The 3 C's for Leading in Tough Times

source : http://agentgenius.com/

As a Leader, you’re undoubtedly feeling pressure to get the most out of your team in these trying economic times. But it can be easy to push your people too hard or, worse, pass along your anxieties to them, causing a productivity backlash and lowering morale and motivation.

How to walk the fine line between getting everyone to pull their weight and keeping a cool head?

Professor Christopher Bones, dean of Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the U.K., suggests following three C's - communication, clarity, and commitment - to get through the recession both personally and professionally.

Communication:

Tell your staff what the current market conditions mean to your business and how big the problem truly is. If jobs or earnings are at risk, letting your team know the stakes can both explain the added pressure on them and encourage them to pull together to achieve success.

Clarity:

A clear plan of action is essential. As a Leader, it’s your job to look for new business markets or for opportunities to reduce operational costs. Depending on your organisational situation, you might even want to encourage brainstorming with your staff to help build engagement and allow employees a greater sense of control over their destinies.

Commitment:

When a plan is in place, allocate responsibility and accountability among all team members. Short weekly meetings allowing employees to report on progress and request help or advice can foster a common purpose and help reduce anxiety.

These guidelines form the sound basis for a management strategy even in prosperous periods, but they’re more critical as the financial forecasts become more gloomy.

Any other suggestions for leading in tough times? Share them in the comments.

Source : http://blogs.bnet.com/

"Tough times never last, but tough people do. "

Dr.Robert Schuller

Tip of the Month

How to Encourage Your Team Members to Stand Up and Lead
Source : http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/

To win in today's market, team members have to step up and be ready to take a leadership role. It is not easy to develop leadership skills in others. It's very important to also understand that some people do not share your goals and aspirations. Keep an open mind and learn to use different techniques to inspire different team members to stand up and lead.

Challenge

Issue a challenge. (In today's market environment, you probably have many challenges to issue!) Some people need a specific challenge to motivate them. By laying down a challenge, you also create a very clear and measurable goal for a staff member to achieve.

Appeal to noble motives

Many employees think that their work does not make a difference. By appealing to a team's noble motives, you can increase morale while also setting higher standards for your staff members.

Be empathetic

Always listen to another person's ideas and desires and be prepared to hear their point of view even when you disagree.

Evidence

Back up your ideas with proof. By providing evidence, you can give instant credibility to your ideas. If you have evidence, even staff members who have a different perspective will take notice.

Listen

Listen to what your staff members have to say. Some employees may not want to reach top corporate positions; instead, they may simply be content if their opinions and ideas are valued.

Ask questions

Instead of giving direct orders, ask questions to guide your staff members to think through the issues and come up with their own solutions.

Value your staff

Make your staff members feel genuinely important. Faced with the market challenges today, your employees must be reassured that their contribution and leadership DOES have a huge impact on the company's survival, stability, and growth.

"You have to water the flowers

you want to grow."

–Stephen R. Covey

Source : http://www.dalecarnegie.com/
The link provided by : Tania Roberts, TIL.

Leadership Fundamentals Action Plan

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

Edward Everett Hale

Dear Leaders,

As we all agreed during the session, the first fundamental of leadership is to BE FIRST and to be a role model to the people we lead. As leaders, we have the ability and authority to influence our people to greatness by setting the right pace, raising the standard and creating a conducive work environment.

Therefore, for things to change we as leaders must change the way we act, react, deal with our people and play our roles.

How do you make such changes happen? We know that ‘theory’ is neat and simple but to make it a reality is the hardest part. We also believe in incremental changes and know that change doesn't happen overnight.

In order to bring changes to the way we lead, we would like you to participate in the Leadership Fundamentals Action Plan by following the simple steps below :-

1. Identify at least 3 ideas from the list of ideas from the previous postings that you can implement immediately. (just click on the following links)

How to encourage people and create a good / conducive working environment?

How to be a Role Model and setting the right pace at workplace?

2. Please email them to zahidi.ishak@simedarby.co.nz for record and follow-up purposes not later than 14 March 2009

3. For the next 60 days implement your 3 chosen ways of setting the right pace or creating a positive environment, monitor the changes you see and then at the end of 60 days advise Zahidi what happened.

We believe that this initiative could be the first in a thousand steps to success. The choice is in our hands and as leaders, we need to be the first and lead by example.

Thanking you in advance for your participation in this programme and we look forward to hearing your success story.

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

LeoTolstoy