Leadership 101

"If...you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." Catherine Aird

Do people willingly want to follow you? The real test of leadership is influence. Would your subordinates describe you as an effective manager, supervisor or team leader? Be honest with yourself. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to work for YOU?! If your employees' pay, perks and benefits were not dependent on doing what you ask, would they still want to follow you? If the answer is yes, you are truly a role model of leadership.

In conducting leadership training around the world for over a decade, here are the key traits I hear over and over that employees want to see in their leaders. And most of these employees are managers themselves.These traits will sound familiar to you. Yet, we need to be reminded of them. Many managers confide to me that they're so overloaded they forget about practicing many of these qualities on a regular basis.

1) Supportive/Good listener: It's been said the average person listens to what you have to say only 25% of the time. Yes, that's right. Much of the time we're caught up in our own "stuff" and we're not always listening. Listen. Think before you speak. Some people just nee111Cd to be allowed to vent. Vent within reason of course. Then, they'll be more likely to listen to you.

2) Open-minded. It's hard to listen without an open mind. At least acknowledge what your employees have to say. It doesn't mean you necessarily have to agree. In order to gain respect and get your team members to follow you, sometimes you first have to show respect.

3) Honest. Do you possess personal integrity? Your team members will look to see if you do what you say you are going to do. This sounds like common-sense and it is. Yet, many in a leadership position forget this important trait. The minute you can't deliver on your promises you lose all credibility. It will be the one thing your employees will always remember. As the saying goes, "They remember your last act." Under promise and over deliver. Always do what you say you are going to do.

True Leadership = Inspiration:

4) Inspiring. True leadership = inspiration. Real leaders have a passion for what they do. They are able to transfer that enthusiasm to their employees. People want to follow someone they respect and admire. In my leadership training, a lot of managers tell me they also want a leader "who is balanced in their personal as well as professional life." They see a balanced leader as someone who walks their talk. Employees want to follow someone who has what they want.

5) Intelligent. I frequently hear the comment, "In our organization, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing." Or, "My manager really has no idea what I do for a living. What my job entails, the challenges and the time constraints." Please educate yourself on each of your team member's responsibilities. It's the only way you can speak intelligently to them and gain respect.

6) Future-oriented. Upper management should put their organization's five year, three year, and one year plan in writing and pass it out to every employee. A lot of employees don't know their organization's overall goals and objectives. An integral part of leadership is having vision, and being able to convey that vision in a way that excites and inspires team members. A great way to motivate most of your employees is to show each and every one where they fit in with the organization's big picture. Most of them want to know their purpose and how they make a difference.

Effective Leadership = Effective Social Skills:

7) Excellent communicator. Many people are promoted to leadership positions based on their "hard skills" or technical skills. Yet, most managers describe true leadership as demonstrating good interpersonal skills. Excellent leaders and managers aren't just good communicators in terms of what's expected on the job. They also make it a priority to take a sincere interest in their employees. Little things go a long way. For example, know your employee's birthdays, whether or not they have children, and acknowledge their length of service on their anniversary.

8) Fair-minded. Employees and managers alike respect leaders in an organization who are fair, objective, and "don't play favorites." They want sincere recognition for a job well done. Most employees want to be judged on their performance, not on whether or not they've got friends in high places.

9) Flexible with change. An effective leader is open to change, new ideas and taking risks. A leader who is a good role model doesn't take a "my way or the highway" approach. They're confident enough in themselves that they can give explanations for WHY a change is being made. Employees always want to know why. Managers and leaders who are secure within themselves don't need to say, "Because I'm your supervisor and I said so."

10) Leadership starts with service. Effective leadership involves rolling up your sleeves and helping others. The term "servant leadership" was coined in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf, former AT&T executive and founder of The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. He wrote, "It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."

"A good example is the best sermon." Anon.

Copyright (c) 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

Colleen Kettenhofen is a speaker,5A0 workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. For more free articles and e-newsletter, & to order the book visit http://www.colleenspeaks.com/ Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, public speaking.Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars. Call 971-212-2412 or email colleen@colleenspeaks.com . http://www.colleenspeaks.com/ . You are free to reprint or repost this article provided Colleen's name, website and email are provided with the article.

Your Guide to a Successful Future

Career Planning - Home Builder Guide

Having a career plan is a useful tool to monitor your career progress. It cannot be overemphasized the importance of having a realistic workable career plan. The operative words here are that you work the plan. You monitor your career progress and over time you make adjustments to your career plan as circumstances change.

Following are some basic ideas laid out for you to start planning and managing your career. Working on a career plan means you have to spend time understanding and organizing yourself. Your career goal is to maximize you skills, talents and abilities. Reflecting on your unique set of skills, strengths and limitations and how they change is time never wasted. Thinking about these things leads to a certain lucidity so when future opportunities are presented you can quickly make good choices.

Rapid changes in the economy, in the nature of work and organizations have complicated the career planning process. Gone are the days when many career plans looked like steps on a staircase. Predictable step by step career plans can't now be relied on and you must plan for greater flexibility with more frequent review and analysis of your progress and situation.

Look around, often those who are most skilled in managing their career and maximizing opportunities get the promotions and the best jobs. Let's see if we can help vault you into that group so you can manage your career progress through a well thought out career plan.

The foundati5B4on of your career plan has to be based on your understanding of who you are, what is important to you and your ideas and hopes for the future. This detailed understanding will help you to begin the process of developing your career plan.

Answering the following simple questions will get you started. In the past did you change jobs? If so why? What are the noteworthy influences in your life? How have these influences affected your career?

Now examine your skills. What are your major skills? What are your principal strengths? What limitations do you have? List your successes and failures. Do you have any underdeveloped talents? What are they? What are your wishes and dreams? Where do you see yourself in the near future, longer term?

Now look at what options do you have to make changes in your career plan. Is there a large gap that you need to start working on or do you need to make smaller improvements a number of factors? Write out your goals to your career plan. Keep each item measurable in both the short and longer term. If for example, your need a course in self-study, and plan on reading 48 books in the next two years, your career plan would be to read two books a month.

One career planning area that many find productive is to increase your satisfaction on you current job. Look around, is there an opportunity to undertake a new project, participate in a job swap, look for new responsibilities, come up with new5B4 ways to do things, go out of your way to mentor others, or even look at part-time or flexible employment.

The other main area in career planning is to change yourself by learning new skills or updating others or resetting your expectations and possibly reexamining present attitudes. You could take some additional courses at a local college, start a program of self-study, work at developing additional mentors or contact a career coach. All will move you toward achieving you career goals and making your career plans a reality.

Finally after you've looked internally for career opportunities and found nothing but dead ends, you may have to look elsewhere to advance your career. Examine your current situation critically when making plans to change employers. Develop creative solutions to ensure as close a match as possible between what you have planned for your career and what might be available. If you have gaps in your skills plan to get them closed, if you have to learn new skills get on a training and study program, begin studying writing and updating your resume and begin learning the latest in interviewing and job hunting techniques.

The right job may not be available at the right time. You may have to think beyond job opportunities that offer a promotion or increase in salary so don't overlook a sideways move or a job which will give you experience or increase you career satisfaction.

As you periodically revie5D6w your career plan you will find changes in what abilities are important and others will drop down in priority or some skills become more useful and others become redundant. The key is to review your career plan regularly, at least every three months with a more serious annual review. With these steps you will find yourself more in control, have more satisfaction with your present situation and be more positive and optimistic about your future.

John Groth is a former HR executive and career coach. Find Career Planning Ideas, valuable articles and a free seven day career planning guide. Discover up to date career and recruitment strategies at our Employment Changing Guide; all to assist you in advancing and managing your career.