrong with calling shenanigans when those that want to scam you, pull the wool over your eyes, or whatever they do to try and fool you. It happens more times than you think. Leadership is a filled with good and bad. Leadership will be a lonely journey but it makes it a little easier knowing that you not only know your followers but you care enough to look out for them even if it means calling them out on their B.S.

Thanks,
David G. Guerra, M.B.A.

Do you agree or disagree with this post? Let me know either by
Twitter @daveguerra or by email [email protected] or both.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE #5: SET AN EXAMPLE

You are leading people. Your only expectation is lead people by example.

Be the kind of leader that will do the things his followers expects him to do.

Be the kind of leader that will correct issues long before they become distractions

Be the leader that will do as he says.

Be the leader that will always STEP UP!

Be the leader that not only sets the example but also you expects others, mainly his followers, to set the example, as well.

A leader can never take the easy path such as the notoriously famous path of “do as I say not as I do”. A leader must be prepared to face challenges head on and not leave it for others to deal with.

A leader must know that future leaders will only continue the trail he blazes today.

There is no turning back for a leader. Once he or she has accepted the reins of leadership, he must be ready to not only steer his follows in the right direction but also ensure that when he hands those reins over to the next leader the direction they travel continues to be the right direction.

ALL DAY. EVERY DAY. SET THE EXAMPLE.

Thanks,
David G. Guerra, M.B.A.

Do you agree or disagree with this post? Let me know either by
Twitter @daveguerra or by email [email protected] or both.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE #4: MAKE SOUND AND TIMELY DECISIONS

Your followers look to you to make sound and timely decisions. Decisions based on your knowledge, wisdom and experience not only as a leader but also as a follower. No one can make sound and timely decisions without the experience to back it up. That is where having a varied experience, while climbing up the ranks, pays off.

Paying your dues is critical to making you a very wise and sought after leader.

When someone is in a highly visible and impactful position without the benefit of having worked his or her way up the ladder their inability to deliver decisions based on what they lack will come shining through. This inability will make it all the more difficult for the subordinates/followers the pseudo-leader to act on those decisions of the leader which are based on emotion and not anything else.

A leader that has not paid his/her dues is not a leader. There is no faking this. As every leader will have to make decisions in a sound and timely manner because his/her followers will be expecting that from their leaders. It is the duty of every leader to deliver on that expectation. If a leader cannot deliver on anything else, making those decisions is critical.

In most situations, the decisions the leader makes that affects the day-to-day operations of the organization. While in other extreme situations a leader’s decisions directly impacts the lives of the individuals of which the leader is responsible.

Whether in times of trouble or peace, a leader must deliver those all too important decisions. A leader cannot hesitate when it comes to making those decisions. Do what it takes to make decisions that are sounds, timely, and made to the best of your ability.

Those that follow you expect nothing less.

Thanks,
David G. Guerra, M.B.A.

Do you agree or disagree with this post? Let me know either by
Twitter @daveguerra or by email [email protected] or both.