When we are assigned to our first leadership As a rule, we are beside ourselves with happiness for some time. Most likely, this was a long-awaited promotion, but even if it is unexpected, it can only increase the degree of euphoria from a sudden promotion. But, of course, as soon as this first joy fades away, many begin to get lost, timid, and gain self-doubt. It is new bosses who are very often constrained by the so-called “perfectionist paralysis”, when, for fear of making mistakes from the very beginning, a person cannot begin to fulfill his new duties and goes to work day after day, doing practically nothing, and only diligently imitating a stormy activity.
But sooner or later, this will be noticed more high authorities, and then the question of the advisability of a new appointment may well arise. To prevent this from happening, you need to act more boldly. Knowledge of the main holes and potholes located on this path will help with this. Knowing the rules makes it much easier to get involved in the game, isn't it?
1. The leader does not allow familiarity towards himself. Let's start with the truisms, because it is precisely their oblivion that leads to the most crushing defeats and failures in the world. If you suddenly decided that all this subordination is outdated philistinism, and during the period of your glorious “reign” everyone will address each other as “you” and put a farting pillow on the boss’s chair, for the sake of laughter, then this is a sure way to losing all respect from the team. Realize that most people need a chain of command so they don't forget what their role is in the company, or, more simply put, who the boss is. So a high-status chair, a heavy table, and maintaining distance are not just showing off, but tools necessary for leading any team.
2. The boss is not a patch for any gap. Many people have a desire to correct the mistake of a subordinate in order to show him “how it should be done,” strengthening their authority and demonstrating to everyone that the leader is the last line of defense of the company that cannot be broken. Sometimes such “actions” are really effective, but most often they turn the boss into a plug for any hole, and his subordinates into drooling infants who do not want to take responsibility for anything.
3. A good leader is always results-oriented. Encouraging effort or striving for results is a surefire way to never see that result. Let's understand that it doesn't matter to you how effectively an employee works, but only the results can be praised. Even if you want to praise someone who is clearly trying, you should then gently hint that effort itself is only a means to achieve the main goal, the result.
4. It is impossible to give a person a salary worthy of him. Trying to start your leadership by setting a good salary for everyone is simply a waste of the company's budget. People are not grateful in such matters; very soon the new salary will again seem too small to them, and they will again be dissatisfied. A good boss is stingy with raises. It doesn't sound very nice, but it is true.
5. The leader does not participate in infighting and does not encourage it. All office wars should be nipped in the bud by the boss if they are noticed by him. But most often it is impossible to fight affairs; they are an integral part of the production process. So, at the very least, you should at all costs avoid getting involved in one of them.
6. The boss always chooses the right path. His faith in him is unshakable. And those who wanted to show off by mockingly doubting him in public must be strictly put in their place with an iron hand. Objections and comments can be expressed to the boss personally by coming to him with constructive suggestions and a report. Bring this to the team at every opportunity. And the one who decided to show off in front of the secretaries, loudly doubting your choice, earned himself a demonstrative spanking, no less.
7. Admitting mistakes must be decisive, bold, immediate. Only the lowest insignificance and weakling does not know how to admit his mistake when it is already obvious. Do it quickly and boldly. Acknowledge it as if it was not you who allowed it, but someone else whom you are reprimanding. Everyone makes mistakes, so there's nothing particularly scary about it. In cases where your mistake is far from obvious, then you should avoid admitting it. In a couple of weeks it will become just a vague story, so there is no need for you to constantly be self-flagellation.
8. Personal affairs are diligently kept away from business affairs.. Because mixing them together is a cocktail that can knock any team off its feet. Affirm this in words, and confirm it in deeds. Personal and business should stand on opposite sides and never intersect. Even sex with a secretary (which is far from uncommon, after all), with a good boss is only part of effective relaxation therapy, but not a love affair.
9. A bad manager always has an employee who is out of place. And a good one asks himself every day: “Is every employee of mine engaged in the work that he does best?” You must constantly ensure that not a single cake maker in your team wears a shoe, which is far from uncommon for most companies today.
10. No one ever fulfills all their responsibilities. And there is no point in raising your eyes to heaven and crying out for justice. Every person quite naturally wants to get more by working less. So the regular salary system is very outdated. An effective method to keep employees on their toes today is a bonus system. Even though the salary itself will be small, the employees will have many bonuses: for the absence of errors in their work, for the absence of delays, for meeting deadlines, for something else. What bonuses can a “relaxed” employee easily be deprived of? This will save the company money and get the lazy guy into shape. Everyone has a chance to relax, but that doesn't mean you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Or from the company's pocket, it doesn't matter.
In general, of course, this is only rough rules that help you be a good boss. The true art of leadership is learned over many years, honed and perfected. In which we wish you early success.
Golden rule #1: a successful leader must clearly define the vector and speed of the company's development.
In many companies, there is a two-, three-, five-power system, when each top manager has his own “tribe” that supports the “opinion” of their leader.
This doesn't lead to anything good.
An employee who reports to several “generals” works much worse, and he has much more reasons to come up with an excuse for unfulfilled work.
At the next Workshop, we will analyze the stakeholder strategy, which allows us to clearly define what the management team should do and in what sequence.
Golden Rule #2: A successful leader must delegate difficult tasks to his employees.
It is known that a person grows from problems, experiencing pleasure from overcoming his own fears.
By making life easier for employees, the manager deprives them of a challenge, losing the most creative and ambitious people.
By solving complex problems on their own, the manager progresses, while the employees degrade.
As a result, after a couple of years, the company is left with uninitiated, obedient people who do nothing.
Golden Rule #3: A successful leader must keep his emotions under control.
When I meet with employees, I sometimes ask the question:
- What irritates you most about your managers?
In first place in terms of demotivation is the manager’s inability to control emotions, scream and hysteria.
It’s clear that working with people is a nerve-wracking thing, but don’t take everything literally. People make mistakes much more often than they would like.
Therefore, look at life philosophically, with a touch of irony and humor. This helps to maintain a good mood in the most unpleasant situations.
Golden Rule #4 (not trite): a successful leader must constantly develop.
There is an axiom: if a leader develops himself, but not develops employees, it loses in the efficiency of people's work.
If a manager develops employees, but not develops itself, it loses power.
Therefore, mutual but substantive development is necessary.
Never make general development topics such as “effective time management.”
Always create a specific learning goal.
Golden Rule #5: A successful leader must be personally involved in hiring people for key positions in the company.
Delegate this function it is forbidden.
The manager is personally responsible for everything that happens in the company, therefore, he is obliged to calculate the actions of people in key positions.
Connivance at the stage of selecting key people in 90% of cases results in big problems for the company.
Many financial, managerial and reputational risks were inherent in the stage of attracting people to the company.
Golden Rule #6:a successful manager must determine the rules for correcting errors.
When Michael Schumacher was asked:
- Such and such a racer has never flown off the track. What do you think about it?
Michael replied:
- There are riders who have already taken off from the track, and those who will still take off.
And he was right.
Each of your employees will make mistakes more than a dozen times.
Create regulations so that every person in your company understands what they must do after making a mistake and how to quickly and effectively eliminate its consequences.
Golden Rule #7:A successful leader must think strategically.
BUT... don't force your people to think big. They came to your company as performers because they don’t see (don’t want to see) the big picture.
You can “shove” a strategic map into them your his peace, but this will not give a positive result, and is guaranteed to cause resistance.
Give everyone that piece of the overall puzzle of your vision that they are able to understand. Empower the person to accomplish this task, and believe in him with all your might!
And, you will see, everyone will be happy :), and the result will not be long in coming.
P.S. It is no coincidence that all golden rules contain the connective successful leader must
.
Being a manager is not the most pleasant thing. In essence, it is a daily solution to big and small problems.
A truly successful leader must do three things in the company:
1. Makes effective decisions.
2. Create teams capable of solving complex and complex problems.
3. Monitor the result obtained and adjust it within the framework of the strategic development plan (therefore there must be a plan).
Successful decisions to you and may the golden rules of a successful leader help you make your daily work meaningful and you a happy person!
Good luck and good luck!
Every manager wants to know how to become a good leader. A leadership position requires a person to have certain skills, experience and personal qualities. Not every employee is capable of becoming a good leader, since it is necessary to naturally have leadership qualities, be able to take responsibility and have business acumen. Becoming a leader and leading people is not something everyone can do, but it is possible.
A good leader. Who is he?
Let's start with a definition of the concept. Who is a leader?
A leader is an effective and successful person. The efficiency of the entire company depends on his ability to create favorable working conditions and establish the production process.
For anyone who has not encountered managers at various levels in their life, perhaps there are no such people.
Often we unwittingly evaluate the performance of management, where one of the managers is “good” and the other is “bad”. These assessments are extremely subjective and do not always reflect the true state of affairs. There are no ideal people, and accordingly, there is no completely “good” leadership.
You can become a good leader only if you are a professional in your field. It is necessary to demonstrate professional qualities by example, create favorable conditions for subordinates, and build an active, developing team from scratch.
Qualities that will tell you:
- Openness. It is important to be able to listen and hear, to be ready to delve into the problems of subordinates, to suggest and guide;
- Creativity. It is important to have developed thinking, find new approaches, and consider the problem from a completely different angle;
- Confidence in yourself and your abilities. A timid, insecure person is not able to gain authority in the eyes of his subordinates;
- Analyze. It is important to make plans for the future, constantly monitor the company’s activities, and find new ways of development;
- Honesty. The leader of the work team must be honest and objective. Only an honest person is able to gain trust and authority;
When all the qualities come together in a particular person, you can immediately say that in front of you is a born leader, capable of leading, inspiring and directing.
In addition, valuable qualities of leaders are punctuality, resistance to stress, sociability and courage.
It is important to understand that one does not become a truly good leader by nature; this position is acquired, and a person is able to realize at any time that he is ready to try on the position of a leader.
It is noteworthy that anyone can become an effective leader, regardless of gender and age. It often happens that the head of a company can be a young ambitious girl without proper work experience and a man of respectable age with a wealth of knowledge and experience behind him.
A person who wants to become a good leader must be able to formulate goals and make plans to achieve them. It is extremely important to set goals for yourself every day and follow through. This way you can strengthen your character, willpower, develop diligence and hard work.
What qualities does a motivator and leader have?
- It is necessary to make decisions in areas where a mistake will not cost you your career and good name. Having suffered a fiasco, do not despair, take it as a valuable experience, learn lessons from everything that happens;
- It is important to see the outcome of the situation in advance. Rate any situation on a scale from 1 to 5, and you can imagine what the course of events will be from the most unfavorable to the most favorable. This way you can understand whether you are ready to take risks;
- For personnel activities, it is necessary to analyze the capabilities of each employee. It is worth convincing employees that the final result depends on each of them;
- Constantly analyze your own actions and the consequences that flow from them.
When asking a question about how to become a good leader, you need to honestly admit to yourself whether you have all the necessary qualities. If some of them are missing, it is never too late to develop them in yourself, learn something new, and improve your own knowledge and skills.
A good leader is a universal soldier, well versed in the intricacies of the work process, who wants to lead the staff, mentor, train and stimulate. Every person can become a good leader, but it’s hard work and self-improvement.
How to become a better leader
The potential of a person in a leadership position directly depends on the desire for transformation and development. A leader must be an inspirer; he must encourage the team to innovate, give them the opportunity to express themselves and be responsible for their own actions. Only in this case can you achieve success and create a cohesive team of professionals. Next, we will look at basic tips that can help a manager work effectively and gain trust and authority among subordinates.
Mastery of the intricacies of the work process
To become a good leader, you need to constantly develop, keep abreast of the latest innovations related to the field of activity in which you are involved.
To do this, you need to attend business trainings, take part in online conferences, watch training videos, be interested in new software products, etc.
An excellent analyst knows how to plan his own day as efficiently as possible and focus employees’ attention on the distribution of working time, increasing labor efficiency. This approach allows you to focus on the work process and effectively organize not only your own work, but also the employees of the enterprise.
Creating favorable working conditions
Rational management of the labor process depends on the use of modern technology. Automation of manual labor can increase a company’s productivity and bring it to a new level of development. You can actively introduce electronic computer technology, as well as modern office equipment. In addition, there are additional tools to improve the work process:
- Strict compliance with all sanitary and hygienic standards;
- Availability of a workplace for each employee;
- Arranging the office space with all necessary furniture and equipment;
- Full provision of employees with all office supplies;
- Effective organization of work schedule, alternating with rest.
The performance of the team is influenced by many factors: location of the room, lighting, temperature, humidity, etc.
Effective organization
People who want to become a good leader must be able to find an approach to the working staff, regardless of whether there are five people under them or a couple of hundred. It is important to be able to convey the essence of actions to the employee as accurately as possible. It would be a good idea to create a company charter with prescribed norms and principles.
Goals and objectives written down on paper have been proven to be more effective than verbal instructions. You can draw up a work plan for each employee in advance and offer group work. You should not introduce innovations into a project when it is at the implementation stage and half finished.
Subordinates will perceive this as a whim and will be disoriented in further actions. A competent manager will need control over the completion of tasks and minor adjustments along the way.
Creating a favorable climate in the team
Many people focus exclusively on their own authority, the desire to demonstrate their “I”.
You should not push your own interests under pressure; it is important to be able to hear your subordinates, since they are capable of generating interesting ideas just as well as a leader.
Listen to the view from the outside, find out more often the point of view of your subordinates. Then they will feel free, will be able to enjoy the work process and will respect their Boss. You can introduce the practice of anonymous writing or the ability to present proposals in electronic format. In this way, it is possible to stimulate the work activity of subordinates and instill in them a desire to work for the benefit of the common cause.
Keeping your distance
Familiarity has never been welcomed in business; the manager must keep his distance. Winning the love and respect of the team through warm communication and friendships is the simplest, but not the most effective method.
It is important to be able to achieve favor in more honest ways:
- Be able to admit your own mistakes. The leader is also a simple person, he tends to make mistakes, so it is important not to shift responsibility for failures to other people;
- It is necessary to be consistent and clearly state your train of thought. There must be mutual understanding between the manager and employees;
- Familiarity should not be allowed. Of course, it is necessary to constantly communicate with subordinates and be able to find an approach to everyone. Informal relationships with the team do not in any way affect the company’s productivity.
Strictness
One who can motivate a work team to work effectively can become a good leader.
How to do this correctly?
- It is worth getting into the habit of calling the entire working staff for a holiday lunch once every couple of months. A completely effective method to find out a little more about your colleagues and win them over;
- Arrange individual receptions, publicly encourage the most successful employees;
- Always reward those at the forefront of the workflow. Even a small bonus can encourage employees to perform their duties better.
We take responsibility
The ability to be responsible not only for one’s own actions, but also for the work of an entire team is a basic criterion that a good leader must have. A true manager constantly analyzes his own actions, trying to find the reasons for failures. It is worth understanding that a particular subordinate could not cope with the task assigned only because he did not fully understand it.
I’ll say it straight: if you don’t generate new leaders, then you’re not leading, you’re performing duties. Your job (whether you have a job title or not) is to help people do jobs they thought couldn't be done. Your goal is to inspire people to discover their own talents, express their natural gifts, and motivate them to do the best work of their lives. This is what is really behind the work of a leader.
2. Nothing will happen without decisive action.
Start small, dream big, and get started today. Nothing will happen until you take significant steps. The sad reality is that procrastination is just a defense mechanism of choice that intimidated people use. What I mean is this: If people actually achieved their goals and followed through with their visions, everyone would become ultra-successful. Resounding success comes with responsibility. This is what scares most of us away.
3. Your Behavior Reveals Your Beliefs
Your actions tell the world a lot about your views. Complain all day long and you will reveal a deeply ingrained mindset that you are helpless and apathetic. Present your work with typos and platitudes and you will reinforce your belief that you are content with mediocre results. Treat others poorly and convince yourself that you are selfish and distant from the wonderful people around you. But the good news is that if you passionately believe in your leadership abilities (and not in the victim mentality), then your behavior will automatically change.
4. Ideas without implementation are worthless
I'd rather execute an ordinary idea flawlessly with my team instead of tinkering with a brilliant idea with poor execution. The best non-title leaders and big-play organizations insist on the principle of “talk less, do more.” Fewer meetings and more results. Less analysis and more hard work and brilliantly executed projects.
5. The more you study, the more you achieve
To double your income, triple your knowledge. What has been most useful in my professional career—and in the careers of other billionaires, titans, and CEOs who have learned from me personally—is this idea. Please remember that genius comes less from natural gift and more from learning, preparation, practice, learning about the outside world and the people around you. Nothing returns investment like workshops, conferences, online courses, (audio-)books and coaching.
Source: artrep1.com.
6. Take care of your relationships and the money will come.
Leadership is built on relationships. The smartest, quickest, and most effective leaders have long understood that it’s all about developing team relationships + quality customer service + improving the world in which you make your presence known. Learn to listen to people masterfully. Be an inspiration to others. Keep your promises. Make people feel good. Become the most wonderful person you know. You will be surprised how huge opportunities will flow into your hands. Believe me.
7. Respect must be earned, it is not given for nothing.
A name, position and a huge office do not guarantee you respect from people. No. This gift must be earned. And the fastest way to earn it is to show respect to other people. There's no point in saying anything else.
8. Don't confuse movement with progress.
Yes, we live in an era of catastrophically huge number of distractions. According to The Financial Times, we spend around 100,000,000 minutes a day playing Angry Birds on our smartphones. Most businessmen spend their best hours staying busy over and over again. Leaders without a title are completely different. I teach my clients a whole system of tactics to increase their productivity by 20 times, but all it takes is: start your day at 5 am, achieve 5 goals a day and complete them before you leave the office. As a result, you get 1850 “small wins” in 12 months. Use your first 90 minutes at work to fill your most important projects and learn to say no.
9. Victims are not capable of great things.
Victims constantly apologize while leaders perform exceptionally well. The victim can be seen a mile away: they blame everyone and everything, complain and are in a negative and cynical mood. They miss out on the energy that they could have spent on achieving wonderful things, wasting it on other people and external restrictions for so long that they get used to thinking that they don’t have such energy at all. You are not a victim. Today and every day after that in your life offers you a sea of opportunities. And the best thing is that you can direct your energy towards improvement, and the more you manage your energy, the stronger you become.
10. Life is short. Don't waste your time
My father is an amazing person. He often says, “Robin, when you were born, you cried while the whole world rejoiced. Son, live so that when you die, the world will cry and you will rejoice.” I will always remember this apt instruction. I am guided by it in everything I do. True leadership has nothing to do with narcissism, thirst for applause and glory. Being a leader means making phenomenal contributions that will make the world a better place and bring lasting change. Leading means being needed by people. And be useful.
Few ordinary workers do not dream of becoming a manager. Wouldn't someone be happy at the prospect of being a boss, handing out tasks to subordinates, pointing out their mistakes and enjoying their new position?
However, as you know, a new position of responsibility means not only unlimited power, but also new responsibilities, greater responsibility and the need for constant monitoring of the work of the team.
How to learn to lead correctly? How to find an approach to each employee so that the atmosphere in the team is calm and harmonious, and everyone listens to your opinion without exception? Below we will talk about ten golden rules on how to become a successful leader?
Set tasks clearly
One of the negative traits of many managers is the inability to clearly formulate and convey a task to a subordinate. When a manager does not know what he wants, then, most likely, it is unclear what he will get as a result, unleashing his anger on a bad employee, in his opinion.
Clearly defined goals, as well as the order in which tasks are completed, will significantly facilitate communication between the boss and subordinates and speed up the process of completing work.
Scold only in private
If a person has not coped with the task, then under no circumstances should you reprimand him at a general meeting or in front of other subordinates. This move can significantly ruin your relationship with him and offend the person. Be sure to express all your complaints to him, but face to face. In addition, this will allow you not to make an enemy in the team.
Praise
Most managers very generously scold their subordinates for misconduct and poor quality work, while at the same time forgetting to praise them for good results. Meanwhile, we all know that praise is usually a better incentive than blame, and makes a person do his job much better. If there is something for it, be sure to praise your employees and you will see how their attitude towards you and their work will change.
Friendly atmosphere in the team
The manager sets the tone for the development of relationships between employees. You will definitely achieve success if you create a warm and friendly atmosphere in your team, in which there is no room for squabbles and intrigues. In addition, employees will be very happy if you hold scheduled weekly meetings with coffee and cookies or pizza.
Teach employees to independently monitor their work process
First, set a rule: every day at the end of the working day, each employee of the company must make a short report of his work, so that both he and you can understand what he did that day. You shouldn't force people to write tons of explanations. A verbal answer will be sufficient. Soon this will become a habit, and work will be more productive.
Clear organization of the work process
Your subordinates should know that with a boss like you, they need to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Let them know that you intend to control all stages of the work, and if there are any problems, you are ready to help.
Keep calm
There is nothing worse at work than hysterics and shouting from a manager at his subordinates. Often it is not entirely justified, and in almost 100% of cases it is absolutely unnecessary. Everything can be settled through calm dialogue. This will help maintain good relationships with people and clarify the situation correctly.
Don't be afraid to take responsibility for the failures or mistakes of your subordinates
In the end, it was you who controlled how the work was done, and since you could not monitor the quality, then you need to be held accountable for it. You will significantly add points to yourself in the eyes of your subordinates if, during a conversation with your superiors, you take full responsibility upon yourself, and later, at a meeting with your team, you work on your mistakes. Nobody likes people who shout about their importance, and when it comes time to be responsible for work, they hide behind the backs of the workers.
Be an example for others
When a person sees in a boss not only a leader, but also an intelligent, developed, charismatic person, he is doubly pleased to work with him. It is very important that authority is earned not only through position, but also through personal qualities. When employees are proud of their boss, they will try to do better work.
Subordination
Do not allow yourself to be addressed in a familiar manner at work. You are a leader, period!
Constantly improve
If you really want to become a successful leader, you must constantly develop as a person, improve your leadership skills, and you must become a team leader who takes responsibility for the productivity and successful work of his subordinates.
Be sure to read business books, books for managers, books on the psychology of relationships - a manager is also a psychologist who knows how to find the right approach to his subordinates, knows how to correctly create a favorable atmosphere in the team.
Becoming a successful leader is not easy, however, by listening to some advice and your team, you can find an approach to each employee.
What skills, knowledge and personal qualities do you think a successful leader should have? Share your opinion, and perhaps experience, in the comments to this article.
Good luck and see you in the next article.