The following are just a few thoughts on leadership that I keep discovering...
Feel free to add your own in the comments.
Be Prepared:
If we as leaders show up without preparing or with the appearance of being unprepared then we create a bad experience for the team or group from the start.
Do not let thank you be a set of words heard only once per year:
They are simple words that mean a lot so we must use them.
Do not ask for more without first using what your team has given you:
If we ask for a new report or document to be created take the time to look at it before asking for more. If it is not important enough to devote our time to using it then maybe we should have thought about it more before we ask for it. This can be true of resources, time, or money. We must remember not to waste any of them if we can.
We must do the little things for our team:
They both remember them and enjoy them. Don't just send that boiler plate company birthday card, take the time to write a special thank you greeting for their birthday. You should remember what is important to them and see how you can feature it though out the year. If they are big music fan maybe you send them a few itunes credits or tickets to a concert. Personalization is a powerful thing.
If we as leaders do not provide for the team's and the individual's needs then they may not be able to hear ours:
Take time to see how things are going with your team and the individuals. What do they need? What road blocks can you help with? This extends to their personal life as well because if they are focused on the outside problems then they will not be focusing on the needs of company or the team.
Pull on the introverts and push on the extroverts:
We need to take time to insure that we are collecting the great ideas from the quite part of the team and sometimes that means we may need to hold back on those "gifted in expressing themselves."
Demonstrate what you expect:
If we like a certain trait we must make sure it is feature in our style.
You do not have to like it to learn from it:
Whether it is presentation style, content, or the message as a whole we do not have to agree with it to take a few new thoughts or perspective from it. If nothing else you have learned how others see the world and what you must work around or through to be successful.
Leaders must remain learners:
We must not stop the study of life once we "reach leadership". Sometimes we need to hear it said "shut up and learn"
Leaders Listen (Thanks for this one Dan)
True leadership requires asking questions and actively listening to the answers. New leaders should spend time talking with the team and understanding the situation before creating new policies, procedures or requirements. In short, Listen more talk less.
One thing that I find important is having a real understanding of the efforts you are leading. That is to say, have you as a leader rolled up your sleeves to pitch in on some of the day to day projects? If you don't have an understanding of what goes into the work that is being performed then you aren't going to be able to empathize with your team. I also can't think of a better sign of support than pitching in even with the grunt work--it goes a LONG way in showing your commitment to the project at hand and the team as a whole.
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