Five Leadership Secrets for Challenging Times
by: ED SAUNDERS
We consistently face new and ever growing challenges in the workplace such as
reorganizing, downsizing, and “left out sizing.” We are faced with the question,
“How do we lead in this storm of change?” It may seem difficult at times and the
decisions we make define our short-term and long-term outcomes. I will share
with you five leadership techniques guaranteed to keep you on track during these
difficult times.
1 Integrity.
I put this first because the lack of integrity will make or break you as a
professional, as a leader, as a person in the long run. The lack of this will
turn yesterday’s heroes in today’s villains. For example, “MCI was the apple of
the business community’s eye. High revenues, high profits, and high growth; MCI
was beating the competition hands down.
Then it was discovered that there were gross accounting irregularities that
accounted for the astounding profits. You see, management made a decision, “Do I
continue to sustain good growth and be able to look at myself in the mirror or
do I cook the accounting books and spend the rest of my time covering up this
integrity deficiency? The real shame of the MCI situation was that AT&T, Sprint,
and others in the industry had to cut costs and lay off thousands of employees
to compete with MCI’s false numbers. The lack of integrity at MCI not only
affected the company but also the livelihood of thousands and the industry as a
whole.
I was recently speaking with a recently retired City Council member who is well
respected in the community. I asked her what the secret was to her success while
on the council? She mentioned that one of her political adversaries said to her,
“While you were on the council, I didn’t like the way you voted, but I respected
the way you voted because you were consistent with your votes and had the city’s
best interest in mind.”
Ask yourself what decisions that you make are right for the long term? Be
consistent in your actions, whether it is with management, your team, or your
family.
2. Knowledge.
With change happening faster and faster every moment, it is extremely important
that you gain the knowledge to master these changes. You owe it not only to
yourself, but to your team and management. As I always say, “It’s not having the
right answer, it’s that you have the right answer faster than before.” Many
times during my teambuilding programs a student will say, “I didn’t know where
to find the answer.” Then I will say, “That is an unacceptable answer.” Because
part of being a leader is acquiring the skills to find the right answers. With
the Internet, classroom and online training, mentors, etc., the knowledge is at
your fingertips.
Challenge your team members to use the same resources to acquire the knowledge
to master their challenges. By acquiring this knowledge, you will be able to
navigate your team through the ocean of change and achieve your goals.
3. Decisiveness.
You have seen them. They wait for information, then more information before
making a decision. Then they need more information to support the information
they already have.Then they need a committee to analyze the information. Then
they wait for the perfect time to make the decision.
Well, you know what I mean. Anyone you know? Make the decision! Good things
happen when you take action; you grow, you adapt, and your team grows. There is
no perfect time to make a decision. Leaders make decisions based on past
experience, putting into action the decision, and staying and adapting the
decision if needed. But make the decision. The worst quality you can show your
team is indecision. What do you think your team sees when you can’t make a
decision? Make the decision and go for it.
4. Vision.
This is the ability not only to see what is the present - anyone can do that -
it’s the ability to see the future. Outstanding leaders can not only see their
team for what they can do now, but what they can become, and paint the picture
for them. These leaders are consistently communicating and coaching their team
members to that vision. One of the best ways, and least used methods, to convey
your vision is the team meeting.
Every meeting should start out with the team vision, mission, and goals; and the
rest of the meeting should tie into the vision. For example, the motivation
portion of the meeting should tie into the vision, the information portion of
the meeting should tie into the vision, the training portion of the meeting
should tie into the vision, etc. Also, invest time to develop your team members’
personal visions and show them how they can accomplish their personal goals by
tying into the overall vision. By consistently communicating the vision, your
team will move with purpose, feel they are personally making a difference, and
achieve their goals sooner.
5. Unselfishness
Stephen Covey, in his successful book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
wrote that a true leader must be a servant to the ones he or she leads. The
leader must be able to “give of oneself for the good of the team.” In other
words, be unselfish in words and action. Be unselfish in praise of others, in
public, especially in front of management.
Be unselfish in the ability to take time to listen, really listen to your team’s
concerns. A recent management survey said that the average time management
invests doing “pure listening” to employees during the year is a mere two hours-
just two hours! What was meant by “pure listening” time was listening with eye
contact, acknowledgement, and not answering the phone while listening, not
speaking with another person while listening, etc. Be unselfish in the ability
to help your team. Whether it’s the ability to readily assist with a difficult
telephone call, jump in and remove road blocks for team members, or “be there”
for a team member during challenging moments. Believe me, your team will
remember those moments and excel for you.
Now I challenge you to put into action just one of the leadership techniques
I mentioned above to achieve your vision, your mission, and your goals in the
future.
