Archive for November, 2009

You have just got your fist leadership role.  Chances are you are excited, elated and feeling generally positive.  At the same time you know that becoming leader brings with it many new challenges and hazard that you need to be alert to. 

 

Hazard 1: Self Doubt                  

 

You have got o the level of leader because you are good at what you do, have demonstrated achievement and potential for the future.  Yet you know that it is a big step.  Some people I know have described it as being back on the bottom rung of the ladder again.  Recognise that there will always be doubt and fear when you move into a leadership role and this is totally natural.

 

Hazard 2: Being Swayed By The Most Vocal

 

When you move into a leadership role you will have no shortage of people ready to tell you what to do, what not to do, who to avoid, who to get on with to name just a few.  As a new leader you need to take the time to do your fact finding rather than just relying on those with most to say.

 

Hazard 3: Making Being Liked The No 1 Priority

 

In any situation there will be people who will support you, others who will block you and some who will jump either way depending on the issue.  Remember that each time you take a decision it will be popular with some but not with others. Take decisions in terms of what is likely to give the best result rather than being the most popular.

 

Hazard 4: Dismissing The Past             

 

You probably want to make changes as a new leader. Trouble is most people don’t like change.  The poor leader will be critical and dismissive of the past and what happened previously.  The good leader by contrast will still make changes but at the same time try to bring good elements from the past forward.

 

Hazard 5: Not Taking Control Of Your Time

 

One of the biggest challenges of any leader is getting everything done and it can sometimes feel like you are drowning. Being an effective leader starts with highly effective self leadership and taking control of your time is a huge contributor.

 

What other hazards would you add to the list?

As a manager you know that to deliver great results consistently you need to get the best from those that you manage.  So what steps can you take to bring out the best from your team?

 

1.                  Set crystal clear objectives

 

The start point of getting the best from people that you manage is to make it clear to them what they are expected to deliver.  Often managers become stuck in the long list of activities that are contained in a job description.  While this provides some important content, make a point of spelling out the 5 key results that you expect individuals in the team you manage to deliver.

 

2.                  Help them solve their own problems

 

As a busy manager it is sometimes highly tempting to solve problems for people so that you get them away from your desk as quickly as possible.  The trouble is that if you always do this, people will stop thinking for themselves and just come to you for the answers.  Use questions to coach people to find their own solutions to problems and challenges.

 

3.                  Take the time to praise

 

Few people (if any) turn up for work with the intention of doing a bad job.  Yet managers often forget this and fail to recognise the efforts and achievements of their people.  Make a point of praising achievement and acknowledging efforts as it will motivate.

 

4.                  Delegate whenever you can

 

There are few managers who could be accused of over delegating.  In fact it is generally the complete opposite.  Delegating does not just provide benefits to you in terms of freeing up time but also provides scope for those that you manage to take on new challenges.

 

5.                  Treat people fairly

 

Treat people well and chances are that the majority will go to exceptional lengths to deliver for you. A good rule of thumb to check this out is to ask whether you are treating others the way you would like to be treated in the given situation.

 

Bottom Line – Managing is tough at times but by bringing out the best in others you can achieve greater success. 

 

As a leader you are judged on your ability to deliver results.  While at times this might seem tough and unfair, at the end of the day it is results that matter.  In theory delivering results is simple but in practice can be more difficult.  So what are 7 obstacles you need to address to deliver results and be an effective leader?

 

Obstacle 1: Old mindsets

 

This might not be the thing that you would automatically expect to see at the top of the list.  Truth is that when we become a leader it is easy to forget that there are different expectations and challenges.  If as a new leader you are still in the manager mindset you are going to struggle.  Even if you are not a new leader old mindsets and complacency can be an obstacle. 

 

Obstacle 2: Personal rather than corporate agenda

 

Ever noticed how someone’s leadership career evolves.  At the start they are a breath of fresh air, full of new ideas and enthusiasm, after a while, especially if the going gets tough, they start to focus on their own survival rather than on delivering success.  Be alert to becoming too focussed on your personal agenda.

 

Obstacle 3: Vagueness about direction

 

As the leader people will look to you to provide clear direction.  After all unless you have a clear direction in which you want to take the organisation or team forward in, how are you going to communicate it and get the support you need.

 

Obstacle 4: Micromanaging everything

 

One of the areas that differentiates the best from the poorer leaders is their ability to let go of things.  When a leader spends all of their time micromanaging everything they get lost in the detail of the day to day stuff and lose sight of the bigger picture.

 

Obstacle 5: Failure to act

 

We have all probably encountered this situation at some point in our career.  The organisation is facing some struggles, needs to take some decisions and most importantly act on them.  Yes it takes courage but failure to act is a recipe for disaster in the long term.          

 

Obstacle 6: Having to be right

 

Of course it is great to be the person who comes up with the ideas, turnaround or transformation plan or initiative.  On the other hand when this becomes essential to you as the leader you stop listening, taking ideas on board and potentially miss out on real opportunities.

 

 

 

Obstacle 7: Failing to adapt

 

Every situation requires a different response.  Failing to adapt leads to a situation where you become stuck.   In the worst case scenarios this failure to adapt can result in a whole organisation collapsing. Always be ready to adapt to new and changing circumstances

 

Would love to know what other obstacles you would add to the list so please leave your best ideas.