Top Ten Tips For Great Leaders

I saw this infogram on social media – Management Tips for Great Leaders. These are all great, common sense, pointers and we’ve been talking about them, in our books, in our blog posts, and in our videos and presentations. Here’s a quick review.

1.     Share Information.  Communicate the news that you can so minds don’t wander.

·       Communication and getting to the root of the problem is the topic discussed in Chapter 4 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. Open communication helps reduce conflict in every organization.  We can’t say enough about this.

2.     Say thanks.  People want to feel appreciated! A simple thank-you note doesn’t cost a thing and it makes a huge difference.

·       I think this infogram got this exact line from us. Take a look at our video 9 Must Haves for Small Business Success at https://www.bigbookofhr.com/9-must-haves-for-small-business-success. Saying thanks and letting people know that they are appreciated is one of the most important things a leader can do and the returns are significant.

3.     Empower through delegation.  We know no one can do it as well as you can, BUT you need to delegate to give yourself time to complete tasks more appropriate to your level.

·       Shout out to our friend and colleague Scott Eblin. His book The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success covers this topic in detail. It’s a great read. Along with his latest book Overworked & Overwhelmed – a topic last year in our blog Overworking in America at http://makingpeoplematter.blogspot.com/2015/12/overworking-in-america.html

4.     Adjust your style. You have many different communication styles and personalities on your team. Don’t think that you can manage everyone the same way, and don’t assume that everyone likes to be managed the way you like to be managed.

·       You also have different styles for dealing with conflict and we suggest in Chapter 8 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook that conflict styles be adjusted to match the situation and the individuals involved.

5.     Set small milestones. If you can’t match last year’s numbers, set milestones that can be reached.

·       No management or business book would be complete without a discussion of SMART goals. Chapter 25 of The Big Book of HR talks about the importance of goals being attainable. If they are not, rethink them.

6.     Have fun. You team likes to enjoy going to work. Play ten minutes.

·       Our blog post from April 9, 2013, Lighten Up http://www.bigbookofhr.com/lighten-up talked about the importance of bringing levity into the workplace. It’s such an important tool for employee retention.

7.     Remove obstacles. Bureaucracy stifles creativity and innovation. Cut down some on the paperwork.

·       Clearing roadblocks is a critical way to Keep Employees Engaged and Excited, the subject of our April 30, 2013 blog http://www.bigbookofhr.com/keeping-employees-engaged-and-excited. Stop demotivating. Review policies and practices that may be getting in the way – they may be outdated. Small changes will excite everyone to do better work.

8.     Give feedback. Your team wants feedback, and it’s crucial in making your team as productive as possible.

·       Chapter 6 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook is all about setting expectations and giving feedback – letting employees know they are doing a good job. Our blog post from June 6, 2015 The Middle Seat which encourages leaders to get out of “first class” and get to know the people who make their organizations fly. http://makingpeoplematter.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-middle-seat.html

9.     Raise your hand (and your head). When your team sees your extra effort, they are inspired and will follow your lead.

·       Employees, who are not tethered to their devices, will look up and take notice. They may be inspired to lead from wherever they sit in the organization, or as we discuss in Chapter 9 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook, take responsibility for their own problems. Being visible and aware is the topic of our blog post Situational Awareness, on May 20, 2014. Read more at  http://www.bigbookofhr.com/situational-awareness

10.  Focus your time. Focus the majority of your time on the 20% of your team and projects that generate 80% of the results.

·         Well, if not focusing your time – which is great advice, we do talk a lot about focus in The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. Chapter 6 emphasizes the importance of focusing on interest and not positions in conflict resolution. Just as critical is the message to focus on the problem and not the people involved in the problem.