Be a Leader - The Importance of Going Home Early!

How you run your business is, of course your business. A little focus from your end will dictate the way your people act and behave. So the onus is on you to show the way.

Why does this matter?

If you create a style of working within your organisation which is able to get the very best from your people, you will have a vibrant business, your people will develop beyond their (and even your) expectations and above all, you will enjoy your work and success more than ever before. Try these eleven quick and easy ideas:-

  • Be supportive - your people need you on their side to be their best, so stick with them and form a partnership.
  • Listen well - and you will hear the real person. This will build deep relationships which are vital.
  • Have clear demands - by ensuring that people are delivering to your expectations, they will be much more confident.
  • Have fun - it is allowed. Bringing fun and laughter into your organisation is a powerful tool.
  • Be fair - to all of your people - treat them as individuals; but treat them equally in their conditions, pay processes and other basic conditions.
  • Give feedback - this helps people get real about how they are doing, which helps them do more and better in the future.
  • Accept feedback - and you too can evolve - your people want you to succeed, so make sure they are hard wired to you and can give objective feedback to you too!
  • Be trusted - by having this as your byword, people start to relax, with no nasty surprises round the corner - this unleashes creativity, makes them feel able to give more and appreciate the working environment.
  • Get a life - show your people that there is a life outside work - take your breaks; get off early for a family treat; make the coffee - and they will learn to relax too.
  • Be human - showing your emotions; fears; hopes; doubts and accepting advice sometimes, all show that you are in tune with your people and this is a powerful lesson in developing a brilliant team.
  • Say thank you - your people will love it if you recognise great work - the easiest way to do that is just to say 'Thank-you' - now what was hard about that - remember they recieve a much bigger gift with a thank you, than it seems to you to give it!

    Great leaders model how they want to be, to their people thus developing a level of relationship which is truly astounding - be yourself, be natural and enjoy your work and your life - and be prepared to show it!

    And remember - go home early sometimes!

    Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, often by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com (Note to editors. This article may be edited for use in your publication or newsletter as long as a live link to the website is included)

    ...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

    In The News:

    • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Innovation Management ? does the idea fit with the firm?

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    Know Your Business! - 7 Key Questions You Must Ask

    You need to know all that is going on around... Read More

    10 Critical Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Consultant

    Talk to as many consultants as you can before hiring... Read More

    Check Your Communication Skills

    Use this check list to assess your communication skills.Focus* Do... Read More

    Working with Hearing Impaired Employees - Giving Them a Fair Go

    Hearing impaired people often encounter difficulty at work because their... Read More

    Truth or Consequences: How to Give Employee Feedback

    In the bestseller, Good to Great, Jim Collins discovered that,... Read More

    Hidden Consultants Within Your Organization

    You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being... Read More

    Phone Sex is Bad for Business

    On August 3rd/2005, Reuters reported that a German man had... Read More

    Managing People - No One Shows You What To Do

    Imagine the following scenario - you pay a visit to... Read More

    Identifying Potential in Ourselves and Others

    If there is someone nearby as you read this look... Read More

    Organizational Culture, Creativity, Innovation

    It can be concluded with great certainty that certain organizational... Read More

    Does Your Management Style Remind People Of Something They Read In Dilbert?

    With thanks to Jeff Foxworthy, the comedian who does the... Read More

    Knowledge Management - Keys to Successful Communities of Practice (Networks)

    How can I make my community of practice truly effective?How... Read More

    Improvements In A Large Public Electric Utility In South America

    The company decided to develop and implement an improvement program.... Read More

    Make the Most of Your Time - Focus on Strengths

    Once working and focused in tune with what they do... Read More

    Turnaround or Terminate? How to Deal with Problem Employees

    Do you struggle with a "problem" employee? If so, join... Read More

    Poor Employee Performance: How to Deal

    KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS: "Document !Document! Document!" Keep a record of... Read More

    Managing Creativity - An Oxymoron! Not

    Interrogated on a beach in Barbados by friends insistent that... Read More

    Innovation Management ? Emotion, Habit, and Culture can be Hard to Change!

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    Hows Your Company RQ (Reputation Quotient)?

    In light of recent corporate scandals, from Enron and Global... Read More

    Islam in the Workplace

    Suggested practice for HR personnelMuslims now form one of the... Read More

    The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Conflict Becoming the Norm ? Part 2

    A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More

    Human Resource Employee Risk Profile - Management Risks Explained

    Human Resource Employee Risk ProfileIs your business at risk? Do... Read More

    People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills

    Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More

    Let the Professionals Help You Out - Outsource

    As your website grows in terms of attracting more footfalls,... Read More

    14 Ways to De-Stress Employee Vacations

    Employees truly deserve paid vacations. Theystruggle through stressful jobs most... Read More

    Spirits in the Corporate Boardroom.......Oh, sure......

    There is a growing movement in the spiritual... Read More

    Communicating CEOs

    I see a PR firm has done a survey on... Read More

    How to use NLP for Business?

    What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?Neuro-Linguistic programme is nothing but the study... Read More

    Nonprofit Performance: Outcome Measurement Can Be A Good Thing

    Does the idea of program evaluation make your stomach churn?... Read More

    Time-Wasting Problems - One Question to Move You Forward

    In any organisation, progress is frequently impaired by the time... Read More

    Group Decision Making : Are the Decisions Really Made by the Group?

    GROUP DECISION-MAKING: Many managers feel they are well-versed in areas... Read More

    How to Reject a Job Applicant

    A Nightmare That Really HappenedOver 10 years ago, when I... Read More