CAREER DEVELOPMENT, GOALS, SUCCESS UNIVERSITY

When you have goals for your business, you expect your employees to work toward those goals. However, more often what is occurring is that work time is becoming a social hour. When you look around and see employees hanging around chatting and not getting their work done, it can be extremely frustrating. There are things that can be done to eliminate the downtime of your office.

There are times when employees wait for instructions and do nothing until they get them. They follow the leader. If you have the drive and ambition to be the leader, than maybe you should try it out.

There are some who believe that leadership is a quality you are born with. However it is more likely that it is a skill that takes many years to develop. It takes not only a lot of drive and determination but also the ability to be the “Bad Guy” sometimes.

It is important to remember that a good leader must be a person who is willing to continuously improve their leadership skills to set an example for your employees.

The definition of leadership is that an in order to be an effective leader you must be able to persuade your employees to accomplish a goal. It is important for a leader to contribute as much as the employee.

A good leader does not need to exert power through fear or intimidation, nor does a good leader harass the employees or use underhanded power plays. A good leader encourages his or her employees to do their best in achieving the goals that are set. Goals that are not so far out of reach that employees feel they can never be met.

A good leader will not have any problem with people following him or her. When they see you have a sense of purpose and an air of confidence, you are more likely to be taken seriously. If you walk around like you are lost and confused then your employees will not respect or follow you.

As the owner of your company you must have a clear vision of where you want your company to go. A mission statement will aid your employees in meeting objective set by you. Make sure that all of upper management understands what the goals you set are so they can make it clear to the rest of the staff.

Being a good leader is not just about telling people what to do. When you lead by example, you are letting your employees know that you will not ask them to do anything you would not do yourself.

Studies have indicated that one of the major factors in building leadership is to gain the confidence of your employees. When your employees trust you, and better yet, respect you, they will give more of themselves to their jobs.

The manner in which you handle your employees will say a lot for your leadership abilities. If you show strength as well as compassion you will be build the confidence of your employees.

When you gain the trust and confidence of your employees, they will understand what you expect of them. Communication is one of the most important factors of being a good leader. Showing them instead of order them will gain their respect quickly.

Using good judgment is also a skill that a good leader uses on a daily basis. You have to be able to clearly assess any situation and make a decision quickly. Your employees will soon realize how vital your judgment is and rely upon it.

Leadership does not include being a know it all. When you ask the opinions of your employees and respect what they have to say, then you will in turn be gaining their respect. Recognizing that your employees may have a lot to say and contribute is showing good leadership skills.

Being a good leader is not a part time job. It is a lot of responsibility. It is important that you remember that being a leader is built on how your employees look at you.

Posted by Leon Edward at 05:26 AM | Permalink

Are you a leader in your organization?

Are you an instigator of change or a catalyst in your family circle, school, church or institution?

Does your work entail initiating change?

Do you want to make a difference?

If you answered "yes" to any of the questions, then you are a leader!

Being a leader is about being a decision-maker and problem-solver. When you are bombarded with decisions or choices, what are your first thoughts? What are the initial ideas that come into your mind? When problems arise or when opportunities come, what ideas first pop in your head? Can you rely on your intuition? 

You may not know it but you have intuitive powers. All you have to do is to unleash these. Get acquainted with the power within. Here are some sources of intuition:

Has this ever happened to you? Sometimes a decision that you made in a matter of seconds is more reliable than a well-thought out decision!

What you see and feel in the first two seconds can be considered more meaningful. You might not believe in first impressions but these could be true! First impressions may be difficult to explain. Some people decide on certain matters depending upon what they feel and how things appear to them. These people learned to trust their instincts.

The Sensation-Perception Theory or philosophy of empiricism underscore experiences as valuable sources of knowledge. When faced with recurring problems that demand immediate responses, you normally come up with solutions based on past experiences.

What worked in the past might work again in a current situation. Remember that you do not need complex mathematical models to decide on intricate problems. Just sit back and go over your previous strategies.

What do you do if you encounter a totally different problem? This new problem is something that you have not yet encountered in the past.

Well, the mind has limitless reasoning power and understanding. As you acquire knowledge, your level of understanding is elevated. When you face a new problem, it may require a solution that is altogether new. Your previous experiences won’t work this time so you devise a creative and novel strategy. According to Albert Einstein, "Imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world."

The qualitative approach, such as the use of intuition, is a powerful tool in solving difficult problems and in deciding whether to take advantage of opportunities. It is inherent and doesn’t require a sophisticated formula.

All you need is to learn to trust what you see and what you feel. Intuition is a guide and more like a compass; it would always point to the north. However, it needs to be readjusted every now and then, because it could be destroyed when wrongfully exposed and misused. So let your intuition be your guide in becoming an effective leader.

Posted by Leon Edward at 05:18 AM | Permalink

In an episode of the animated TV show Teen Titans, two teen superheroes wonder how they can change the TV channel without the remote, until one of their fellow titans shouts: "Simple. You just get up and change the channel."

Change in business is rarely so easy. And to an entrepreneur whose plans are blocked by employees who won't modify their mindsets, it can seem almost impossible. But changing people's attitudes and values are frequently required for sweeping organizational change, such as switching a company's business model or moving from a 'seat of the pants' enterprise to one run by more formal systems.

Fortunately, many entrepreneurs have been there before, so the process of accomplishing change by changing people's minds is now well-understood. A four-step process based on research by consulting firm McKinsey & Co will help you understand this better.

1) Convince people of the need for change.

Assume you'll face obstacles, and find out what's behind the resistance. Are they averse to risk? Do they feel their jobs will be threatened? Are they just unconvinced there's a need for change? Objective data can soothe fears. When employees see the logic of your actions, they will become willing to try new procedures.

2) Recognize and reward the behavior you want.

On the other side, punish – or at least don't reward – undesirable behavior. There are many ways to do this, from changing bonus structures to instituting new employee awards tailored to your new goals. Don't assume money is the only – or best – motivator. Financial rewards can be seen as buying cooperation, or some form of bribery. Non-financial rewards can be more effective.

3) Provide role models for change.

The way, employees can see someone they admire engaging in the desired behavior. Don't expect your people to follow someone else. The leaders of the change effort should not be external consultants but the senior leaders in the organization themselves. They should be the ones out front, teaching, leading and facilitating.

4) Make sure your people have the necessary skills to implement change.

Learning the new skills required for major organizational change is likely to be different from the ordinary training project. You have to get people to un-learn they old behavior and then learn new behavior.

Reluctant students can block learning, as well, of course. You can increase their willingness by modifying the environment in which they learn, but don't just spruce up the company classroom. Instead, apply the polish to your products, services and overall company image – especially as viewed by your employees. When workers see change in these important elements, they realize that they will have to change, too, and they'll be more agreeable to acquiring new skills.

While you're changing people's mindsets, don't neglect your own. Business change is hardly ever as easy as surfing to a new TV channel, and it's always hard right after you've gone through change. The bad news is, you might be successful. That's when you get into trouble, because the biggest task is maintaining momentum. Change isn't a event; it's a process.

Posted by Leon Edward at 09:06 PM | Permalink

Posted by Leon Edward at 07:31 PM | Permalink

When you hear the word “coach”, what comes first into your mind? Do you picture a basketball team with a man/woman shouting out directions? Or perhaps a football team with a man/woman pacing to and fro and calling out the names of the players?

Coaching is no longer reserved to sports teams; it is now one of the key concepts in leadership and management. Why is coaching popular?
 
Coaching levels the playing field.

Coaching is one of the six emotional leadership styles proposed by Daniel Goleman. Moreover, it is a behavior or role that leaders enforce in the context of situational leadership. As a leadership style, coaching is used when the members of a group or team are competent and motivated, but do not have an idea of the long-term goals of an organization. This involves two levels of coaching: team and individual. Team coaching makes members work together. In a group of individuals, not everyone may have nor share the same level of competence and commitment to a goal. A group may be a mix of highly competent and moderately competent members with varying levels of commitment. These differences can cause friction among the members. The coaching leader helps the members level their expectations. Also, the coaching leader manages differing perspectives so that the common goal succeeds over personal goals and interests. In a big organization, leaders need to align the staffs’ personal values and goals with that of the organization so that long-term directions can be pursued.

Coaching builds up confidence and competence.

Individual coaching is an example of situational leadership at work. It aims to mentor one-on-one building up the confidence of members by affirming good performance during regular feedbacks; and increase competence by helping the member assess his/her strengths and weaknesses towards career planning and professional development. Depending on the individual’s level of competence and commitment, a leader may exercise more coaching behavior for the less-experienced members. Usually, this happens in the case of new staffs. The direct supervisor gives more defined tasks and holds regular feedbacks for the new staff, and gradually lessens the amount of coaching, directing, and supporting roles to favor delegating as competence and confidence increase.

Coaching promotes individual and team excellence.

Excellence is a product of habitual good practice. The regularity of meetings and constructive feedback is important in establishing habits. Members catch the habit of constantly assessing themselves for their strengths and areas for improvement that they themselves perceive what knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to acquire to attain team goals. In the process, they attain individually excellence as well. An example is in the case of a musical orchestra: each member plays a different instrument. In order to achieve harmony of music from the different instrument, members will polish their part in the piece, aside from practicing as an ensemble. Consequently, they improve individually as an instrument player.

Coaching develops high commitment to common goals.

A coaching leader balances the attainment of immediate targets with long-term goals towards the vision of an organization. As mentioned earlier, with the alignment of personal goals with organizational or team goals, personal interests are kept in check. By constantly communicating the vision through formal and informal conversations, the members are inspired and motivated. Setting short-term team goals aligned with organizational goals; and making an action plan to attain these goals can help sustain the increased motivation and commitment to common goals of the members.

Coaching produces valuable leaders.

Leadership by example is important in coaching. A coaching leader loses credibility when he/she cannot practice what he/she preaches. This means that a coaching leader should be well organized, highly competent is his/her field, communicates openly and encourages feedback, and has a clear idea of the organization’s vision-mission-goals. By vicarious and purposive learning, members catch the same good practices and attitudes from the coaching leader, turning them into coaching leaders themselves. If a member experiences good coaching, he/she is most likely to do the same things when entrusted with formal leadership roles.

Some words of caution though: coaching is just one of the styles of leadership. It can be done in combination with the other five emotional leadership styles depending on the profile of the emerging team. Moreover, coaching as a leadership style requires that you are physically, emotionally, and mentally fit most of the time since it involves two levels of coaching: individual and team. Your members expect you to be the last one to give up or bail out in any situation especially during times of crises. A coaching leader must be conscious that coaching entails investing time on each individual, and on the whole team. Moreover, that the responsibilities are greater since while you are coaching members, you are also developing future coaches as well.

Posted by Leon Edward at 05:28 PM | Permalink

Posted by Leon Edward at 08:51 AM | Permalink