This is the 6th post of the series of posts about who successful people really are. To many successful people are who are rich and famous, celebrities and people of fun and parties. Yes to an extent they are right. But most of these people become celebrities by a stroke of luck or an opportunity robbed from the window of opportunity opened just about the time they were there. But real success does not come easy. The climb up the ladder of success is laborious and requires resilience, determination and IDEAS.
Yes ideas - it is the ideas that have driven men from obscurity to the zenith of success. Just have a peep back into the history and would find that whatever we are today or the comforts we are consuming are just due to ideas of some people who thought and made sure their ideas worked for the benefit of others.
We have two kind of people in any organization, business or even our daily routine life: People who talk about people and remain jealous of them, and people who discuss ideas. Discussing people is easy - something women very good at. But discussing ideas is attributable to really successful people.
Bill Gates is a drop out from his studies - but his idea made him the boss of one of the biggest organizations of the world: Microsoft. Likewise Steve Jobs turned Apple into a fortune minting organization and now a a big chunk of world's tech-gadgets and smartphones belong to Apple.
So always concentrate your energies on thinking and discussing ideas - not whiling away your precious time discussing people that does not yield anything but heartburning.
I have been talking of qualities, character traits and leadership skills of the people we call successful - be in business as managers or entrepreneurs or in our ordinary lives - even to keep the matrimonial relationship intact. And we analyze the qualities discussed in four of earlier posts, we will find that these qualities are not hard to acquire or exhibit. It only needs just the right kind of mindset to become successful or unsuccessful, if one choses to be so by neglecting these simple yet very practical tips.
However, the tip of the day is a little bit difficult - something that we often find hard to exhibit and adopt: Forgiveness.
Forgiving someone who has harmed us and has robbed from us the opportunity when it was our day to shine is perhaps the most difficult character quality of leaders, managers and even ordinary people when dealing with their nagging relatives and so called friends.
The most oft argument against forgiveness is that it makes one weaker and let the actual defaulter or culprit walk away with head high. But that is what we think. One has to forgive not innocently but firmly - so that the real culprit knows that you are doing it as a good man and NOT as a weak and meek one to succumb to others' position or authority or fear.
Think it over and try forgiving someone who has harmed you and you would more often than not find the defaulter thanking you for being so kind for forgiving. The weak and eek can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the great and strong.
I am sharing a series of graphics showing who are successful people and what makes them so. My previous and third post centered on successful people who continue to learn more rather than sticking on to their already gained knowledge which may not conform to the requirements of the day and changing business or environment patterns. How is your attitude towards your colleagues and subordinates when they do something good for the organization or to you? This is what we are going to dwell at today.
Thus my fourth post today centres on people who give compliments to their colleagues and subordinates when they render any assistance or proffer a new idea which may be helpful in solving a problem. This is what the successful people do as against those unsuccessful people who are always bickering and criticising others for no valid reason.
Even complimenting a stranger opens up a conversation and makes new friends. It even sparks creativity in people being complimented. But remember compliment people - but do not flatter as it may leave a person overjoyed beyond a point which may make one proud and over confident.
So always be forthcoming in complimenting others, for its leaves a refreshing impression on others, which may in turn help them work more being refreshed by a pat of filip on their shoulder - rather than being demoralised by undue criticism.
I have so far shared two reasons that make people successful or otherwise. This is my third post as to who successful people really are. These series of posts are specially for the benefit of the managers and people associated with business as a small let up here and there can cost the business very dearly - and also to one's future career. One has to be mindful of one's behaviour when one is dealing with people or when being watched by his colleagues and subordinates. Those watching him want to see something new in his approach or strategy rather than sticking on to the traditional mindset rotting due to inertia and stagnation.
As can be seen in the graphic below, those who continuously try to learn new strategies and new business techniques carry the day.
Here comes the opposing side: They contend that whatever they know has been time tested and has been used by many a successful manager in the past. True to an extent as there is no alternative to experience. But that does not mean that one should not try out new things for advancement in technology has changed many business strategies altogether - even leaving some redundant. Remember:
Successful people believe that learning never ends. This doesn’t mean they’re going to school to get new degrees, although they may. Even without formal education, they’re constantly reading and learning from others around them, perhaps from books, trade magazines or conferences, or from others who are ahead of where they want to be.
What have you learned recently that can get you closer to the success you want? If you haven’t picked up a book, trade magazine or listened to CDs or MP3s that can get you smarter in your field, it’s time to start. (Source)
A few days back I shared a graphic representation of people who are successful. Success has many facets and shared just one in my previous post. Success specially for managers and entrepreneurs is a must without which they cannot exist or face their contemporaries. Unless they know the secrets behind success, they just cannot survive the rigours of the marketplace and are sure to doom.
With this analogy in mind, I shared the first graphic representation of successful people: They want others to succeed and help them doing so, rather than pulling their leg from down below for them to fall to create a vacuum for them to fill in. Today, I am sharing the second trait of successful people:
This is something that relates to their character traits: They take the responsibility when something goes wrong, rather than blaming others and trying to get away. Those who take the blame, rise above others, both in the eyes of their employers and their subordinates. While the second kind is caught one day and are dishonoured.
I hope you would like to be in the first category and let your character tell who you are!!
Influencing people is the major job of a manager and a marketeer in the world of business. Even in ordinary life, we come across difficult people to deal with. And the test is to win them over and make them friends or good followers if in business. Dale Breckenridge Carnegie, born Maryville, Missouri, United States, was an American writer and lecturer who not only wrote about influencing people but also helped people with his studies for self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills.
Herein under is a diagrammatic interpretation of Carnegie's model of winning people and leaving a long lasting influence on them. For managers in the corporate world in particular this method may come handy and bear dividends not only to influence others but also make life long friends.
Try it and you will find it to your advantage both in your personal life and business.
The morale of the employees plays an important roe in the growth and profitable profile of an organization. While discussing many leadership styles in one of my earlier posts, I discussed four styles that can make or break an organization. The improvised leadership style ranks lowest among the four as neither the organization is making profitable gains nor are employees happy. The country club leadership style pays too much emphasis on employees morale, but pays no heed to the concerns of the organization.
This it can be assumed that a leader has to balance out all aspects that concerns the growth of an organization, while at the same time looking after the employees' welfare and interests.
But there are still many who are a class of their own of blowing up of things an injuring the morale of the subordinates and employees. Watch the slide show here to know what are those 9 Ways that can blow up or destroy the employees morale. Do exactly otherwise would ensure a coherent and happy work force.
We often find some brilliant managers in business; shining, progressive, beaming, confident and full of life and energy. The CEO and the board of directors praise them whenever there is a board meeting or an occasion to celebrate. And then there are some, who are always blamed for anything that goes wrong; or they do things advertently or inadvertently that make them a show-down case and a loser in the long run.
The difference between a successful and failed manager is in their perspective. While the successful have a positive attitude towards life and the business, the failed one use all their energies focused on negativity to let down the successful one. If somehow they transform their negative perception to positive one, they can be a winner too. But they don’t, and continue to lose for all or some of the following reasons:
Negativism: As I just said, the losers focus on negativism all the time. The loser chose it as a matter of choice, which changes their perception from a broad winning one to a narrow and painful negative one that not only hurts them physically, as thinking in negative terms takes a heavy toll of your nervous system, but also professionally in losing.
Jealously: Yes, the monster inside most of us. Every new car a neighbour buys, or the appreciation letter or pat from the chief executive to that sparkling and striking manager makes many around him jealous of him. The jealous people just forget that they in fact are harming themselves as it will sap your energies and rather than working hard to overtake, you burn your energies in grudging and cursing.
Perfectionism: There are many who need 100% output of their effort and when they don’t, they lose heart and become self-drawn. Man is not a machine to produce 100% all the time. The successful managers settle for 80/20 ratio. And that is the key to success.
Irresponsibility: People who blame others and fail to accept responsibility when things go wrong, are caught one day and are then labelled as hoodwinkers. It is better to accept responsibility when things start to go wrong, rather than blaming others that may result in a bigger loss. Assuming responsibility makes one stands tall and strong, rather than sheepish and feeling guilt by hiding one’s failures.
Argumentation: Ever seen some arguing and reasoning with clients and colleagues on petty matters? Argumentation never makes people win, reasoning with logic does. Argue only when required but remember that argumentation should not become a war of words to the point of losing tempers. Because when one is in anger, he gives away all of his weaknesses to his opponent, who if is an intelligent one, can make these as basis of building counter actions. So one must disengage amicably when odds are against, rather than making enemies and people walk away from you.
Low self-esteem: The losers normally have low self-esteem since losing always makes a person pull down all the down. In such a scenario, one cannot take stock of one’s vulnerabilities and weaknesses and loses continuously. Therefore concentrate on all aspects of life and job positively, this would raise the self-esteem for a winning game ahead.
Sense of meaningless: Continuous setbacks make one think as one was worthless or meaningless. This is a loser’s mind-set and those who get out of this mind-set as early as possible on detecting the very first symptoms of lownessnes, the better. Everyone has his worth and something to contribute to. Add that little, no matter how insignificance, to the job. Rest assured it will be noticed and observed by those who matter. This will make you of some worth rather than a worthless.
Don’t cry I’m a loser as once sang the Beatles. Be happy, therefore, and live your life with an open mind, positivity and as part of team, rather than being self-drawn, hiding, and stealing confidence. Smile as often as you can to win over the hearts rather than grudging and making people run away from you. If you do so, you will find that hidden charisma inside you that makes wonders for other – it will make for you too. Try it !!
Influence in itself is nothing more than exertion of power to change the mindset and behavior of others. It is the power of persuasion, plain and simple. And in order to be better atinfluencing people, you need to be able to understand what makes people tick in the first place. If you are to influence the way people think, it is important that you have some kind of leverage and and understanding of their motivation is certainly one kind of leverage. But there is a very basic problem with that assumption; you won't get to know everyone you ever come across. There is a certain amount of time that is taken in understanding people's likes and dislikes and sometimes it's a luxury we can't afford.
I received this through an e-mail and thought of sharing with my viewers. The following quiz comprises of 4 questions and your answers would show you whether you are qualified to be a professional. apparently very simple questions, but are really mind boggling and require common sense, nothing else.
Ready!! Here we go:-
1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? Remember this question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door.
2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?
Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?
Wrong Answer.
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend.... except one. Which animal does not attend?
Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory.
Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.
4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?
Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
Being a manager or in charge of an outfit has never been easy. Besides the valued customers, one has to look after the equally valued employees who work in the background to make your business thrive. Employees are just like a battery of mechanics and engine operators down the deepest compartment of the ship who keep the ship moving. And when the ship hits an iceberg, they are the first one to be hit by the gushing water and die before someone up there realizes the gravity of the situation (just recall the time when Titanic hit the iceberg and you will appreciate the miseries of the men who made the ship run at full throttle for the personal glory of the owner, but died unsung and no one came to their rescue).
But those who do not forget their employees in the trying times and keep their interests supreme, are the ones who are liked, loved and adored by their workers. How could you be one like that? Read on..
Remember never to hold back your hand for a fillip on the shoulder of an employee who has done well. This small gesture alone can make wonders and cheer the worker. And do it publically so that others also watch and know that “this man” is different.
Effective communication is being considered as one of the best tools to remain close to the hearts of your subordinates and employees. While the top management is busy in making deals and keeping the company afloat, the workers at the first step of the ladder down there are ignorant of their contribution to the success of your deals. Take a time out of your otherwise busy schedule and brief them what is being at the top and how important they are in the overall game plan. This will give the confidence in you, raise their morale and give them the boost needed to achieve your goals. The communication also provides you with an insight into their problems and job prospects. Do look into these and press upon the top management to keep the employees satisfied.
Job security has always been the main concern of the employees. Any upheavals in the business send down negative signals of distress and uncertainties. While the employees put in their best, any bad decision at the management level should become a cue for firing and laying off the work force. Rather make alternative plans to absorb the surplus hands who have all along brought you dividends and profits. A secure worker is more productive rather than an uncertain one.
New techniques are being evolved everyday to address the corporate issues. While the old hands have mastered their skills over a period of time, they need to be introduced to new and innovative ways to increase productivity. Organize specialists’ workshops to keep them updated. I have done this myself and have achieved tremendous results by simply running a number of awareness and skill improving prgrammes and workshops. Needless to mention, this gives confidence to the employees in you and would regard you as someone who cares for them.
I started off with a fillip – but that is only an gestural appreciation. Employees have many mouths to feed back home and they just cannot pass back the fillip to their wives for running the house in a low pay. Monetize your gestures too often when you make gains. Announce special awards for those who worked more, so that others know the value of hard work. But remember, monetization should be undertaken with a stick and carrot technique. It will have its adverse effects. Though under certain circumstances, stick and carrot strategy may have to be resorted to as well.
The ability to communicate expectations effectively and to motivate others is critical to the success of for-profit corporations and not-for-profit companies such as churches and civic groups. Click on the following link to read more about it.
Leadership and motivation are synonymous to one another. In organizations, where managers behave like managers, they have workers to work with. Whatever they say by virtue of their authority vested in them by the organization, the workers are bound to obey. This approach as has been discussed in one of my earlier posts “Difference between Managers and Leaders.”
The difference amply highlights that a leader is not someone designated as such, it is something which is God gifted and resides inside a manager, whom we call good manager. Such people effect the motivation of their colleagues and workers according to their “style” of leadership. Remember, all leaders are not able to lead effectively. It is just a handful of people who can do that.
So there is a strong correlation between the leadership style and the motivation. Let us see how these two correlate and what are the corresponding effects on productivity and efficiency of an organization.
When a leader really trusts his team mates, he exerts minimum or no supervision at all, after giving them general guidelines and guidance. This has a corresponding positive effect on the team, who become self motivated and this self motivation in turns triggers their creativity to come up with different approaches to solve a problem freely. In such a case, not only the workers will work more diligently, but would also try to come up with different solutions to increase the productivity.
On the contrary, a manager-leader who has less faith in his subordinates or knows much more than the team, may not delegate responsibilities and may keep the entire control to himself (the authoritarian style). Such managers get the things done little by act of motivation and more by the carrot and stick technique. Coercion, pressurizing, manipulating and harassing. In such an eventuality, the motivation slips to its lowest degrees and workers work out of fear of losing jobs and cuts in salaries.
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Then there is a mid stream style – using plus points of both styles listed above. The motivation in this case would be Goal motivated (based on opportunities), Reward motivated (materialistic approach) and Recognition motivated (social status). The level of motivation of the team or the co-workers would in this case would largely depend on the personality type of the leader and efficiency would depend on leader's skill and / or the work environment he creates. Normally this style is the best suited as it is not always possible to be following a draconian style or letting everyone free on their own.
But remember, no style could be taken as a model – each style has it own pros and cons on the level of motivation and thus cannot be sustained over a period of time suiting all situations. Rather, a manager cum leader has to continuously adjusting his style vis-Ã -vis the situation at hand and the kind of team he has.
Many people ask why we talk of leaders in management affairs as those in charge of affairs in business are called managers and not leaders. They are right in a manner that officially there are no leaders – everyone in one capacity or the other is a manager in the hierarchy of an organization.
But if we look back, the genesis of management and the notion managers is not very old. The concept of management was born in the 19th century and was subsequently developed and its various theories evolved based on the military’s concept of command and control. Management is nothing, thus, planning, organizing, co-coordinating and implementing of policies (called strategy and tactic in the armies) of the “top management”. And we want to sum up all these functions in one word, we can call it “administration”, and so do all studies of business are in fact called “business administration.”
Now here comes the “manager.” He/she is the person, who has been given certain “powers” by the organization to perform managerial functions. So going by this analogy, a manager wields his/her authority by the powers of the managerial system through which team mates, colleagues, workers yield to the directions of the manager to carryout the tasks assigned to them. Here please note that so far we are concentrating on the working on the entire team based on the “authority” every individual has in the hierarchy of the organization.
Then we need leaders? There is no mention of leaders in the management tree of any organization. So who are these people? Are they some unseen forces, secretly paid by the organization or what? The answer lies still in the militaries. While all “commanders” have authority to command their troops, not all of them are remembered in the history. There must have been millions and millions of commanders in the past, but the world history lists only a few and still remembers them with awe.
In fact here come in those secret hidden thing we call “leadership.” It is something that pulls others towards a person – an aura or charisma that makes people look towards a person with confidence that whatever that person says or does, will be done, no matter how incongruous, with no questions asked. Commanders with or without leadership qualities are paid alike, but those with leadership qualities rise high, earn good name and become immortal for time immemorial. And so do the managers with leadership qualities.
In an organization, only those managers rise or are respected who can influence workers by virtue of their character, drive, enthusiasm, communication skills and motivational skills. These extra qualities make a successful manager. A manager who leads and not directs. A person who wields authority by his personal drive and character that inspires people to follow, to be loyal, andto producerather than the powers written in the green book of the organization. Those managers that do not have specific leadership qualities and talents either remain unproductive or have to work much harder to produce results for the organization.
So be a manager to lead not to command. That’s in nutshell the difference between a manager with or without leadership qualities.
In part of Leadership Style in my earlier post, I talked of three basic and most referred to leadership styles. But those three styles are too restrictive as human beings are very vibrant and cannot restrict these three rigid style only. Therefore by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in the early the 1960s came up with their famous “Managerial Grid” or Leadership Grid, which is more dynamic, elaborative and suites various moods, conditions and business environment.
Here it may again be stressed that like earlier three styles, these styles are also not static or restrictive. One can adopt as many number of styles to suit a given situation at different times within a same process or can even combine two or more simultaneously.
The model plots task on one axis and people on the other and then draws a relationship of a leader with the two as we shall see now. Before going over the model, following may be understood for better comprehension of the grid system:-
Concern for People - This is the degree to which a leader considers the needs of team members, their interests, and areas of personal development when deciding how best to accomplish a task
Concern for Production - This is the degree to which a leader emphasizes concrete objectives, organizational efficiency and high productivity when deciding how best to accomplish a task.
Based on the two concerns, Blake and Mouton slide either or both on the axis to find a suitable style for a leader. And have come up with the Five following styles:-
Country Club Leadership (High People - Low Production). In this style, the leader is more concerned about the needs and feelings of his team, rather than the production. Although making one’s team happy and satisfied should be the leader’s concern, but this generally has its adverse effects on the targeted goals and the reduction which would either be not met or with little success.
Produce or Perish Leadership (High Production - Low People). This model can be related with the Authoritarian or Compliance type of Leaders. And as the name suggests, the prime target is the production and the goals, which must be met at all costs. And quite obviously, ruthlessness would have no room for the welfare of the workers. This type of leader is very autocratic, has strict work rules, policies, and procedures, and views punishment as the most effective means to motivate employees.
Impoverished Leadership (Low Production - Low People). This is the case of inefficient leaders who are not concerned either with the production nor the needs of the workers. And such “leaders” soon perish and leaders with more dynamic personalities and style replace them.
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Middle-of-the-Road Leadership (Medium Production - Medium People). These are the people who tend to balance out both concerns, i.e. of the employees and the employer. Leaders who use this style settle for average performance and often believe that this is the most anyone can expect.
Team Leadership (High Production - High People). This is the most likeable model, both for the workers as well as the employers. These leaders stress production needs and the needs of the people equally highly. The premise here is that employees are involved in understanding organizational purpose and determining production needs. When employees are committed to, and have a stake in the organization's success, their needs and production needs coincide. This creates a team environment based on trust and respect, which leads to high satisfaction and motivation and, as a result, high production.
And as said before, like all other styles and theories, the managerial Grid also does not entirely address the complexity of finding, selecting and adopting a particular leadership style. However, it does provide a tool to critically analyze one’s performance and thereby improve one’s leadership skills.
But the theories and styles do not end here – the research moves on to find more dynamic styles that would ensure more productivity and also address the concerns of the team mates / workers.
We do realize that a manager without leadership qualities is hollow from inside. Lack of leadership qualities rob men and those at the helm of affairs of the energy, vision and the drive to lead people out of quagmire of business snags and stumbling blocks and lead them to the path of success, productivity and efficiency. Those who have the leadership qualities are basically humans and have their own way of doing things and in their own style. Style in which they have been groomed or nurtured or matured. It is not necessary that each leader with his own unique style will always be a winner since the style application according to the circumstances may sometime even lead to distress, even though a leader may be applying his abilities positively in his own right.
The style of a leader thus pays a significant role in the success or otherwise of his efforts to win over a situation or take his team to success. This post therefore talks of leadership styles and after its review, the reader can judge for himself which style should be followed to be successful. There would be occasions that an amalgamation of style s may provide the best answer to a situation.
Generally, there are three basic styles of leadership: autocratic, democratic and delegative. But to elaborate these, few more styles have also been added to the list to be more specific, which will be covered in our subsequent post.
Autocratic Leadership: As the name implies, autocratic leaders are in charge and simply tell their employees what they want done and how they want it accomplished, without getting the advice of their followers. It is usually considered as an extreme form of leadership style wherein the leader is the reigning king and subjects are to obey and not reason why , even if these would be in the team's or organization’s interest. Obviously, normally a much liked style as the team’s output does not benefit from the creativity and experience of all team members, so many of the benefits of teamwork are lost. Therefore this style may be used very sparingly and with extreme caution like when there is no time, and the leader has all the information to solve the problem and the workers understand the limitation (being highly motivated). Even for some routine and unskilled jobs, this style could apply, where the advantages of control outweigh the disadvantages.
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Democratic Leadership: Well democracy is democracy – the more the say – the more the rated decision. But it isn't the way democratic assemblies work where more thumbs means unanimity. Here, the democratic leadership is based on working together in a way that the leader includes one or more team-mates in the decision making process, and NOT everyone, while retaining the power to take the final decision with himself. This kind of leadership actually display a trust of the leader in his team-mates and draws respect and better teamwork and is usually done when leader may not have all the knowledge and would like to involve those with the requisite know-how. Like for instance the plant supervisor who can better advise on the working of the plant rather than the leader himself who may not be technically sound. Delegative Leadership: This style suits best in bigger projects which involves various segments working independently and at the end all outputs merging together for the final output. Like for instance a food processing process in which packing is made somewhere else, and food is processed somewhere else and preservative mechanism working independently. But when coming together, all are packed at one place. So different sub-leaders working independently for an ultimate common goal. In this case the project leader is one, responsible for the whole project and has his responsibility as a whole. But at the same time, if anything goes wrong, the project leader is to be held responsible. If he at that time start the blame game, then that’s not delegative leadership. This works well when the entire team is highly professional, well trained, motivated, spirited, productive and extremely loyal to the leader. And need less to mention that no single style can be a perfect model for it cannot encompass every situation nor we can have leaders to suit different situations. A good leader has to transform himself according to the situation and wear a style suiting to the situation. That is to say that an amalgamation of traits of all three styles is the best suited approach. That’s good leadership.
The dilemma many a manager face in planning, organizing, implementing and controlling their assignment is their feeling as if they are not “in charge” of the things and remain worried about it more than the actual things. As a result, the lose concentration, focus and are unable to realize their goals. This happens when one is not “in charge”. While the solution is very simple, it needs a resolve and commitment on the part of the managers. Let us see how.
Be a Leader: Although by appointment and designation one is a manager, one needs to be a leader first. It will only be then your teammates and co-workers would gather around you and “follow” you for better or worse. Look around and see for yourself why certain managers are more successful – they are revered for their leadership qualities. Their colleagues and subordinates feel attracted to them and give in their willing response in whatever they are called to do. But at the same time remember you don’t have to announce that you are a leader, you have to prove it to others by your deeds, actions and even through your body language. Don’t appear pulled down, looking for crutches or the management for answers to your problems – be “in charge” and look like one. That’s the first step and that’s something that would make the difference.
Be a Communicator: Unless a leader is a good communicator, he cannot assemble people to listen to him. If he cannot communicate – he cannot motivate. So sharpen your communication skills. Practice communicating by solving a problem through different techniques so that if one technique doesn't accrue desired results, you have a few other options up your sleeve. Let there be two way communication, both vertical and horizontal so that everyone understands you, you vision and your goals. Once you do that, you are in a much better position to motivate them for drawing their willingness to work with you and for you.
Be a Motivator: If you really have leadership qualities, you will be a good motivator as well. As I wrote in one of my earlier posts, “Leaders do not push or pull – they don’t even motivate. They simply create an environment in which people motivate themselves.” So create that environment, wherein your team automatically elevate their esteem and spirits to work for you.
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Team Selection: If you have been able to demonstrate your leadership qualities, then you would know what kind of people you would like in your team – look for willing, extroverts with a shine in their eyes. People who would be willing to follow you whenever and wherever called upon. A like minded group of colleagues and co-workers should form your team to take on the assignment at hand.
TeamBuilding: Next comes the team building – this is most important. Even if you draw their support, they need to be embedded into a perfectly grind machine work. There are no individuals in a team. Every member of the team works for the team and not for personal gains. No one is “I” or “me” – everyone begins with “we” or “us”. A team is thus a group of highly motivated, efficient, trained and honest workers working hands in glove for the attainment of a common goal. That’s the team that would win you your goals.
Be Good at Finance Management: When given a project, you would be allocated a certain sum of money and resources. But remember the one who is giving you money is not doing it so that you go partying with your team. What he wants from you is to return him any multiples of the same since he is not only to run his business, but also to stay in it and be competitive. So be proficient in handling financial matter – spend less, bring more profit.
Efficient Time Management: In business, time is money – any amount of time wasted wastes money. Be good at managing the time at our disposal. Plan in a manner that you realize your goals in the least permissible or possible time. There will be spare time to rejoice and relax if you are productive. So when at work, devote yourself fully to the project to reach to your goals. However remember, time management doesn’t mean killing your self to beyond the limits, ignoring friends and family. Time management means apportioning time for everything and yet still be productive and successful.
Learn and Improve Skills in the Process: The more one is focused and dedicated to one’s job and assignment, the more one learns. The more one learns, the more he one becomes aware of one’s shortcomings and strengths. Everyday take a time out, review your day and analyze why you lagged behind on a certain aspect. And find ways and means to improving upon it the next day. Don’t be shy of hiding your weakness like an ostrich – those who learn the hard way, never commit mistakes again.
These are some of the tips that can ensure a place for you in your organization and let people know that who really is “IN CHARGE.”
