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So, you don't have the title, but you're expected to get the work done through others. Don't be dismayed. Today, leadership is more than position or authority. The key to leadership is relationship and influence. Therefore, even non-managers can demonstrate strong leadership skills. This article shares five leadership traits you can add to your repertoire of skills.
Honesty
Do what you say. Consistency between word and action is how people judge honesty. When you say one thing and do another, people will believe your actions and not your words. Know this, your team will do what you do, not what you say. So, remember DWYSYWD -- Do What You Say You Will Do.
Cooperative and Caring
Build relationships. Take an interest in your coworkers. Let them know you care. Catch up over lunch. Have fun and show some enthusiasm. Keep team members "in the loop" and informed. Listen to what they have to say. And, always bring a benefit.
Adapts to Others
Adopt the "Platinum Rule." This communication rule says, "Do unto others as they would like to be done unto." That means, to be effective you should temporarily adjust your communication style to match the person you're communicating with. If you're speaking to a detail and factual type, communicate the whole story, leave nothing out. On the other hand, if you're speaking to a big picture/conceptual type, get to the point, be open to their ideas, and skip the minutiae.
Competence
Make quick decisions. Running every decision by your boss weakens your credibility. When a quick decision must be made, make it. To check the soundness of your decision, first compare the best to the worst: "What is the best that can happen if I make this decision?" "What is the worst that can happen?" Next, ask yourself: "Does the best outweigh the worst?" Then, consider whether you can live with the worst if it were to happen. If you can answer "yes," make the decision and stand accountable for the results.
Self-Management
Focus on results. Yes, take one day at a time, but spend time planning your day. Schedule time for high-payoff tasks. Empower yourself to make your own choices about your time. Distinguish between goals and routine tasks. Eighty percent of your job description consists of low payoff tasks. For example, some phone calls, meetings, e-mails consume a lot of time, but have very little impact on team success. Here's a productivity tip from the book, Productivity Power: "Spend at least one hour each day working on tasks that give the highest payoff."
These are five of the most admired qualities of leaders. Develop these traits and you are on your way to becoming a leader everyone looks up to and follows.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -- John Quincy Adams
Management consultant and trainer Cassandra Washington has created a powerful yet practical guide for anyone who has to deal with the wide variety of unacceptable employee behaviors we find in our workplaces every day. Her clear "how-to" approach helps you get to the core reasons underlying an employee's behavior and then moves you through a logical progression of communication, documentation and action to get the results you need -- even if that includes termination. To order your copy, visit http://www.exceedlearning.com/ (c) Copyright 2008 Cassandra Washington. All rights reserved.
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