Preface To Leadership Articles
Many of my presentation clients were senior management. A natural second
concentration for me to write about was leadership.
The service I delivered was I facilitated leadership retreats with maximum of 10 of the top managers of the corporation
This is the book I wrote: Get Everyone in Your Boat Rowing in The Same Direction.
Getting agreement on three things which my articles will talk about took a lot of
energy because not everybody agreed.
Read the following articles to learn what I believe needs to be communicated as leaders, so people follow you.
And if they’re not following you, you’re not leading!
It’s as simple as that!
You Don’t Lead With Memos
Today’s leaders are good on their feet. In fact, they are passionate about “What’s important around here?” and “Where are we headed?” Today’s leaders don’t just sit in their corner offices and write memos. They are always speaking to their people, up and down the entire organization. They are out and about, practicing managing (leading) by talking to people. Speaking to people to get them to follow you is what leaders do
I’m a consultant to many organizations. I help them discover where they want to go and how they can get there. I’ve learned a lot about leaders and about leading from people. And I see two essential questions that must be answered by anyone who aspires to lead:
Many books have been written about leadership. Most of them fall into one of two categories: Either they are written by academicians describing the disciplines necessary to lead and the attributes leaders must possess, or they are written by leaders themselves who describe “how I did it at XYZ Company.”
All these books can be valuable. But my professional life focuses on making things happen in organizations, on causing beneficial changes, and on delivering simple, actionable concepts.
So these articles will deliver principles and techniques on leadership that are:
- Easily understood
- Memorable
- Realistically actionable Therefore,
- You will have a better chance to put the principles and techniques to use
- You will have a good chance to reap the benefits of more effective leadership.
What do leaders say and how do they say it, so that people follow them?
All organizations are charged with finding and keeping quality people. Once these people are on board in your organization, they are aching to make a differencehungry to make a contribution yearning to be recognized.
You will be successful-you will have people follow you – only when people think they are making a difference, feel they are contributing, and know that their efforts are recognized and their needs (“what’s in it for me?”) are being met. To make this happen, you must follow five simple steps, or principles. Once you have done this, your people will know how to act and where they can make a difference. They will also know how they will benefit from their commitment to making a difference. Leadership is like love. It’s something you do, not just think about. It must be talked about, not just thought about.
What DO leaders talk about?
- Principle 1: They talk about what’s important around here.
- Principle 2: They talk about where are we headed.
- Principle 3: They talk about what we stand for.
- Principle 4: They talk about falling in love with risk. How do leaders talk to get people to follow them?
- Principle 5: They learn to motivate people
These five principles are the essence of what is necessary to lead people. Notice that they all involve speaking, telling and selling your values, your dreams, and why it’s so vital that everyone understand how he or she can benefit from working to attain your vision.
These articles will take you through each principle and offer practical insights into how to make it all happen.