9 Leadership Principles to make it “fun” again !!!
A good Leader is one who knows the way, shares the way & goes the way + has fun doing it !!!
Leadership Principles: great Communicator, Awaken the Organization, create a Dynamic Spirit, Think Tanks, Team Building, Passion Player, Keep it Simple; Make it Fun !!!
Leadership Re-Boot. People are tired of the old way of doing things. They , desire a “leadership reboot” in their organizations. Employees want leaders that are likeable, understand their needs, can authentically motivate people & know how to “energize” a workplace culture to generate the best results for the organization. Just because you are a great Sales person, doesn’t mean you will be an effective leader. The traditional leader still employs the “old school” ways of doing things, which makes it difficult to engage a work-force that is more diverse & multi-generational than ever before. You need these new Leadership Principles. Today’s short-term, rapid-paced, limited-resource work-place requires more trust amongst employees & their intentions, transparency in communication & requirements + cross-departmental collaboration to fuel more desired outcomes – where people feel “valued & respected”.
Courageous Leadership Principles. As a Leader, you must do these things to make the workplace exciting again. You will earn trust & respect throughout the organization.
1. Be a Great Communicator. Never stop communicating your Core Values, Mission & Vision. Use all available methods to define your expectations. Never be vague and run the risk of losing trust from others. Keep employees informed (honestly) about the status of the organization. Employees want to know what they are ultimately being held accountable for + what they can or cannot do. Avoid being structured about how you communicate. The new Leadership Principles are to be more human and be approachable. People simply wanted to know what was going on. You also learn quickly which employees want to be part of the solution – and which ones put up roadblocks. Regular informal meetings serve as forums to identify the real leaders and the lifters versus the loafers & the leeches (those that would enable the confusion & disruption) + the Sloths. Great communication is most effective when it is two-way and everyone is held accountable.
2. Awaken the Organization; to keep them alert to the Mission & Vision, which will inspire them to have more energy. Keep the organization dynamic, by enabling a culture that embraces new ideas & perspectives. Energize the organization with hope and future opportunities that can create endless possibilities. Never allow your employees to get complacent. Help them stretch their imagination & ability. Make the workplace an environment where people are continuously growing & thinking big. Don’t just be a “provider”, but rather focus on being an “enabler” of opportunities. Make it easier for people to contribute and feel more valued – yet demand enough from your employees that they are continually challenged and ambitious for more.
3. Create a Dynamic Spirit. Employees want an awakened, dynamic spirit to come alive at work. They are tired of excuses and just want people to be honest about how they feel; and honest about what needs to be accomplished. Employees are fed up with the office politics and corporate Rat race and are ready to start having fun again. They want a workplace that is challenging, encourages trial & error creativity + makes them feel that they matter.
4. Build Teams into Think Tanks & they will Last. Great Teams require great leadership. Today’s workplace must remove barriers and operate without boundaries – putting a premium on collaborative thinking and holding each member of the team responsible to contribute. The days of depending upon one or two superstars are over. Leaders must now play the role of “Think Tank” facilitators – guiding clusters of strategic topics that roll-up to specific organizational goals & objectives. Leaders need to influence – but not control – the dialogue. In the 21st century workplace, their responsibility is to find inter-connection points that exist between each cluster to guide & direct the focus & thinking.
5. Allow People to Fail; Encourage / Empower your Employees to “test” their Ideas. Encourage your employees to be their best, by discovering how they best fit within the team and throughout the organization. Don’t always feel like you need to be in charge (micro-manage). Effective leadership is about delegating and being able to trust yourself enough to let go and allow others to establish their own pace – without being so dependent upon you. Give your employees the room to explore & unleash their passion.
6. Leaders must allow Team Building to become more organic, less instructional + more enabled – by the members of the team themselves. They must measure effectiveness by – how well each member is contributing to the overall impact, dialogue, thinking & outcomes of the group. In a fast-changing marketplace, engaging employees & discovering their passions are best achieved when people feel valued & empowered to think, act & innovate in ways that come most naturally to them.
7. Don’t Hide behind your Title; Be The Real You. Leadership effectiveness is more than just the influence a “Job Title” gives you. The real impact of leadership is when you can reveal the person that is behind the title. People are more curious now than ever before and they want to know who their boss is as a person and how they can relate to them. People want leaders they can relate to and respect as people. Be real in who you are and what you represent as an individual. People want leaders who are humble enough to be approachable, yet whose presence is impactful & dynamic enough – that they never cross the line of respect. People will naturally gravitate toward you, if you allow yourself to be like-able & approach-able.
8. Creating a Passion Player. Employee engagement isn’t enough. It’s about allowing employees to be passionate about their work and not so limited to their immediate roles & responsibilities. The Passionate Player (worker) – is always looking to provide and create impact through long-term sustainable growth.
9. Keep it Simple; Make it Fun !!! Establish Core Values (best practices) that everyone can respect, learn from & improve along the way. Some leaders purposely make things more difficult for others to make themselves appear smarter and more capable than their peers. Often they seek relevancy when they begin to feel more vulnerable. The more simple you make things, the more believable, trustworthy & effective you will be with people – because they will understand better. Leaders need to simplify their approach and make it more fun & enjoyable for employees – as this will increase engagement, productively, & meeting goals.
Leadership Principles Conclusion: The workplace is changing fast and it’s important to embrace the basics that serve as the foundation for how we think, act & innovate new products, services + the technological advancements that support them. Make employees feel that they can relate to you and what you expect from them + encourage their voices to be heard and their good ideas implemented. Don’t intimidate, make the journey simple and fun – and watch them flourish. You’ll enjoy then journey more too !!!
Comments: Do you know of any other ways to make Leadership “fun” again?
from Forbes magazine 23 Sept 13 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz 1/17
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