Leadership 101

How people are led determines whether or not they follow. If they see you as a competent leaders with the skills to lead the organization they are more likely to hear what you have to say. In addition, the way they feel with you as a leader has a huge impact on their level of engagement. Key leaders understand that in order to engage their workers they need to take time to listen to what they have to say. Tom Peters looked at a study done with doctors in which they found that the average time a doctor listens to a patient before they start diagnosing is 18 seconds. The patient has all the information that the doctor needs and yet they do not take time to listen to the person. How many times do you think a misdiagnosis takes place? Tom Peters said… There are a lot of 18 second managers out there as well. Taking time to keep in contact with your people and giving them the opportunity to share their opinions will help them to feel heard and goes a long way toward keeping them engaged. Find ways to create two-way communication and then create a safe environment in which your people tell you the truth about what is going on with them and their work.

Secondly, how often do your people receive feedback and is it both constructive as well as positive? Many times the only time people receive feedback is when something goes wrong. Take time to give timely feedback on a regular basis. The feedback should also be specific. Telling someone good job is nice, but it does not let them know what they did that was good. Spell out exactly what they did that you would like them to repeat. Did they get the report done early? Did they support their co-worker in a stressful time? Whatever they did let them know what it was and the effect it had on the company. Did it increase productivity, support others, or encourage a co-worker? You also need to make sure feedback is given on a regular basis not once a year at a review. An employee review should never hold any surprises for the employee. Leaders need to develop their skills in engagement if your organization is to thrive. Think about it … wouldn’t you rather have your star employees tell you the truth rather than leaving?

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Beth Sears provided her time and expertise to assist us in resolving a difficult and emotionally charged situation regarding our next work season in Africa … Beth was able first to empower us to honor the fact that there was major conflict in our thinking and helped us define a process to deal with the differing opinions. … In our final meeting, it was amazing to see the most entrenched and angry member of the group changed their demeanor. We came to a fine resolution and are a stronger body because of the experience. Beth deserves much credit for guiding and encouraging us and giving us the tools to meet our challenges. I recommend her work without hesitation.
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