| We consistently face new and ever growing | | | | Then they need a committee to analyze the |
| challenges inthe workplace such as reorganizing, | | | | information. |
| downsizing, and "leftout sizing." We are faced with | | | | Then they wait for the perfect time to make the |
| the question, "How do welead in this storm of | | | | decision. |
| change?" It may seem difficult at timesand the | | | | Well, you know what I mean. Anyone you know? |
| decisions we make define our short-term and | | | | Make thedecision! Good things happen when you |
| long-term outcomes. I will share with you five | | | | take action; yougrow, you adapt, and your team |
| leadershiptechniques guaranteed to keep you on | | | | grows. There is no perfecttime to make a |
| track during thesedifficult times. | | | | decision. Leaders make decisions based onpast |
| 1 Integrity. | | | | experience, putting into action the decision, and |
| I put this first because the lack of integrity will | | | | stayingand adapting the decision if needed. But |
| make or breakyou as a professional, as a leader, | | | | make the decision. |
| as a person in the longrun. The lack of this will | | | | The worst quality you can show your team is |
| turn yesterday's heroes in today'svillains. For | | | | indecision. |
| example, "MCI was the apple of the | | | | What do you think your team sees when you |
| businesscommunity's eye. High revenues, high | | | | can't make adecision? Make the decision and go |
| profits, and highgrowth; MCI was beating the | | | | for it. |
| competition hands down. | | | | 4. Vision. |
| Then it was discovered that there were gross | | | | This is the ability not only to see what is the |
| accountingirregularities that accounted for the | | | | present -anyone can do that - it's the ability to |
| astounding profits. Yousee, management made a | | | | see the future. |
| decision, "Do I continue to sustaingood growth and | | | | Outstanding leaders can not only see their team |
| be able to look at myself in the mirror or do | | | | for whatthey can do now, but what they can |
| I cook the accounting books and spend the rest | | | | become, and paint thepicture for them. These |
| of my timecovering up this integrity deficiency? | | | | leaders are consistentlycommunicating and |
| The real shame of the | | | | coaching their team members to thatvision. One |
| MCI situation was that AT&T, Sprint, and | | | | of the best ways, and least used methods, |
| others in theindustry had to cut costs and lay off | | | | toconvey your vision is the team meeting |
| thousands ofemployees to compete with MCI's | | | | (Teambuilding and |
| false numbers. The lackof integrity at MCI not | | | | Coaching Skills for Outstanding Results). Every |
| only affected the company but alsothe livelihood | | | | meetingshould start out with the team vision, |
| of thousands and the industry as a whole. | | | | mission, and goals;and the rest of the meeting |
| I was recently speaking with a recently retired | | | | should tie into the vision. Forexample, the |
| City Councilmember who is well respected in the | | | | motivation portion of the meeting should tieinto |
| community. I asked herwhat the secret was to | | | | the vision, the information portion of the meeting |
| her success while on the council? Shementioned | | | | shouldtie into the vision, the training portion of the |
| that one of her political adversaries said to her, | | | | meeting shouldtie into the vision, etc. Also, invest |
| "While you were on the council, I didn't like the | | | | time to develop yourteam members' personal |
| way youvoted, but I respected the way you | | | | visions and show them how theycan accomplish |
| voted because you wereconsistent with your | | | | their personal goals by tying into the overallvision. |
| votes and had the city's best interest inmind." Ask | | | | By consistently communicating the vision, your |
| yourself what decisions that you make are | | | | teamwill move with purpose, feel they are |
| rightfor the long term? Be consistent in your | | | | personally making adifference, and achieve their |
| actions, whether itis with management, your | | | | goals sooner. |
| team, or your family. | | | | 5. Unselfishness |
| 2. Knowledge. | | | | Stephen Covey, in his successful book Seven |
| With change happening faster and faster every | | | | Habits of |
| moment, it isextremely important that you gain | | | | Highly Effective People, wrote that a true leader |
| the knowledge to masterthese changes. You owe | | | | must be aservant to the ones he or she leads. |
| it not only to yourself, but to yourteam and | | | | The leader must be ableto "give of oneself for |
| management. As I always say, "It's not having | | | | the good of the team." In otherwords, be |
| theright answer, it's that you have the right | | | | unselfish in words and action. Be unselfish inpraise |
| answer faster thanbefore." Many times during my | | | | of others, in public, especially in front of |
| teambuilding programs astudent will say, "I didn't | | | | management. |
| know where to find the answer." | | | | Be unselfish in the ability to take time to listen, |
| Then I will say, "That is an unacceptable answer." | | | | really listento your team's concerns. A recent |
| Becausepart of being a leader is acquiring the skills | | | | management survey saidthat the average time |
| to find the rightanswers. With the Internet, | | | | management invests doing "purelistening" to |
| classroom and online training,mentors, etc., the | | | | employees during the year is a mere two |
| knowledge is at your fingertips. Challengeyour | | | | hours-just two hours! What was meant by "pure |
| team members to use the same resources to | | | | listening" timewas listening with eye contact, |
| acquire theknowledge to master their challenges. | | | | acknowledgement, and notanswering the phone |
| By acquiring thisknowledge, you will be able to | | | | while listening, not speaking withanother person |
| navigate your team throughthe ocean of change | | | | while listening, etc. Be unselfish in theability to help |
| and achieve your goals. | | | | your team. Whether it's the ability to readilyassist |
| 3. Decisiveness. | | | | with a difficult telephone call, jump in and remove |
| You have seen them. They wait for information, | | | | roadblocks for team members, or "be there" for |
| then moreinformation before making a decision. | | | | a team memberduring challenging moments. |
| Then they need moreinformation to support the | | | | Believe me, your team willremember those |
| information they already have. | | | | moments and excel for you. |