Would you like to obtain the respect of
many individuals in your organization?
Do you want your ideas to be heard,
validated, and implemented?
Would you like employees to come to you for
assistance with problem-solving on projects?
Would you like to move up to a higher level
of leadership?
If you answered yes to any of these
questions, read on.
I’ll share with you four qualities
crucial for an effective leadership, which
are summarized by the acronym, LEAD
L is for leadership skills
E is for empathy
A is for action
D is for delegation
Leadership Skills
As a leader, you know that there are
dozens of skills you need. Did you know that
one of the most important ones is
assertiveness? As a leader you must command
attention and let people know what needs to
be done.
Assertiveness is NOT the same as
aggressiveness. The art of being assertive
requires presenting activities as win-win
situations. Aggressiveness is being
demanding and rude. Assertiveness, on the
other hand, provides clear criteria for the
goals to be accomplished and utilizes
rewards to give people incentives.
One of the other key leadership skills is
motivation. Provide praise and rewards. If a
relationship already exists, a reward may be
as simple as the positive feeling they get
from helping you out. You could say, “It
would really help me out if you…”
For an additional incentive, let people
know how you’ll help them or that they may
receive a benefit (time, bonus, etc.) for
completion of the task. It is equally
important that you follow-up and provide
feedback on people’s progress. Continuous
feedback can increase motivation and the
quality of work performance.
Empathy
Empathy is a very important communication
skill. People will respect you if they feel
that you listen to and respect them. This
means more than asking someone how they are
doing. It means really listening to their
response and providing an additional
comment.
Take your time to hear what your
colleague or supervisee says, and then
either reflect it back to them (“so what you
are saying is…”) or provide an empathic
statement (“that sounds very difficult,” or
“it sounds like a wonderful idea, are you
excited?”).
Do NOT ask a question that you cannot or
do not want to hear the answer to. Never ask
someone how their project is going while you
continue to rush down the hall. It is better
to not ask or, preferably, to wait until you
have time.
Action
“Practice what you preach” “Actions speak
louder than words”
These clichés actually have a good deal
of merit. Why should you expect others to do
things that you are not doing yourself?
Research shows that we learn from watching
others and that we sometimes only perform a
behavior is a reward is present.
When I was a manager of a high volume
retail store, one of the employees
complained that she could not figure out how
to discount an item on the register. Rather
than explain it to her, I did it with her.
Then, I had her complete the discount for
the customer. After the customer had left, I
asked her to teach me how to do it. A common
expression in the field of medicine is “Show
one, do one, teach one” This strategy is
very action-oriented and effective in all
settings.
Delegation
Delegation is not simply assigning tasks
to employees. If you delegate this way, you
will not reap the rewards that delegation
offers. There are three fundamental points
in effective delegating:
Assignment of tasks to the proper
individuals.
Consider individual’s unique talents and
attributes in training, experience, and
personality. Weigh who has the best track
record, who is efficient, and who has
enthusiasm for the particular project or
assignment.
Provide clear and concise
descriptions of the projects.
Make sure that people know exactly what,
how, and when the task needs to be
completed, and provide specific time
deadlines.
Create Accountability
Have employees present their progress to
you, the leader, and make employees aware of
what other team members are doing to
increase accountability to the group.
Now you know the LEAD model. But knowing
it is not enough to see powerful change.
Practice one of these steps every day and
you’re sure to become and even more
inspirational leader.
Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA is a
business psychologist and president of
Performance & Success Coaching LLC,
specializing in leadership, communication,
and stress and anxiety management. For more
great tips and complimentary resources visit
www.pascoaching.com.
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