Guest Post: 10 Ways To Build Stronger Leadership Skills

Business organizations are complex entities that strongly depend on internal procedures and new technologies, but the truth is that people make the essence of every system. After all, your employees are those who need to understand and execute business ideas in order to make the company function properly.

But if you want to achieve this level of professional productivity, you need to become a genuine leader who inspires people and encourages them to give their best for the benefit of the entire organization. By definition, leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.

Although it sounds fairly simple, becoming a great business leader is everything but easy. It’s a long and challenging process, but it gets easier when you follow a set of proven techniques. In this post, we will show you 10 ways to build stronger leadership skills.

1.    Build a Superior Communicator

A leader can never be a person with poor communication skills. If you want to manage the entire organization successfully, you need to learn how to interact with the members of your team.

This includes both verbal and non-verbal communication as your messages always have to be direct and concise. The goal is, of course, to prevent potential misunderstandings and to ensure effortless execution of business activities on all levels of the hierarchy.

2.    Get to Know Your Employees

The second tip on our list can be considered a natural extension of the first one. Namely, high-quality leaders are eager to find out more about their workers and get to know them privately as well as professionally. It’s a good way to break the barrier between a manager and his/her employees, thus strengthening the bonds within your working community.

Jake Gardner, a recruiter at the bestessay writing service called AustralianWritings, explains how to do it: “Start by taking some time to talk with your staff. Be ready to listen to them and learn about their private and business aspirations.” 

3.    Set Goals and Clarify Duties

Goal setting is yet another very important aspect of leadership that you need to take into account. While you are not supposed to do all the work single-handedly, you are expected to give instructions and clarify duties. Generally speaking, a leader should follow an old journalistic rule and answer the 5W+H questions:

-          Who does what, where, when, why, and how?

If you answer all of these questions properly, each worker will know exactly what to do.

4.    Delegate Tasks and Hire Experts

The best leaders understand that they don’t need to do everything on their own. On the contrary, they are ready to invest in human resources and hire experts to perform certain tasks. Therefore, you should give employees the authority to control their fields of work and hold them accountable for the results they make.

5.    Keep Learning

By definition, leaders are hard workers who don’t accept the status quo. They know that other professionals are progressing, too, and so they understand the importance of long-term personal development. Besides that, the entire world is changing year after year, which is why you need to follow the latest business trends.

For example, sales, marketing, and customer service tools did not exist only a decade ago, but now they play a major role in everyday business. No leader could neglect such developments and fail to use modern platforms to make the company more efficient. Without lifelong learning, you cannot keep the leadership status in the long run.

6.    Give Employees the Chance to Learn

This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one because business leaders are not the only ones who need and want to keep learning. According to the report, 94% of employees claim that they would stay at a company longer if it simply invested in helping them learn. The job of a leader is obvious – give your staff the opportunity to keep learning and you will make a great team.

7.    Reward Productive Workers

People hate when managers don’t show empathy and appreciation for work well done. As a leader, you must learn how to reward productive employees and acknowledge their results. You can do it in many different ways, but these are the usual suspects:

-          Promotions

-          Financial bonuses

-          Small perks and incentives

-          Simple “Thank You” notes

8.    Make Employees Respect Your for Professional Authority

Another critical lesson is to stop playing the superiority card and start proving professional authority. The sheer fact that you are a business owner or senior manager won’t force people to respect you. On the contrary, you have to earn their respect by building professional authority. As soon as employees notice that you are working hard and doing your best, they will show respect and be ready to give their 100% for the company.

9.    Don’t Forget to Network

Networking is a business feature that often separates top-performing leaders from their less agile colleagues. How come?

First of all, a wide network of professional acquaintances will help you to make better deals and find more clients. Secondly, you will often find the most talented job candidates through networking.

This is exactly what recruiters at uk-dissertation.com do – they constantly grow the network of professional contacts and use it to identify and hire the best writers from all over the world.

10.  Ask for Feedback

The last tip on our list is fairly simple – ask other people to tell you what they think about your leadership skills. They can give you valuable and unbiased comments, thus helping you to improve. One option is to conduct face-to-face interviews with employees, but the second solution is simpler as all it takes is to organize an anonymous online survey. That way, people will tell you openly the pros and cons of your leadership style.

Conclusion

You can hardly run a profitable company without some serious leadership skills, but becoming a genuine leader is easier said than done. After all, the most successful business owners and senior managers are rarely ever natural-born talents, but rather hard workers who spend a lot of time developing their professional abilities.

In this article, we analyzed 10 ways to build stronger leadership skills. Keep our tips in mind and take some time to put them into practice – it could turn you into a super-successful business leader!

About the Author: Becky Holton is a journalist and a blogger at Grabmyessay, Boomessays. She is interested in education technologies, help with assignment  and is always ready to support informative speaking at Best Essay. Follow her on Twitter.

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving: 3 Ideas to Appreciate Your Employees

Ah, November. The leaves are falling, the weather is chilly, and the smell of pumpkin spice permeates the air. While you’re probably making plans to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends, there’s one group of people you may be forgetting—your employees.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to express your gratitude to those around you. Making your employees feel appreciated now only promotes mutual feelings of goodwill, but it can make them feel more loyal and dedicated to their work.

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be difficult. These appreciation ideas for employees will help you get in the spirit and show how much you appreciate the people you work with.

1. Take the time to talk to, and get to know, your employees. The most significant way to thank your employees is to get to know them. Take them to lunch or schedule time to ask about their values, hobbies, and interests. Understand your employees. Use what you now know about them to build a customized skills-improvement performance plan. Spend time with, and become interested in, each of your employees.

2. Ask employees what they think. The best way to feel appreciated is to be included – to feel that your perspectives matter. In a Lean environment, we need input from all of our employees to be successful. Including employees in company issues, challenges, and opportunities empowers them, engages them, and connects them to strategy and vision of the company.

3. Say thank you and mean it. Most managers actually do thank employees who do great work. Employees work for more than money. They work for the praise and acknowledgement of their managers. A sincere thank you, said at the time of a specific event that warrants the applause, is one of the most effective ways to appreciate employees. Remember the phrase, “What gets rewarded, gets repeated.” Start to say “thank you” or “I appreciate what you do” when it is deserved, and it will inspire the behaviors to continue. Make it personal and sincere. Catch employees doing great things and respond. It empowers them, appreciates them, and celebrates their performance.

The Thanksgiving season is a great time to recognize employees for their dedication. Finding simple and creative ways to show your appreciation does not have to be difficult. Be creative and try to come up with new ways to say, “thank you” this holiday and every day.

Thanksgiving brings a valuable reminder of the power of rewards and recognition, but these interactions shouldn’t be limited to one season of the year. To keep your employees engaged and productive, find ways to let them know year-round that you are grateful for their efforts.

Lean Quote: Clued-in Leaders are Vital to an Engaged Workplace Culture.

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve."  — Marianne Williamson

Businesses that take the time and effort to improve worker morale and job satisfaction can reap significant benefits; in fact, according to Gallup, disengaged workers “offer perhaps the greatest untapped opportunity for businesses to improve their performance and profitability.” But what’s the best way to increase engagement? Fortunately, it’s not as difficult (or costly) as it sounds.

Let’s get right to business with some key ways to raise spirits and get your culture working for you rather than against you.

1. Recognize and appreciate employees.
Who — and what — you celebrate tells your employees a lot about the kind of culture you have and the kind of culture you want. When frequent and genuine appreciation is modeled every day from the top down, you’ll create a culture that people want to be a part of and contribute to in every way.

2. Value a culture of open-mindedness.
If you want to raise employee morale, your culture must welcome input from all sources, regardless of internal conflicts. It’s the difference between employees that just follow orders and a culture that actively encourages debate and fresh perspectives. When you have many people and perspectives united toward one mission, that’s when employee morale soars to new levels.

3. Enable and empower employees to work to their full potential.
People want to stretch themselves, so potential is a huge motivator for most. It’s also closely tied to employee engagement levels. Find opportunities to be flexible and give employees the freedom to change how they work. When they’re able to realize their full potential, you’ll also see a boost in employee morale.

4. Managers care about employee concerns.
People spend the majority of their waking hours at work, and of everyone they interact with, their manager has the biggest impact. It’s essential to employee morale that managers care about their employees as individuals and show genuine interest in their concerns.

5. Last, but not least: Don’t forget to have fun.
Fun encourages creativity, productivity, and teamwork. It promotes bonding and a positive culture where employees are better connected to your organization. Fun is a great stress reliever, and it gives people something to anticipate. And beyond boosting employee morale, fun at work may even help your organization attract and retain top talent.

Clued-in leaders are vital to an engaged workplace culture. Knowing they have a good grasp on reality boosts the confidence and trust of employees.

Guest Post:12 Tips to Empower Your Staff

Creating a positive environment and empowering your staff is not as easy as you may think. Sometimes it is difficult to know what it takes to inspire trust and encourage productivity. Empowering your employees can difficult to put into practice at first, but it is crucial to the success of your business.

It involves letting your employees in on your company’s vision, clearly defining your expectations, taking time to give feedback and much more. Here are 12 tips to help you empower your staff. 

1. Develop a sense of trust

Your employees will only feel empowered if they know you trust them. Trust them that they are capable enough to do their work without you looking over their shoulders and that they will only call on you as a last resort.

When you micro-manage employees, they can feel stifled and are less likely to produce good work. Employees want a sense of autonomy and a feeling that they are in control of their own lives.

2. Give employees information and resources

If you provide your employees with the information they need to get the job done, you are setting them up for success. Seminars, how-to-guides and thorough instructions eliminate any confusion and employees will feel accomplished when they can complete the work on their own.

Sharing information ensures that everyone on a team understands essential tasks and critical issues. 

3. Communicate a clear vision

A study by George Mason University showed that a feeling of being “in on things” is at the top of the list for many employees. People who don’t have a clear vision aren’t motivated to perform. Get everyone in your company on the same page and spell out roles clearly so that everyone knows their responsibilities.

When they don’t have clearly defined roles, they have no way of measuring their progress. Your employees need clear communication on a regular basis to keep their vision and know why their roles matter. 

4. Take time to give constructive feedback

Employees thrive on constructive feedback. They will only know how to improve if you point out where they can do better. A simple ‘good work!’ can make someone feel good in the moment, but well thought out ways in which they can improve gives employees more to think about.

The way in which you give feedback is critical – you need to inspire them instead of making them feel incompetent. 

5. Be open to employee feedback

Your employees don’t want to be thought of as a number and they want to know that you’re interested in what they have to say. Employees should feel they have a valuable contribution to make to the business.

It could be related to sharing ideas, suggestions, or reviews, to help out another colleague battling to cope with studies and work. Active listening also helps to eliminate misunderstandings and gives employees the opportunity to share concerns. 

6. Allow for failure

Having a voice in the decision-making process when it comes to their areas of expertise is one of the best ways to empower employees. They may make the wrong decisions but you need to encourage them not to fear making mistakes.

If they are allowed to make mistakes and given guidance on why they happened and how to prevent making them again, it is critical to their growth. 

7. Encourage self-improvement

Cultivate the mindset that learning is an ongoing process. Encourage your employees to learn new skills, even if it means supporting continued education or classes outside of the workplace. If you can’t offer financial support, you can at least offer some flexibility with their schedule.

8. Be flexible

Eliminate cumbersome, unnecessary rules, procedures, or policies that prevent people from doing their work to the best of their ability. Allow people some flexibility in setting their own schedules if this does not interfere with accomplishing goals.

For example, allowing a parent to come in a little late after dropping children off at school is not counterproductive. He or she may be able to avoid rush hour traffic and end up being more productive in the long run. 

9. Give credit where it’s due

When an employee goes above and beyond what is expected, give credit for this. Make sure employees know that you appreciate their efforts.

Whether it’s a report that was put together very well or a difficult customer who was dealt with in an exceptional manner, let employees know that you have noticed. This gives them more job satisfaction and ensures they will continue to do high-quality work. 

10. Delegate to demonstrate your trust

Handing down work to your employees is often necessary, but if you only give them tasks you feel are a waste of your time, it can do more harm than good. Look at delegating work as an opportunity for empowerment instead.

Ask an employee to share in a high-profile project or run a meeting. Choose to let go of some of your responsibility and define the end result you’re after rather than the way you expect it to be accomplished. 

11. Lower employee stress

Employees will be stressed when they are in a negative office environment where favoritism, unfairness and gossip are rampant.

The SCARF model created by David Rock, a neuroscientist, gives five drivers that subconsciously influence people – status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness. Respecting these five drivers will help to reduce employee stress in the workplace. 

12. Make sure employees take time off

Make sure employees don’t reach the point where they’re burned out. Actively support vacation time and foster an environment where it is perfectly fine to take a vacation when it is needed. Rejuvenated and well-rested employees are much more productive. Encouraging a healthy work/life balance will garner loyalty and enhance productivity overall. 

Conclusion

Today’s workplace is challenging and helping your employers to be the best they can be involves building trust, creating a clear vision, listening to them, supporting them in their career goals and much more. Loyalty goes both ways and if you hold up your end, you can show that your workforce truly matters to you. 

About the Author: Becky Holton is a journalist and a blogger at essay writing service australia, assignment service, dissertation service. She is interested in education technologies, expert essay writing, best essay writing services review and is always ready to support informative speaking at Uk.bestessays.com, Bestessays.com.au, best paper writing service. Follow her on Twitter.

14 Leadership Lessons from Veterans

I dedicate this blog to the veterans in our reading audience. You have my utmost respect and appreciation for your service to our country.

This is Veterans’ Day here in America, and as I think of leadership, I can think of no better examples than our military men and women. Here are some of the lessons they’ve taught me…lessons we ALL need in our lives as leaders.

1.    Good leaders are disciplined.
They get up early and hit the ground running. They serve when they feel like it…and when they don’t. They establish solid habits.

2.    Good leaders are trained.
They are teachable and purposely train for every possible scenario – drilling lessons so much that the actions become automatic.

3.    Good leaders are conditioned.
They are strong mentally and physically. Lives depend on their strength.

4.    Good leaders are insightful.
They have wisdom beyond their years.

5.    Good leaders are prepared.
Our military folks are prime examples of this. Not only are they personally prepared. They also have a team that is prepared, and they have their equipment prepared.

6.    Good leaders care…deeply.
It’s a “band of brothers” kind of care. Show me a leader who truly cares about his or her people, and I’ll show you a successful leader.

7.    Good leaders sacrifice for others.
Being a leader is not about being served – it is about serving.

8.    Good leaders get out of their comfort zones.
Neither the barracks nor the battlefield is comfortable. But good leaders live outside their comfort zones.

9.    Good leaders do what it takes to preserve legacy.
They have strong principles and protect them fiercely.

10.  Good leaders strategize.
They think, plan, and act. All three parts are critical to success.

11.  Good leaders value their teams.
They know that battles are not won alone.

12.  Good leaders recognize individual strengths.
They know that a team composed of diverse strengths is a strong team.

13.  Good leaders quickly gather intelligence and make informed decisions.

14.  Good leaders focus on a cause bigger than themselves.

I challenge you to do two things today:

·         Thank a veteran for their service.

·         Take the “good leader” assessment above and see how you’re doing as a leader.

Lean Quote: Good Work Days Come From Doing Great Work With Great Coworkers

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"I want to be happy. I realized that being happy isn't necessarily about getting there; it's how you get there."  — Ben Huh (CEO, The Cheezburger Network)

Being happy at work is not just about avoiding bad days – it requires having frequent good days, where we actively enjoy our work. A good day at work is one where you feel great on the job. You’re happy at work and you definitely feel like having more of those days.

In a recent survey, 1 out of 3 respondents love their jobs and have a good work day every day or almost every day. That’s heartening, because being happy at work is not just about the absence of bad days – it’s very much about having many good days at work, characterized by positive emotions about your work.


But at the other end of the scale, 22% experience at most 2-3  good work days a month! This means that 80-90% of their work days are neutral at best and bad at worst. We fear it may be the latter. In our 2015 survey of “bad days at work”, 19% reported having a bad day at work every day or almost every day.

Here are the top 5 single factors that cause good days at work:

1. I did work that I knew was meaningful and made a positive difference for someone else.
2. I had freedom to work my own way
3. I did work I was proud of
4. I had fun with my coworkers
5. I did tasks that I enjoy doing

This clearly shows that it feels good to do good work. This contrasts with the depressingly common view that employees must constantly be externally motivated to perform either by the promise of rewards or the threat of reprisals. On the contrary, we seem to like nothing more than the opportunity to shine at work, especially when that work is meaningful and we have the freedom to work our own way.

Good relationships and fun with coworkers also matters and is one of the top causes of good work days.