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


    The Truth?

    The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never... Read More

    Diversity Training: The Worst Possible Reasons to Request Executive Funding

    You're on your organization's diversity committee. You have the best... Read More

    If You Build It, Investors Will Come

    When you begin to write your business plan or a... Read More

    Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Ideas for Everyday Training

    This article relates to the Training competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More

    A Leadership Lesson: Two Guys With Guns

    PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters... Read More

    Organize your Office- Seven Solutions

    1. Create a filing system with broad categories such as... Read More

    Dont Hire Squirrels to be Your Top Dogs

    Bad hiring decisions cost organizations, both in dollars and lost... Read More

    He Hate Me: Turning Their Bad Attitude Into Your Great Results

    "He Hate Me" was the nickname of Rod Smart, a... Read More

    Rapid Culture Change is Possible

    Purpose: Show how immersion leadership training makes strategic initiative success... Read More

    Five Defining Characteristics of Great CEOs

    1. Personal insight. Great CEOs are great leaders. They know... Read More

    How Can A Communications Audit Help You?

    Organizations communicate in two directions: internally to staff and externally... Read More

    Managing Performance: Don?t Let Slackers Bring Down Your ?A? Players

    As a manager, it is your job to ensure that... Read More

    Motivation - It Starts with Acknowledgement

    Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It... Read More

    The Inferno of the Finance Director

    Sometimes, I harbour a suspicion that Dante was a Financial... Read More

    The Survey Feedback Process for Organizational Development and Change

    THE PURPOSE OF SURVEY FEEDBACK:In globally competitive environments, organizations are... Read More

    Warning! Meeting In Progress; May Be Hazardous To Your Career

    There ought to be a sign posted on every closed... Read More

    Coaching Champions at Work

    I saw Brian Kerr (the Irish national football coach) on... Read More

    Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water

    Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and,... Read More

    CEOs Role in Family Business

    I first met Roland (not his real name) in 1972.... Read More

    Encouraging Behavior That Gets Results

    You're the boss, and you have every reason to feel... Read More

    Dealing with Difficult People

    You know, this would be a great business if it... Read More

    Deciding What to Delegate

    DECIDING WHAT TO DELEGATE: Once the benefits of delegation are... Read More

    Delegate or Die!

    You Can't Do It All - Learning To DelegateThere is... Read More

    Implementing Change

    There are different reactions that individuals experience during time of... Read More

    Ten Top Ways for Managers to Motivate Their People

    So to help start the ball rolling, here are ten... Read More

    Difficult Employees-Poor Performance - 10 Tips for Dealing with it in the Workplace

    I personally struggle with the term 'managing people' - because... Read More

    How to Keep a Good Employee: Look, Listen, Learn

    Recently a client told me a wonderful story about how... Read More

    Inspirational Power ( Part 1 )

    The Fundamentals of Strategic Marketing, Some Key Traits for Greater... Read More

    A Tricky Supervision Challenge

    Many managers believe that treating their team members as responsible... Read More

    Business Innovation ? Core Competency and Competitive Advantage

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

    Blame Culture Blues - How the Language of Blame Manifests Organisational Underperformance

    If you have ever worked within a large organisation then... Read More

    Are You At The Mercy Of Computer Geeks?

    Many business owners are sabotaging their business without even realizing... Read More

    Business Fit

    I have been an entrepreneur for over twenty years and... Read More