This is perhaps the misconception about team leadership that is the most damaging. It is damaging because so many people believe it and it discourages people from taking on team leadership roles.
Anybody type of personality can be an effective team leader. You do not have to by funny or confident speaking in front of people. You do not have to be tall and handsome or beautiful.
Effective team leadership is not about those types of things. Effective team leadership is founded on your honest efforts to help those around you be successful. You can do this no matter what type of person you are.
There is a common phrase about team leadership that we think does not get the respect it deserves; “He/She leads by example” You absolutely do not have to be charismatic to lead by example, yet it is one of the most powerful ways to lead.
People will follow you based on your actions, not how you look or what you say.
Click here to search our article and newsletter archives for dozens more team leadership tips.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Old Growth Forests and .... Leadership?
We're just back from a few days of tramping around old growth forests near Sisters, Oregon. To show you how weird our brains are it all got me thinking about leadership qualities that are all too scarce in today's business environment.
Some of what you can't escape as you experience the wonder of an old growth forest is the reality of time. The hundreds of years it takes to develop the glorious resource that is around you is obvious and humbling in a way. But what one also can't escape is the impact of man's decisions on this precious resource. I don't just mean pre-meditated crime.. that's obvious. But what we learned about was the impact on this environment over the years from well intentioned decisions by people, by caretakers, by politicians, by business, and by government.
We learned of scores of decisions and actions that seemed right at the time but also caused unintended consequences that resulted in major problems. Unintended consequences... if they had only known.
And that's when my brain started thinking about Leadership. It is simply not enough to do the research, to perform the analysis, to run the numbers, and let the bottom line give you the answer. The most effective leaders we see are those who exhibit leadership qualities that search for full understanding. They search because they know it is likely that every solution also carries some unintended consequence.
They may still make mistakes but the most effective leaders dig deep to see what unintended consequence might be lurking within a solution. They exhibit a leadership style that both questions and listens, especially to those with a different point of view. They insist on additional tactics to mitigate possible unintended negative consequences.
In short, they exhibit a leadership style that goes beyond the obvious and they don't assume they know all the answers. They don't just guess to see if it will work. And they show a responsibility to the overall, not just to solving a narrow problem.
Try it yourself. When your team has concluded a problem study and has a solution in hand, take the extra time to test your brains and uncover and manage "unintended consequences".
Some of what you can't escape as you experience the wonder of an old growth forest is the reality of time. The hundreds of years it takes to develop the glorious resource that is around you is obvious and humbling in a way. But what one also can't escape is the impact of man's decisions on this precious resource. I don't just mean pre-meditated crime.. that's obvious. But what we learned about was the impact on this environment over the years from well intentioned decisions by people, by caretakers, by politicians, by business, and by government.
We learned of scores of decisions and actions that seemed right at the time but also caused unintended consequences that resulted in major problems. Unintended consequences... if they had only known.
And that's when my brain started thinking about Leadership. It is simply not enough to do the research, to perform the analysis, to run the numbers, and let the bottom line give you the answer. The most effective leaders we see are those who exhibit leadership qualities that search for full understanding. They search because they know it is likely that every solution also carries some unintended consequence.
They may still make mistakes but the most effective leaders dig deep to see what unintended consequence might be lurking within a solution. They exhibit a leadership style that both questions and listens, especially to those with a different point of view. They insist on additional tactics to mitigate possible unintended negative consequences.
In short, they exhibit a leadership style that goes beyond the obvious and they don't assume they know all the answers. They don't just guess to see if it will work. And they show a responsibility to the overall, not just to solving a narrow problem.
Try it yourself. When your team has concluded a problem study and has a solution in hand, take the extra time to test your brains and uncover and manage "unintended consequences".
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Leaders Must Have All the Answers
Most management training teaches that the leader must have all of the answers. They are the “go to” person to solve all problems. This is a misguided belief about team leadership.
The leaders with the best team leadership know that no single person can always have the best answer. They instead hone their skills in asking the right questions. They ask questions that allow people to open their minds to more effective thinking. This is effective team leadership.
Doing this allows people to solve their own problems which is much more effective team leadership than being told what to do.
Click here to search our article and newsletter archives for dozens more team leadership tips.
The leaders with the best team leadership know that no single person can always have the best answer. They instead hone their skills in asking the right questions. They ask questions that allow people to open their minds to more effective thinking. This is effective team leadership.
Doing this allows people to solve their own problems which is much more effective team leadership than being told what to do.
Click here to search our article and newsletter archives for dozens more team leadership tips.
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