1. People want to see results.
2. People want to be effective and want to do well.
3. People want to be kept in the picture about what is happening and what is on the horizon.
4. People want to be appreciated for what they are doing and are trying to achieve.
5. People want feedback on how they are doing.

So what other top tips would you add to those in team leadership roles?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

Having been working with expatriates both in coaching and in cross-cultural training I’ve seen that the quest for leadership when working overseas is likely to require more patience and effort.

In general the basic tenets of being a leader: deep understanding of people, good communication skills, ability to impact, etc are true wherever your job takes you.  However, when you move to work overseas some of these tenets take on a whole different meaning.  Here are seven tips to help you succeed in your leadership journey in expatriation:

Tip 1: Before you expatriate, take the time to read at least one work of fiction written by a writer from a country that you are going to (and set in that country).  Even though works of fiction are fiction, they will still help you understand the value systems of the country and of people that populate it.

Tip 2:  Research some proverbs that come from that country.  Proverbs have a wonderful way of telling the outsiders about the belief systems of the country.

Tip 3: Go through a cross-cultural training that will help you compare your cultural variables with those of the country.  Make sure you come out with tools that will help you bridge the gaps you may discover.

Tip 4: Leave your assumptions and judgments at home.  Many of us have clichés about different countries and arriving with those clichés will make it that much harder for you to adjust and excel.  Keeping an open mind is essential when you work with people from another culture.

Tip 5: Observe the dynamics around you.  Take the time to notice how people in your office interact, what feels important to them, how they communicate, and what “cultural habits” exist in your place of work/business.  Whether or not those “cultural habits of working” agree with yours is irrelevant here.  Your job is to first notice  and then to create changes (see Tip 7).

Tip 6:  Remember “I don’t know what I said until I know what you heard”.  This is especially true when communicating across cultures.

Tip 7:  Create an impact by bringing about change (if it doesn’t destroy the fundamental fabric of the society’s values).  Once you have observed enough, you’ll know which behaviors are the result of cultural habits and which ones are the result of cultural values.  Behaviors will be easier to change and impact, if they are simply habits, but harder if they are rooted as part of the value system.

Becoming a leader while on expatriate post and making a difference in the lives of people in other countries can be a very rewarding experience.  If your leadership journey can use help and support, I always recommend working with a cross-cultural coach.

Margarita Gokun Silver is an Expatriate and Cross-Cultural Coach and Consultant.  She works with executives and individuals to help them become more successful and effective in other countries/cultures.  For more information, please visit the Global Coach Center website at www.GlobalCoachCenter.com

I guess if you are reading this blog post, you are either a leader, an aspiring leader or someone with a real interest in leadership. So what questions do you need to think about when determining whether you are a leader or aspiring leader?

1. I am the type of person who makes things happen.
2. I see opportunities to take things forward within the organisation.
3. I influence the opinions and actions of others in a positive way.
4. I actively look for ways of helping others to achieve more success.
5. The people that are drawn towards me are highly motivated and success orientated.
6. I provide ideas that help the organisation.
7. I am generally positive even in the more challenging times.
8. When I make commitments, I generally follow through on them.
9. I am an ambassador or stand up for the organisation I work for.
10. I genuinely believe in myself.

At the end of the day, there are many things that contribute to an effective leader and this list should give you a useful start point in determining your leadership potential.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

Divides the effort

One of the great benefits of teams is that you can take what appears to be a mammoth task and divide those tasks between people. As a result, things get done faster.

Creates more ideas

One person operating on their own can generate ideas. At the same time, the breadth of the ideas of one individual will be limited by their experiences to date. With a team with a wide range of experiences, you can generate many more ideas.

You become the facilitator

In his book, Teamwork 101, John C Maxwell states that the true measure of a leader is getting people to work hard together. In many ways, I see this as the leader facilitating or enabling great team performance.

Camaraderie

On all the great teams that I have been part of, there was always a huge sense of camaraderie. This enabled us to get things done even when the odds seemed to be stacked against us.

You learn quickly

One of the fastest ways to get good at something is to see someone in action who is already excellent in an area. When team members all play to their strengths, you learn a lot quickly.

The bottom line

The truth is teams have the potential to deliver great benefits. So what’s the biggest benefit you have experienced from being part of a team?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

Teams have the potential to deliver extraordinary results. At the same time, there is no such thing as the perfect team. So what are some real truths about teams?

Truth 1: There Will Be Conflict

Teams will from time to time have periods of conflict. This is just the way it is. The challenge is to make sure that the conflict remains productive rather than destructive.

Truth 2: It Is Hard To Get People to Pull In the Same Direction

After nearly 30 years of working in or with teams, I still see people struggling to pull in the same direction. Remember, it is natural to think about the personal impact on you or your people when team decisions are being made.

Truth 3: Building Trust Takes Time

A team does not just come together and instantly work together. There need to be high levels of trust, which take time to build.

Truth 4: There Is No Magic Formula

There are things that you can do; ways in which you act and structure you can put in place. At the end of the day however, there is no magic formula that works every time.

Truth 5: It Takes a Major Mindset Shift

For most of our life, we are judged on what we do individually. For example, most academic achievement is geared towards individual performance. Moving towards team working requires a mindset shift.

The Bottom Line

If you are willing to invest the time and effort in creating team success, you can achieve great results. Just remember that it is more like middle distance running than the 100 metre sprint.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

From the outside looking in, management can appear easy. When you are making the transition to management there are 3 common challenges that managers face. What are they and what can you do to overcome them?

Challenge 1: Letting Go

Before you were in a management position, you were probably used to doing a lot on your own. Now you are a manager, you need to be willing to delegate and let go of things. Remember that there was once a time when you could not do all the things you can do now. The only reason you have been successful was because someone was willing to let go and give you a chance to try something new.

Challenge 2: Fear of Being Unpopular

It is natural to want to be liked by everyone. Yet the trouble is you cannot be popular with everyone all of the time. Let go of needing to be popular with everyone and accept whatever decision you take, it will not suit everyone.

Challenge 3: Fear of Making a Decision

If you are a surgeon, a decision that you make in an operating theatre could be life or death. Few management decision fall into that category. Have a bias for taking decisions, recognising that you will get some wrong and most right.

The Bottom Line

Any sort of transition brings challenges. The key is to be willing to embrace these challenges rather than allowing them to keep you stuck.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

Despite all of the advances in technology, managing time and getting things done seems to be tougher than ever. Trouble is that time, unlike memory on your computer, cannot be added to, so it is how you invest it that matters.

So what can you do to take control of your time?

1. Know your priorities - what is it that your success or otherwise is measured against at the end of the day?
2. Set time limits for everything you need to do in a day - you will be amazed at the difference it makes.
3. Do a periodic time audit so that you know where your time investments are going.
4. Start thinking of time like money and choose carefully where you invest it.
5. Don’t overload your plan with too much otherwise you will get de-motivated.
6. Try, wherever possible, to batch similar types of activity so that you make better use of your time.

Remember that time management is really all about planning and decisions. So what’s your best time management tip?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

A new report from The CIMA Centre of Excellence at the University of Bath (Finance Transformation - The Evolution to Value Creation) identifies 14 business partnering characteristics:

1. Advises on and supports decision making throughout the organisation.
2. Supports the management of risk and complexity.
3. Is valued by other parts of the organisation for the support it gives to their activities.
4. Is usually involved in the development and implementation of strategy.
5. Always advises managers on the business implications of data it produces.
6. Plays an active role in decisions on the business portfolio.
7. Originates cost reduction strategies for the whole organisation.
8. Is proactive in generating forward looking information to influence business strategy.
9. Directly communicates with external stakeholders concerning business performance.
10. Is involved in the organisation’s environmental, social and governance performance.
11. Initiates and leads change.
12. Leads in the identification and assessment of new business opportunities.
13. Doesn’t focus mainly on financial information.
14. Doesn’t undertake the traditional accounting work.

So if you are in or leading a finance function in a business, how well does your team stack up against these 14 characteristics?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

Keeping people motivated is probably one of the biggest challenges that a manager faces. So what are the top tips to be a better and more successful motivator?

Tip 1: Set clear goals

Everyone wants clarity about what they are expected to deliver. Make a point of setting crystal clear goals.

Tip 2: Listen more and speak less

People understand that decisions have to be made. At the same time, they want to feel like they have had the opportunity to contribute. Listening to the ideas of others can be hugely beneficial to motivating others.

Tip 3: Praise regularly

Make a point of praising people, not just for achievements but also for effort. Sometimes just having a go leads to confidence and motivation being lifted.

Tip 4: Encourage others

Managers who take the time to encourage and support others get that time returned in bucket loads.

Tip 5: Show them they can count on you

Sometimes, when things are not going well, the team will find themselves under incredible stress. At these times, you as the manager or leader need to show the team that you can be relied upon to stand up for them.

The bottom line

The truth is motivation is rarely about money but about doing some simple things well.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here

My last blog post highlighted Britain’s 10 most admired companies. This blog post highlights the most admired by sector. Source: Management Today December 2009

Banking: HSBC
Building materials and merchants: Kingspan
Chemicals: Johnson Matthey
Construction - Heavy: Balfour Beatty
Construction - Home: Berkley Group
Engineering - Aerospace and Defence: Rolls-Royce
Engineering and Machinery: Rotork
Food Producers and Processors: Cadbury
Health and Household: Glaxosmithkline
Leisure and Hotels: Intercontinental Hotels
Life Assurance and Insurance: Admiral
Media: BSkyB
Oil, gas and extractive: BP
Paper and Packaging: DS Smith
Property: British Land Co
Restaurants, Pubs and Breweries: Diageo
Retailing - Food and Personal: Tesco
Retailing - General: Dunelm
Retailing - Specialist: Majestic Wines
Software and Computer Services: Autonomy
Speciality and Other Finance: Icap
Support Services: Capita Group
Telecommunications: Vodafone
Transport: easyJet
Utilities: Centrica

I wonder who you would place at the top of each sector. Why not leave comments with your thoughts?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here