Leadership Tip #3 - What kind of leader are you?

What kind of leader do you want to be? What kind of team do you want to cultivate and mentor?

I Liked You Best!

Think of the manager you liked best, what was it about them that spoke to you?

• Were they kind?
• Were they polite?
• Did they lead with an iron fist?
• Did you feel heard?
• Did they check in often or not at all?
• Did they keep you in the loop as you would expect to be?
• Did they lead the team or did the team lead them?
• Did they emulate traits you wanted to emulate or avoid?

You scare me!

Decide if you liked your manager best due to positive traits or due to negative ones.

Sometimes, we are the best managers because of the types of managers we never want to be like. Think about it; if you have/had a manager who was a micromanager, you might be hands off more. If you have/had a manager who spoke badly to you and your team, you might go out of your way to be polite. Worst of all, if you have/had a manager with questionable ethics, you might take extra precautions to be above board at all costs.

Look Inward to Your Team

What's important to do, is to combine all those traits, the good (to emulate) and the not-so-good (to avoid) and behave in a way that your team best responds to.

Because at the end of the day, it's not about you; It's about your team functioning as a cohesive unit and if you're managing the way you were managed, you may be way off base for what your team needs to be productive.

Food for thought for a Wednesday.

Lead well,

Dena.

Leadership #2 - Why aren't they listening?

You talk, you talk, and you talk some more. But why doesn't your team get motivated? Why aren't they excited about what they're doing?

Something we tend to forget is that we're working with human beings and that when we speak to them, that's exactly what we're doing. Speaking TO them. We speak TO very few people or things. We speak TO: ourselves, our pets, our cars, the coffee maker etc.

When we need to work with our teams, it's a good idea to remember to speak WITH them. If we speak WITH them than we include them in the conversation and can inquire about their thoughts on what we're saying.

There will be times in which we need to have something done quickly. In times like that think about being as clear as you can and letting them know that you will follow back up with them when you can about what's happening.

You'll be pleased at the results if you incorporate this into your day to day leadership.

Leadership Tip #1 - Your Team & You

Today's tip is centering around your team and you. What are you without your team?

Nothing.

In this case, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

But how you communicate with them will help dictate how your team functions.

Tip for today - 8-16-10:

Remember your team is made up of PEOPLE. Just like you, they have outside forces that will occasionally impede on their ability to function as an effective team member. Before you provide feedback on performance, take a moment to ascertain (within HR reason) if something is happening outside your office doors that is having a direct effect on their ability to work. You'd be amazed how much harder for you they will perform if you work with them during tough times.

Until next time,

Dena.

Welcome to my Communication blog!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my blog that will provide insight into Communication for Leaders. You might be asking, "Am I a leader if I have no direct reports?"

Yes, you are!

Everyone is a leader in some portion of their lives. Some lead teams within companies, some lead companies, some lead families, some lead friends and some lead groups. There are many many more types of leaders, but I think you get the picture.

There will be weekly updates to this blog (sometimes more often) where I will provide tips for effective communication and ideas to think about as a leader.

If you would like any additional information about these posts, or how to have me speak to your group, office, or company about communication or anything related to Leadership, Communication or Motivation, please contact me at: drloverde@me.com and I would be happy to discuss options with you.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to "hear" from you soon!

-Dena.