Coach Train Learn

How To Become A Leadership Legend – Part 1

When you look at the quality of leadership out there in the real world right now, you might find that being a legend is not that difficult.

Here are three prerequisites of leadership:-

A good leader is able to deliver the required results. Indeed it isn’t hard to drive employees hard and for a while to run any business or team in an environment of fear.

Yet legends are more than this.

Any old leader is able to make friends with the employees in their team and be that ‘Good old boy (or gal)’ for a while. Being a good buddy for those you manage isn’t hard.

And legends are more than this too.

Some good leaders are able to come up with a bit of a plan for the foreseeable future (and there are less even of these than you might think). It’s something of a plan on the ‘back of an envelope’ sort of thing, but it’s better than nothing.

The legendary leaders are different to this too.

Check in tomorrow for how to make that leap!

7 Obstacles To Effective Leadership

In this week’s blog post, Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements, shares his thoughts on the obstacles leaders can face. You can find out more at his excellent blog at goalsandachievements.com

As a leader you are judged on your ability to deliver results.  While at times this might seem tough and unfair, at the end of the day it is results that matter.  In theory delivering results is simple but in practice can be more difficult.  So what are 7 obstacles you need to address to deliver results and be an effective leader?

Obstacle 1: Old Mindsets

This might not be the thing that you would automatically expect to see at the top of the list.  Truth is that when we become a leader it is easy to forget that there are different expectations and challenges.  If as a new leader you are still in the manager mindset you are going to struggle.  Even if you are not a new leader old mindsets and complacency can be an obstacle.

Obstacle 2: Personal rather than Corporate Agenda

Ever noticed how someone’s leadership career evolves.  At the start they are a breath of fresh air, full of new ideas and enthusiasm, after a while, especially if the going gets tough, they start to focus on their own survival rather than on delivering success.  Be alert to becoming too focussed on your personal agenda.

Obstacle 3: Vagueness about Direction

As the leader people will look to you to provide clear direction.  After all unless you have a clear direction in which you want to take the organisation or team forward in, how are you going to communicate it and get the support you need.

Obstacle 4: Micromanaging Everything

One of the areas that differentiates the best from the poorer leaders is their ability to let go of things.  When a leader spends all of their time micromanaging everything they get lost in the detail of the day to day stuff and lose sight of the bigger picture.

Obstacle 5: Failure to Act

We have all probably encountered this situation at some point in our career.  The organisation is facing some struggles, needs to take some decisions and most importantly act on them.  Yes it takes courage but failure to act is a recipe for disaster in the long term.

Obstacle 6: Having to be Right

Of course it is great to be the person who comes up with the ideas, turnaround or transformation plan or initiative.  On the other hand when this becomes essential to you as the leader you stop listening, taking ideas on board and potentially miss out on real opportunities.

Obstacle 7: Failing to Adapt

Every situation requires a different response.  Failing to adapt leads to a situation where you become stuck.   In the worst case scenarios this failure to adapt can result in a whole organisation collapsing. Always be ready to adapt to new and changing circumstances.

Bottom Line – Obstacles are an inevitable part of leading.  The question is are you going to successfully deal with them and deliver great results?

Duncan Brodie is a leadership and management expert who can help you and your people achieve extraordinary success. Check his website out at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

Leading Your People With Integrity

Many of our leaders have come under scrutiny recently for the way their behaviours have left something to be desired.

Through politics to business there has been doubt thrown over the way in which those we might expect to demonstrate exemplary attitudes have fallen some way short.

The press (which, in turn has not been having the best of times) has had a field day/been on a mission (you choose) to scrape the bottom of the barrel to expose the arrogance of those who should know better.

Whilst there might be some of the press whose find a vested interest in such exposures, it is hardly an excuse when the toll of disgraceful wrongdoings has been so consistent and prevalent.

It almost makes it impossible to hold any of our leaders in any respect at all, whoever they may be.

At the most tangible level, many employees find the disparity between what their organisation expects from them at a considerable distance from the behaviours demonstrated by their leaders.

Be those behaviours financial, moral or ethical, it must be most challenging to work in the way the organisation expects, whilst seeing the leadership exposed to greed and other misbehaviours.

Leaders can only expect to take their people with them when they show the way.

To expect their people to be blindly following in any circumstance is simply wrong – and a barrel of grime and sleaze the depths of which no-one should be expected to trawl.

Least of all hard-working and loyal employees.

Leadership: 5 Potential Hazards Facing New Leaders

In this week’s blog post, Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements, shares his thoughts on the hazards a new leader can face. You can find out more at his excellent blog at goalsandachievements.com

Leadership: 5 Potential Hazards Facing New Leaders

You have just got your fist leadership role.  Chances are you are excited, elated and feeling generally positive.  At the same time you know that becoming leader brings with it many new challenges and hazard that you need to be alert to.

Hazard 1: Self Doubt

You have got o the level of leader because you are good at what you do, have demonstrated achievement and potential for the future.  Yet you know that it is a big step.  Some people I know have described it as being back on the bottom rung of the ladder again.  Recognise that there will always be doubt and fear when you move into a leadership role and this is totally natural.

Hazard 2: Being Swayed By The Most Vocal

When you move into a leadership role you will have no shortage of people ready to tell you what to do, what not to do, who to avoid, who to get on with to name just a few.  As a new leader you need to take the time to do your fact finding rather than just relying on those with most to say.

Hazard 3: Making Being Liked The No 1 Priority

In any situation there will be people who will support you, others who will block you and some who will jump either way depending on the issue.  Remember that each time you take a decision it will be popular with some but not with others. Take decisions in terms of what is likely to give the best result rather than being the most popular.

Hazard 4: Dismissing The Past

You probably want to make changes as a new leader. Trouble is most people don’t like change.  The poor leader will be critical and dismissive of the past and what happened previously.  The good leader by contrast will still make changes but at the same time try to bring good elements from the past forward.

Hazard 5: Not Taking Control Of Your Time

One of the biggest challenges of any leader is getting everything done and it can sometimes feel like you are drowning. Being an effective leader starts with highly effective self leadership and taking control of your time is a huge contributor.

Bottom Line – Being a new leader brings with it new challenges.  So what steps do you need to take to be a success?

Duncan Brodie is a leadership and management expert who can help you and your people achieve extraordinary success. Check his website out at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

Being the Leadership Model For Feedback

Feedback is a gift that is both widely misunderstood, as well as being incorrectly applied when it is. Yet so many would value the outcomes if a little time was taken to be clear on what needs to happen.

Those dreaded words, ‘Would you like feedback?’ are, oxymoron-like both a carrot and stick at the same time. How could something of such potential value be wrapped around something so clearly set up to beat you up with?

It’s Time for a Rethink

Feedback needs to clearly reflect perspective. And when we think about it, most of us do a pretty good job at what we do, all things considered. In fact, probably 90%+ of what anyone does in their job is pretty good.

Yet how often does so-called ‘feedback reflect and highlight short-comings as that 90%+?

When we give feedback, it’s vital to focus on what people do well – and share with them opportunities to be even better. Feedback is as simple as that, where what people do is proportionally reflected in the feedback they receive.

90% good to great; 10% what might make it even better.

Doing this regularly (so that the ‘Would you like some feedback?’ sinking moment becomes history) makes it more even; more valued and more likely to created important change.

Setting the Example

As leaders, we have an obligation in this, because others look up to us to show the way. When you want to give objective, supportive and developmental feedback, it’s also vital – yes, even as a leader – to take it yourself.

The challenge is to take that feedback and NOT make excuses, give reasons etc., in the moment, but just to say thank you to the person giving you feedback and reflect, both on their courage and generosity, as well as what you need to do differently in response to their feedback.

So often, leadership arrogance tends to get in the way of this, which them precludes their own development and damages the relationship with those of their people who have taken the time to give them the feedback that so often a leader will miss out on.

5 Quick Tips for Transitioning To Leadership

In this week’s blog post, Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements, shares his thoughts on ways to transition into your role as a new leader. You can find out more at his excellent blog at goalsandachievements.com

5 Quick Tips for Transitioning To Leadership

You have just heard the good news that you have secured your first leadership role.  You probably feel a combination of elation and possibly even a bit of apprehension.  So what are my 5 quick tips for transitioning to leadership?

Quick Tip 1:  Do some research

As the new leader you need to quickly get a handle on the organisation or part of the organisation you are going to be leading.  It is vital that you get to understand a bit about the history, the strengths, the opportunities, your peers and your team to name just a few areas.  Make the time to do this as it will be time well invested.

Quick Tip 2:  Create a plan

You will probably have lots of areas that you could potentially tackle but what you want to try and create a plan of action that gets you some early wins while laying foundations for longer term success.  A scatter gun approach is rarely the most beneficial way to go as the new leader.

Quick Tip 3: Make listening the core component of your communication

When someone new arrives or is arriving it creates a degree of uncertainty in those that are going to be impacted.  It is tempting to think that you can step into the job with the blueprint to sort out all of the things that are not working so well.  In practice this rarely works.  People, especially those who have been with an organisation for a significant period of time can offer great insights, if you are willing to make the time to listen.

Quick Tip 4: Regularly remind yourself that the role is different

It is easy and sometimes highly tempting to forget that you are in a different, more senior role with new demands and expectations.  Make a point of reminding yourself of this regularly to avoid the trap of falling into old ways of working and behaving.

Quick Tip 5: Expect it to be a struggle

It takes time to adjust to any new role and this is even more important to remember when you are stepping into your first leadership role.  Chances are you will have gone from a situation where you are top of the tree at your current level to being at the bottom at the next level.  If there is no challenge or struggle you are either not truly stepping into the new role or you are in a job that you are over qualified.

Bottom Line – Your first leadership role will require you to make a major transition.  So what steps are you taking to set yourself up for success?

Duncan Brodie is a leadership and management expert who can help you and your people achieve extraordinary success. Check his website out at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk