| |
| |
|
Leadership Information |
|
|
|
Common Mistakes Extraordinary Leaders Dont Make
When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to follow your leadership, they do it primarily because of one of two things: Your Character or your Skills. They want to know if you are the kind of person they want to follow and if you have the skills to take them further. Yes, there are other variables but these are the bulk of the matter. This week we focus on the kind of skills that cause people to follow your leadership, specifically things that an Extraordinary Leader doesn't do! 1. Not Riding Momentum - To increase your leadership effectiveness, you want to learn to ride the momentum of the situation (the positive momentum of course!). When we begin to experience bad momentum we naturally try to stop it and that is good, but many people also have the tendency to try to stop the positive momentum as well. This comes from our basic desire to have things "under control." Unfortunately, often when we try to control the situation, we actually stop the good that is happening. So let go of the reigns and ride the momentum! 2. Flaunting the Privilege of Leadership - Leadership has its privileges, that is for sure. And rightly so! The entrepreneur who started the company ought to be paid well and reap the rewards for the risks that he or she took. Unfortunately, human nature is still such that people can resent the success and privileges of others, even if they worked hard for them. Therefore, an extraordinary leader will not be guilty of flaunting the privileges they have because this is likely to cause a backlash and can actually harm their ability to lead. Whenever possible share the privileges and rewards of leadership and your followers will love you all the more! 3. Picking People Who Won't Threaten Them - An Extraordinary Leader will always try to pick people who are better than them! Again, human nature is such that we think, "Wait, if I hire her, she'll have me out of a job in no time." Then we pick someone of lesser quality, while our competitor hires the good one and surges ahead. No, pick the best! If they are better than you, you will grow together as a team and you will still be the leader and people will respect you for your ability to pick - and lead - a winning team! 4. Not Having a Second in Command Who Complements Them - An ordinary leader picks someone who is like them so they can feel comfortable. An Extraordinary Leader picks someone who can do all the things that he or she can't; someone who can see things in ways that he or she can't. An Extraordinary Leader needs a right hand person who can compliment their skills and style. This way the old adage is proved true - two heads are better than one! 5. Not Giving Power Away - An ordinary leader wants to do as much as they can so they can be seen as a good, hard worker. They think that they lead by example in this. An Extraordinary Leader knows that they need to empower others to do the work and make the decisions if the organization is to grow and they are together going to make a difference. We must let others take leadership themselves, even if it means they fail at first. This way we multiply the organizational leadership and we go even further! 6. Unable or Unwilling to Make Hard Decisions - Leadership is a lot of decision making. Non-leaders don't like to make decisions because they operate from a subjective viewpoint. They aren't thinking about the overall health of the organization, they are thinking about who will get mad or who might lose their jobs. While we want to be sensitive to these things, the Extraordinary Leader understands that sometimes hard decisions have to be made for the sake of the organization - and they make them. Then they carry them out. John Maxwell says that decisions are like crying babies: both should be carried out quickly! 7. Trying to Have No Casualties - This may be the greatest leadership lesson I have ever learned. The Extraordinary Leader knows that anytime the organization will make ground, there will be casualties. In the movie Gladiator, the lieutenant comes to tell Maximus that the troops are not fully ready for battle. Maximus sees that the other side is about to move and if they don't move first, they will lose the war. The Lieutenant begins to say, "The casualties will be too great," but Maximus finishes the lieutenant's sentence so that instead he said, "The casualties will be 'acceptable.'" I realize now that when my organization moved ahead tremendously a few years ago, the people who got in a huff about it were the casualties and that any time a group moves ahead, that will happen. We shouldn't look for or enjoy casualties, but understand they will assuredly come, and accept them. So move ahead! About The Author: Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Leadership For Deep Results: Without Them Are You Wasting Your Leadership And Your Life? (Part One) I've challenged all leaders I have worked with during the past two decades to achieve "more results faster continually."They can get on track to start achieving such results not by working harder and longer but by slowing down and using Leadership Talks on a daily basis. What Kind of Leader Are You? There are literally millions of words written and spoken each week on enlightened leadership yet the fact remains that low morale, high stress and job dissatisfaction continue to be three of the most serious problems facing the workplace. We seem to be so effectively socialized into top down leadership that we find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change our autocratic ways. Characteristics of a Good Leader It's interesting to hear the responses from executives when I ask them, "What are the characteristics of a good Leader?"If I ask that question in a large room of executives, or even upper level managers the answers will be all over the map, and many are conflicting.A couple of the usual answers are: A leader is someone that empowers those working for him to make their own decisions. Make The Elephant Jump -- Leading With A Kind Heart Leadership is not about getting people to do what they want. If they did what they want, you wouldn't be needed as a leader. Leadership Skill Training Quality leadership is a positive asset that is needed in every organization. Observe any successful club, committee or team and you will find a capable leader in each of these organizations. It's Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 1) Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who Moved My Cheese? The book, a best seller still, is a wonderful allegory of the things that drive and motivate us. I personally loved the book, perhaps because I read it in one night. Ten Characteristics of Leadership Many people are interested in the characteristics of a great leader. There are many lists of these traits. Reveal the Leader Within A Leader is not a certain type of person or position of power. It is not the one at the top of the golf leader board at any specific time or the person at the top of an organisation. 3 Elements of Leadership Power! In an article discussing the need for innovative products and profitable service offerings, Vinutha V., points out that, "improvements are only the expected results, not the source of competitive advantage. 3 Ds For Leadership Action... Dedicate, Direct, Dialogue! ".. UNCLOS III Process model The United Nations Conference on Law of the Sea was ground breaking in the way negotiations were conducted. Several strategies were employed that allowed for efficient negotiation and a reasonable outcome as viewed by all participating parties. Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 3, Drifting From the Topic Although new ideas lead to creative solutions, they can be a challenge when they interrupt or distract the work on an issue.Approach 1: Question the relationship to topicWhen new ideas seem inappropriate, say:"That's an interesting point (or question). Leadership A Perspective From Tao Tao Te Ching said to be written by Lao Tzu during the period of warring states in china around the second century B.C. A Leader's Ultimate Goal - Connect to Engage! Connect and Engage! Your People Are Your Power.It's been said many times that true leadership is measured by ones ability to motivate and influence others. The Sink Or Swim Approach To Leadership Looking around in most corporate environments today you'll find mission, vision and values statements proudly displayed on the walls, in print materials and even engraved in granite. Often, they've invested a great deal of time; effort and expense in crafting just the right message to best describe the foundational principles of the company. Leadership Training and Character The vast majority of leadership training available to managers focuses primarily on skill and behaviors: how to delegate, how to communicate, how to manage conflict. These skills are unquestionably important and necessary. 10 Smart Ways Leaders Can Bring Out the Best in Others You are a leader. Everyone is a leader. Take the Road Less Traveled "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." - Robert FrostI watched Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will, a very controversial film on Hitler's 1934 Nuremberg Rally put on by equally controversial Toronto film connoisseur, Reg Hartt, at the Cineforum (a make-shift theatre in his home). 5 Steps on How to Set and Achieve Your Goals Which one is a goal? I will lose 15 pounds I want to run a marathon Quit smoking All of the above None of the above The correct answer is (5) - none of the above. The first three are wishes, not goals. Leadership Skills Training Empowers Problem-solving and Visioning Leadership skills training programs empower you to influence, persuade or inspire others. Well constructed training programs should result in improved, more effective leadership skills for your colleagues and you.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
