When you are secure you can take risks and serve in ways which otherwise may cause you to wonder which people might think. To be released from the opinions of people, whose opinion do not really matter and count is a most uplifting and freeing experience.

Think of Jesus Christ how he was so free to speak and teach as God the Father led him and he says to you and me, “Follow Me”. Jesus was a Father Pleaser above everything else and on more than one occasion the Father expressed His feelings from heaven, saying, “This is my Son, Who I love; with him I am well pleased.”

When we move on to look at the life of the early Church and the reason for certain teaching being in the Bible we discover why it is there.
How did we receive all this teaching about what we call spiritual gifts? It was because of their misuse and abuse in the fellowship at Corinth, and Paul teaches us the proper use.

In Acts Chapter 18, in the New Testament, we see how this powerful man of God, Paul, became so intimately and intensely involved with the disciples at Corinth – after all they were his spiritual children.

When he first arrived at Corinth, Paul went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews and the Greeks, trying to persuade them that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.

By all means be involved in any multi-faith gatherings which might arise, but with the aim of seeking to persuade them that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour and Lord.

Paul knew his gift. His main gift we might say was preaching and testifying that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.
He also knew what it was to listen to God. Paul knew how to hear from God. We come across that in the book of Acts in more than one incident, but here it is in Acts Chapter 18 and verse 9. A man can do a lot and put up with a lot when he hears from God and when that proves to be real and not simply wishful thinking or make-believe.

On this particular occasion, it was the result of his being able to cope with rejection and suffering, and knowing what to do when rejected. When those in the Jewish synagogue rejected his speaking and teaching, he moved from the synagogue to a suitable teaching house next door.

Paul was gifted intellectually, having sat under the teaching of Professor Gamaliel, and he had the gift of humility – great humility. You will find that in Acts 20: 19 – “great humility and tears”. There are not many who can say that of themselves and have Almighty God agree!
Paul knew where he was going, and he could show others the value of going with him. That is essential in a leader.

In Acts Chapter 20, where Paul meets with the Ephesian elders he was sensitive to their needs. These men had received so much from this man over the years. They had been baptised in water and baptised in the Holy Spirit as a direct consequence of his teaching and ministry, and now he is meeting with them for the final time, in Miletus, in western Turkey. I have had the tremendous privilege of speaking there to other Pastors.

Although Paul was very much a strong and powerful leader, we know that he was an approachable man. He wasn’t touchy. He was not the type of man who would fly into a rage at the least little thing.
He was consistent, and people appreciate consistency.
He realised the importance of all the others on the team, because he knew that you cannot buy enthusiasm, loyalty and devotion.
He had authority, and he encouraged other pastors to exercise their authority, and he knew the dangers which face leaders. Nehemiah was to become aware of that too. As soon as blessing comes, danger appears. Over these past 35 years I have know that personally to be so very true.

A parent has to warn children about putting their hand on a hot stove. It is not your responsibility to make sure they enjoy hearing that cautionary warning, but hopefully, as they mature they will understand the reason.

But some people will never like hearing ‘NO’ regardless of what age they are!

Leaders can be dangerous people and leaders have to face various dangers at time. The New Testament leaders were not long in learning that.

We see this supremely in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. His ministry was challenging and radical, and one consequence was that men conspired to crucify him and get him out of the road, silencing once and for all.

They might have been successful in the conspiracy part, but God the Father raised him from the dead – an astounding fact which almost take for granted.

Never again will men be able to suppress and silence the voice of God, because as long as Jesus calls men and women to serve him, his voice will resound and his amazing grace and love will be received and embraced by many.

It is an offer to you now wherever you are reading this article.

95% of Workers Fail Because of This…But They Can Fix It
Did you know that your career success is based on your mastery of one important skill?
Failure to apply your leadership power usually prevents you from realizing success in the workplace.

The organizational chart may not show you as a leader but you can act like a leader if you choose to do so.

Leadership power is the primary cause of successful outcomes, great achievements and evolutionary progress.

Most people think only executives, presidents and generals possess any leadership power but the facts reveal another truth – power is held by those who know where to obtain it and how to share it with others.

The problem with many of us is this – we need to learn how to empower our skills, enhance our competence and energize our leadership power.

Power Principle 1 – Invest in your Infrastructure!

Your infrastructure contains the elements that will make leadership power available to you. You must invest the time and effort needed to build a strong, capable infrastructure.

=> Element-1 – MODEL SUCCESS – study the leadership methods of great leaders
=> Element-2 – BE EAGER TO LEARN NEW THINGS – purchase leadership skills training courses, materials or books
=> Element-3 – APPRECIATE YOURSELF – start recording your thoughts, feelings, desires and experiences in a journal or diary
=> Element-4 – HARMONIZE YOUR MIND – meet with like-minded people who want to improve their leadership skills, talents and behaviors
=> Element-5 – BE WILLING TO SERVE – begin to act like a leader by serving the needs of others through community service, teaching or by taking responsibility for removing someone else’s burdens

Power Principle-2 – See Hope in Visionary Ways!

You can inspire people to act out of their fears or hopes. It is your choice – you can use worry or faith to make people respond to your leadership.

However, I put it to you, which path do you think is more effective, more likely to lead to good things? History has shown us that the best course of action is always based on hope, faith or love.

Leaders must craft a vision of what hope will look like when it becomes a tangible reality. Your statement of hope should include something tangible, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, hopeful, enthusiastic and empowering.

There are many examples of visionary leadership at its most inspiring best. Your vision should strive to be positive and vivid to others and worthy of pursuit by them, otherwise they might not be moved to follow your lead.

Nobel Peace Laureate, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., positively expressed his hope as being the time when,
“…we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

Power Principle-3 – Strategies are for Drivers!

Strategy is for those leaders who yearn to get there! Your vision may sound pretty and look nice but without a vehicle you won’t be able to take your vision on that special date.

Your leadership power gets most of its energy from a strategy that just begs to be driven. Your strategy can help you sustain the momentum and force of your vision.

In my time, I’ve seen plenty of ugly cars, trucks and trains but they all had one thing in common – they would take you wherever you wanted to go and could make the journey of getting there just as exciting, memorable and comfortable as any roadway beauty.

You will need to drive your strategy

=> by steering towards your stretch goals,
=> by filling-up with the right resources,
=> by using a roadmap to navigate through the thorny areas
=> by measuring the effectiveness of its progress and execution.
Power Principle-4 – Do You Speak The Language?
Are your words doing the job they need to do? Are your thoughts reaching out to connect with their hearts and minds? Do you appreciate their uniqueness, commitment and contributions?
There is a certain magic which happens when our words accomplish their purpose. To create the Universe, God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light!

Our words have the power to create or destroy – we must understand that the words we speak have the ability to bring life or death to the situation.

Ideas, procedures, opinions, facts and dreams are reflections of our thoughts. We think therefore we are who we are. Leaders use the language of meanings, beliefs and feelings to connect with and compliment the hearts and minds of people.

Studies on motivation reveal humans are hungry for recognition and acceptance. The easiest way to motivate a person is based on your continual, sincere and realistic show of appreciation for their talents, achievements, good-faith efforts and positive attitude.
Power Principle-5 – Be Congruent, Consistent, Cooperative!
There is something off-beat, brittle and frail about a building that is missing key parts of its structure – a broken roof, steel bars sticking out of the walls, crumbling foundation can make you wonder how or why the building is still standing.

Congruency is the state effective leaders try to maintain in their actions

=> they line-up their actions with their words,
=> they link their values to their behaviors,
=> their attitudes are in-sync with their conversations
Consistency is judged by your performance over time -
=> Do you always apply the same standards to everyone?
=> Do you usually make your decisions based on all the available facts?
=> Do you appear to act and behave in the same ways you do when facing similar kinds of situations?
Cooperative people know that using honey captures more flies! To win over people to your point of view, your history of respecting, valuing and working with their desires, differences and decisions goes a long way in gaining their cooperation with your plans.
Great leaders have always cooperated with people by
=> Asking for their opinions, thoughts and experiences
=> Listening to them, showing understanding by summarizing their statements
=> Incorporating their ideas, beliefs and meanings into the leader’s statements [using the more powerful pronoun, "we" to express those ideas and decisions]
————————————————————
Do you agree that these 5 principles can energize your leadership power? Regardless of your job title or formal authority, using all five will increase your power and effectiveness in your workplace, home and community.

In my life, I have found that these principles do add considerable influence to my ideas and dreams. People tell others that
=> I can be trusted to do the right thing,
=> I always gather the right people together to get the job done in an harmonious manner and
=> My ideas and feelings are exact reflections of their own beliefs and meanings

You can put these principles to work because each one uses your own unique talents, efforts and resources.

Take advantage of Internet research and educational materials, visit other offices, volunteer your time to a worthy cause, take an online training course or two, practice the art of leadership on your friends, family and colleagues at work.

You can become a more powerful leader starting right where you are – you can start today.

“I am personally convinced that one person can be a change catalyst, a “transformer” in any situation, any organization. Such an individual is yeast that can leaven an entire loaf. It requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, persistence, courage, and faith to be a transforming leader.”

Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and other titles.

Can you see yourself acting as a powerful, transforming and enriching leader? Can you use the Principles of Power to increase your influence and effectiveness? Can you be all that you can be and share that power with the world?

You can learn more about this subject by reading our ‘blog’: Leadership skills training & development for creating energy!
Leadership skills training & development for creating energy!
I know you can do it all and do it well and do it with your own personal style – please let me know when you begin the journey and I’ll send you a letter of congratulations.

”Don’t measure your life by your goals, but rather by what you are DOING to achieve them.” –Unknown
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is getting so wrapped up in achieving results, they forget to ensure that people are having fun along the way.

Indeed, having fun is a key ingredient of keeping employee morale up, and inspiring people to continue to work aggressively toward a common set of objectives.

We here at Leadership-Tools.com were recently discussing the subject of inspirational leadership.

Although our discussion took many detours into various subject areas, we found ourselves returning to the basic concept of – having FUN in the workplace.

As a leader, you might be thinking that “FUN” is important, but it cannot be paramount in terms of achieving results.
We challenge you, however, to not just think of having in terms of the “webster” definition.

As a leader, YOU need to define fun, and communicate YOUR definition of fun to your team.
First, let us lay the foundation with a bit of “FUN – philosophy” as we work toward our own definition of “Leadership Fun in the Workplace”.

We believe there is a huge difference between highly successful leaders and those leaders who are working incredibly hard, but not quite achieving the same level of results.

The difference, we believe, is in leadership styles. What do we mean?

The highly successful leader today facilitates, leads by example, encourages and participates with their team members to achieve TEAM results.

When the entire team feels fully engaged and a part of the process, then every team member takes personal pride in achieving the results.

Having FUN along the way supports engagement of each team member. Think about it, being “engaged” is fun.
Let’s be frank, the days where the leader is a strong authoritative director and where all employees simply wait to see what the manager tells everyone to do does NOT produce the results that are recognized by a fully engaged team. The leader may be having fun, but his/her subordinates certainly are not.

Managers who want to micro-manage all the details are finding that it is virtually impossible to do. The marketplace simply demands too much for one person to micro-manage their team.

We all have incredible people working for us, and if we are effective leaders we need to create an environment where every employee feels like they are empowered, and understand they are expected to proactively contribute.
Okay, let’s get to our definition of Leadership Fun in the Workplace.
To those of us here at Leadership-Tools.com, FUN is NOT always laughing, being light-hearted, having low stress, and being comfortable.

Quite the contrary – FUN is:

Working in an environment where people are challenged, they learn new skills, they grow, they seek opportunity and advancement, they take risks, they ask forgiveness – not always permission.

People with these traits make an organization grow – these people succeed more often than fail – and ultimately reap the rewards and recognition of one who consistently achieves results.

They stay motivated with the knowledge that they are the exception to the common rule of human behavior.
All told, they are having FUN because they make a difference and a contribution – they simply do not allow themselves to settle for the status quo. They would rather experience “engagement” – because being engaged – is FUN!

Good luck, and have fun.

When we start in our career, most of our energies and efforts are directed to learning. For example:

• How to use IT
• Gaining a broad range of experience
• Gaining knowledge through professional or business qualifications

These foundations are an essential part of your development but they are unlikely to be a major factor in determining how far you climb the leadership ladder. So what attributes do you need to develop to avoid hitting a glass ceiling?

1. Awareness of yourself and how your behaviours impact on others
2. Clarity on where you excel and where you are less effective
3. The confidence in your own abilities so that you are sufficiently resolute and can bounce back when things are not going so well
4. Flexibility and adaptability so that you are ready to seize opportunities
5. The personal drive to get results in both the good and not so good times
6. The ability to understand and take on board different perspectives. For example, the marketing specialist perspective on an issue will be different to the finance or HR specialist perspective and none of them will be wrong.
7. The desire to provide outstanding levels of service, no matter what you do, even if it is not directly interfacing with external customers
8. Create and get buy-in to your compelling vision for the business or your part of the business
9. A willingness to develop and leverage relationships to get the best outcomes
10. Contribution that serves your interests and those of the key stakeholders in the business

So where do you need to start developing to keep climbing the leadership ladder?

Leaders know observation skills are critically important to success – in any dimension. They work hard to develop their own, and to identify the skill in their people.

Leaders rely heavily on the observations of others to test their own impressions, and to add to their body of knowledge about whatever issue is on the table. Observation is learning on the fly – it’s not something you sit down to do. And every experience adds to your body of knowledge, leaving you a top asset to your organization, your industry, your family, and yourself.

At the same time that it is such a valuable skill, it’s amazing how little value is attached to it by many, many managers. Again and again you’ll see people leave a meeting with the statement that it was a waste of their time. When pressed, they will state that they learned nothing, or the meeting was inconclusive, or they weren’t the right person the be there, or they felt muzzled.

A suggestion: the next time you find yourself in a meeting where you feel it’s a waste of your time, promise yourself that you will take from that meeting at least 3 items of information – perceptions, opinions, facts, observed behavior, that can be of help in your work. Then apply those elements to your relationships. It works – most people don’t do it. Most people don’t become effective leaders. In the case of most people, they don’t even know observation is a highly prized skill.

If you want to be in the top ten percent of whatever you do, work consciously and hard on the development of your observation skills. It will pay off – I guarantee it. If you want to be world class in anything, you gotta develop the skill of observation – seeing the world around you and seeing it every day, in every way, and make observing a habit of thought. The price of success is stepping out – observing the world in all its variety, learning from it, and taking that accumulation of inputs and putting them to use in decision making – in improving intuition – in building relationships.

Ten behaviors and habits of thought critical for developing accurate observation skills:

Sizing up people – people watching
Clarity – seeing the world as it is

Curiosity – asking why

Listening skills

Willingness to set aside personal biases

Willingness to seek the inputs of others

Seeking out new experiences and possibilities

Being comfortable with ambiguity

Knowledge of the behaviors and attitudes of people

Self knowledge – accurately knowing your own behaviors, attitudes and personal skills, and how they impact others
It’s easy to get so focused on our own job that we really don’t see the forest for the trees, even if we’re invited to the highest ranger station in that particular forest.

A personal story:

I was hiking in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and coming down a steep, rocky, narrow path. Approaching me from below was a young woman, baseball cap pulled down over her eyes, dark sunglasses, hydration backpack, and earphones. I stepped aside to let her pass – hikers ascending have right of way – I said “Hello,” and she went past me – within inches of touching me – without acknowledging me! Wow – two people, close enough to touch, no one else around, and not so much as a nod.

Just what does this have to do with observation skills? A lot. This hiker was so into her own zone that nothing around her could enter her consciousness. The birds singing, the green of spring, the warning rattle of a rattlesnake, the crunch of boots overtaking her, the beautiful blue sky – none of it could penetrate her “zone.” I see that a lot. Mountain bikers, hikers, runners- all intent on their journey – oblivious to their surroundings except for what is right in front of them – and in danger of missing all kinds of messages. Observation? Other than their own heart rate, miles covered, calories burned, goals met, time elapsed, mountains climbed, Gatorade consumed, how they feel – they could be in a dark tunnel. Too bad for them – they miss all kinds of critical inputs that could help them grow and develop and enjoy the process of gaining physical fitness.

To the extent that we close ourselves off from the unfamiliar; from things that would challenge us; from things that make us think; from things that disagree with our beliefs; from things that can stimulate our senses, we create our own little cocoon – that safe place where we can exist unaffected by all the stuff that swirls around us. Some people call it focus – I think not.

A suggestion. We all need to gain or regain our sense of wonder about new things. Take a different route to work, buy a different newspaper, listen to a different news show, take a run over unfamiliar territory, hike in the woods or mountains – without your IPod, try a different routine at the gym, eat a meal you have never had before. And observe through all your senses. Gaining observation skills is an active, exciting process. It’s best accomplished by sensing – as if for the first time – the world around you, and then seeing more than you saw the last time.

Try it – today. Become an active observer of life – and gain greater success – in whatever way you define success.

In the executive offices of high-tech companies across the globe, a new weapon is reemerging in the executive arsenal with powerful implications for driving business success: Retention Leadership.

Executives whose daily challenges in the 21st Century global environment are how to work with China and India, understand the MySpace Generation and get more free publicity while paying for less advertising, are familiar with initiatives to increase innovation, streamline business processes and motivate for higher individual productivity. However, these executives are now looking at the work of their organization through another dimension: leadership and the retention of employees.

According to the Harvard Business Review, not paying attention to the retention of employees puts the company in a position to lose people with talents they need, often inadvertently retaining people with outdated or ordinary skills.

In a brain-based economy in need of retention, people are your best assets, not empty chess pieces to be moved around by inexperienced managers. Top managers improve retention rates if they immerse themselves in creating an environment where the best, the brightest and the most creative are attracted, motivated and set free to produce.
Three critical leadership drivers bring high retention results:

Driver #1: Connect on a Human Level

Dealing with data, bytes, and scientific thinking in a high tech environment can obscure the fact that you are working with human beings with emotions and mortal needs. A good retention program starts with managers who know how to connect on a human level, not just be someone whose position on the organizational chart makes it possible for him/her to force compliance to rules and policies.

People will personally commit to certain individuals who on the organizational chart possess little authority, but instead possess pizzazz, drive, expertise, and genuine caring for teammates and products. Think of the power of having a position on the organizational chart as well as the personal charisma to inspire and lead.
These three things will make your formal title jump off the org chart, creating synergistic team work and expanding your influence:

Check the Ego. Never let your ego get so close to your position that it defines your position and eclipses everyone else in the department or on the team. In well-run organizations, titles are also pretty meaningless. At best, they advertise some authority, an official status conferring the ability to give orders and induce obedience. But titles mean little in terms of real power, which is the capacity to influence and inspire.

Flex your style. Blindly following strict managerial guidelines or the current management fad generates rigidity in thought and action and reduces your credibility. Learn to flex your style: Sometimes speed to market is more important than total quality. Sometimes an unapologetic directive is more appropriate than participatory discussion. Some situations require the leader to hover closely; others require long, loose leashes. The best leaders honor their core values, but are flexible in how they execute them. They understand that management techniques are not magic mantras but simply tools to be reached for at the right times.

Exhibit optimism. In a recent seminar, I met Bernard “Butch” Deuto who was a young man at NASA working on the ground crew during the Apollo 13 crises. He said that during the crisis, there was no doubt, no negativism, no whining, no pointing of fingers. There was only an optimistic attitude and a determination to succeed. Failure truly was not an option. Failure never entered their minds. In a similar fashion, when faced with tough competition, cost overruns, product defects and a myriad of other problems, a leader with determination and optimism focuses workers on solutions, not problems. Morale improves.

Driver Two: Offer leadership Training that Focuses on the Growth of the Employee

Studies document that an employee’s level of satisfaction with their direct manager’s leadership style is critical to a satisfactory work environment and to retention. Researchers find that the relationship with the employee’s immediate supervisor carried more impact on the employee than overall company policies or procedures. This relationship also determines productivity levels. To keep bright employees engaged in their jobs and performing at high levels, managers should provide:

- Information. Information is a source of power. Unskilled managers keep it close to the vest and stingily dole it out in snippets of information on a “need to know” basis as if the employee was on a top secret mission. Without a big picture of the project, it is easy for employees to stray from the vision or end-goal of the product or service.

- Support. Mental and emotional support takes many forms. Setting clear goals, accepting ideas, affirming suggestions, making recommendations when stuck on a particular point are all ways to support. Perhaps the best support for the retention of entrepreneurial-minded, innovative employees is to give them the room to try innovative ideas and take calculated risks without the fear of failure, retaliation or a pink slip.

- Resources. Resources are not just pencils, printers and up-to-date software but also involve access to other people in the organization. Providing the appropriate resources may involve putting together special teams to tackle tough problems and stimulate creative ideas.

- Opportunities. Employees need the opportunity to improve their own status within the organization and to invest in themselves in the form of personal development. People will jump ship not just for more pay, but for better opportunities to learn and grow. Retention leadership encourages everyone’s evolution.

Driver Three: Insist on ethical conduct.

The fastest way to alienate the best and the brightest of your workforce and send them networking for another job is to destroy trust by unethical behaviors. Since the Enron debacle, Forbes.com maintains a list of corporate accounting scandals with tainted companies ranging from Bristol-Myers Squibb to AOL Time-Warner. Just recently, national news carried the blow-by-blow confidential information leaks from industry giant, Hewlett Packard.

Unethical behavior is a precarious precipice with resulting chaos in employee ranks. Successful organizations have a leadership team that insists on honesty and ethical conduct at every level in the organization. In essence, the excellent leadership team creates an organizational culture of integrity.

Culture integrity, however, is more than insisting on ethical behavior. It is more than requiring ethics training for all employees. On a deeper level, it is:

- Living and validating organizational mission and vision.
- Leading by example in matters of honesty and trustworthiness.
- Aligning employees with organizational values.
- Encouraging candid conversations.
- Insuring that deadlines are met.
- Demanding high product standards.
- Replacing blame with problem analysis.
- Rewarding employees appropriately.

Implementing the Nine Principles of Culture Integrity(TM) in your organization involves attention to employee accountability as well as managerial responsibilities. For instance, leadership integrity involves providing clear instructions for the parameters of the project while permitting the employee to retain responsibility for clarifying instructions and meeting deadlines.

Good employees respond to Culture Integrity(TM) standards and to leaders who convey an unwavering firmness and consistency in their actions while exhibiting clarity of purpose.

Conclusion

These three leadership retention drivers will retain your best and brightest employees and contribute to the forward movement of your company in the chaotic 21st century global workplace.

According to some research studies, the number one reason why managers and executives find themselves with a stalled or underperforming career is a lack of interpersonal skills. This might seem surprising, given the amount of training and attention given to technical skills and business knowledge, but the fact remains that there is more to career success than just knowing the facts.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

A typical business degree program or executive training program will focus on what are considered hard skills. Examples might include strategic business planning, financial analysis, budgeting, or product development. These are all important things to know, but an increasing number of companies are also interested in the so-called soft skills.

These soft skills are best defined as how a manager interacts with people. An evaluation of soft skills might include answer the following questions:

What behaviors does the manager consistently demonstrate?
How is the manager viewed by others at levels at, above, and below his or her organizational level?
How does the manager communicate with others?
How does the manager handle team-building situations?
Does the manager get along with other people?
Getting Personal

Many business professionals have difficulty with soft skills because they are so personal in nature, but it is exactly these soft skills that are keys to success as a manager and leader. Even more difficult is accepting the reality of poor soft skills and making an effort to improve.

It is not enough anymore to know how to analyze a profit and loss statement. A good manager or leader will take that profit and loss statement and use it to coach employees, facilitate team productivity, and lead toward performance improvement. This cannot be done simply by reading the numbers and telling people that numbers need to change. It is done by interacting with people in a way that encourages them, motivates them, and reinforces their value to the team.

Improving Interpersonal Skills

The good news is that everyone can learn new interpersonal skills and improve upon their old ones. Most managers will say that they already have good interpersonal skills, so it comes as a shock when they receive open, honest feedback that says they need to make improvements. Only through such feedback, though, can areas for improvement be identified and specific goals set for practicing new behaviors.

For example, if you are perceived as a poor listener then you can practice new behaviors to change that perception. You might set a goal to focus more on listening to another person in one-on-one situations, or to limit your contributions in a group discussion so that others can contribute more.

Another strategy is to enlist the help of a learning partner. This person observes you and provides you with regular feedback on whatever behavior you are trying to improve. He or she is your cheerleader when you do well and your coach when you can do better.

Putting it All Together

The bottom line is that when it comes to being a good manager or leader, you must master the hard skills of your specific job as well as the soft skills of interpersonal relations. Interpersonal skills must be a focus of your leadership development. Some people are naturally better at personal interactions, but anyone can learn to do better. The key is to recognize the importance of interpersonal relations, honestly evaluate your skill level, and consciously improve those behaviors that need work.

Leadership is Motivation, the Leader is a Motivator

We’re not talking about the kind of motivator who arrives and excites everyone and then leaves. That is not motivation. Real motivation lasts longer than twenty-four hours. Real motivation is the key to effective leadership, and leadership is the key to effective motivation.

When organizations establish quotas for their sales teams, they should involve their sales people in the process of the setting of their targets.

Effective sales managers give their teams, an overview of the full picture and what the company is trying to achieve. Then, they work with each person to establish individual targets that will meet or exceed the corporate objectives.

Every target must be specific and detailed, then, your people can visualise its outcome. Make the target important to the person who is responsible for achieving it, if not, they may lose interest, particularly if it is a longer term objective.

Targets should have a good chance of being achievable while still challenging the individual to push themselves beyond their existing comfort zone. Each target must be relevant to the main objective of the organisation and relevant to the overall success of the company.

Set a time frame and deadline for each target and ensure the deadline is realistic but, at the same time, challenging.

Work with your team members to help them determine the targets that would be most appropriate for their development and growth and work with them to develop the appropriate action steps to achieve these targets and you will see a noticeable improvement in their performance
Communicate and tell your team what is happening, sales people are hungry for information and from my experience, can be trusted with company details. Unfortunately, too many corporations and their middle managers feel that people should only be given information that is relevant to their specific job.

Keep them aware of the progress you are making in achieving your targets, people are naturally curious and want to know how they are doing. Do not reveal confidential information, but share information about the overall status of the company.

If sales are down and you need your people to focus on generating new accounts or business then tell them. If costs are climbing then advise your employees that they need to be aware of their expenses.

Regular update meetings, email correspondence, broadcast voice mails are just some of the ways you can communicate with your team. Another effective method is through casual discussions.

Communication must be clear and concise, employees want to know where they stand and, all but a few, want to do a good job. They want to know how, you, as their manager, view their performance. That’s why it is critical that you give them direction and feedback on a regular basis.

Experience has taught me that people will work harder for someone who praises them and recognises the effort they put into their work. Acknowledge their energy and performance, their effort and commitment, how hard they worked and how involved they were with it.

Your sales people have a lot of knowledge and information and can often contribute valuable suggestions to improve the business. If you really want to create a team of highly motivated sales people take the time to listen to their comments and ideas.

Foster an environment that encourages the open sharing of information. Great leaders are always open to new ideas and methods of improving business and some of the best ideas come from the customer facing employees.

This last point is the most important. If you want a highly motivated sales team, then you must lead by setting the example. You must demonstrate enthusiasm, energy, team cooperation, honesty, integrity and commitment.

Treat people with respect and dignity, give them the tools to excel, grow and develop and encourage them to participate and get involved. Ask them for feedback, listen to their comments, and act on suggestions that will help your business succeed.

Set and communicate high standards, provide positive reinforcement when your team members perform and involve them. You will soon see a team that will do almost anything to help you succeed.

We know them and the pictures of these well to do and well known people are flashed across TV screens daily. We also see them in magazines on a regular basis. People love celebrities and so they monitor every move that these famous celebrities make, they also daydream about what it is to live the life of these celebrities. Wondering how they got there as well is also part of the curiosity mix. For people who took the time out to work their way to the top and not on a circumstantial basis, that is part of the usual rise that people experience on a regular basis.

When we consider leaders we do not only think of those that have been good and exemplary. In history you will have plenty examples of different kinds of leaders from which you can choose from. Some of these leaders make us smile while others make us want to do the opposite and erase them from the annals of history. What kind of leadership did some of these famous leaders show?

Martin Luther King:

He was a speaker who provided inspiration to a lot of people. Most popular among his inspirational speeches was the “I have a dream “speech. This speech brought a lot of people into taking action as King spoke with authority and was capable of mobilizing an entire country that shared his vision.

Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Cosmetics):

Anyone who thinks of pink Cadillac’s is completely right. The pink Cadillac symbolizes a highly successful and top performing company. The brand of inspirational leadership that Mary Kay has provided has turned as simple $5,000 investment into a billion dollar establishment.
Jack Welch:

When you remember this name you think of GE. With about 2 decades of direction and leadership, GE transformed from a million dollar company to a company worth billions of dollars. His style of leadership led him to be called both ruthless and fair at the same time in the business decisions that he made. Managers were allowed to do whatever they wanted as long as were able to create continuous change and do whatever they had to do a whole lot better.

Leona Helmsley:

This woman was renowned for her autocratic and tyrannical style of leadership. She was the president of the equally popular Helmsley hotel chain and went to jail when her employees gave away hotel records implicating her in tax evasion schemes. From then on she traded her life from living in a hotel suite to staying in a jail cell.

John F. Kennedy:

He was a very charismatic leader who along with is wife turned the White House into a fairy tale story. As a president he also energized the nation and made the space program a national affair. With his vision he set a goal that was reached and for which he will be eternally remembered.

Martha Stewart:

The image of a meticulous and highly demanding individual easily comes to mind when you think of this woman. In her we find a sizeable amount of controversy but she continues to flourish with her organization and is effectively served by her autocratic style of leadership as well.

Eleanor Roosevelt:

Americans all over the nation were told that: “We are on trial to show what democracy means.” She was both a champion of civil and women’s rights and she showed compassion to the poor in the depression era. Another lesson she inspired in her own true words was: “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.”

Leadership styles are crucial to success. We can find leadership in places in different places around us. Each of us will find ourselves taking leadership roles at one point or the other in our lives. We can easily find leadership in the world of business, sports, religion, and politics and even at home. Different types of leaders exist and you will come in contact with one type or the other over a period of time.

If you understand different leadership styles and what they can do, it will help you become a better and more effective leader.

In 1939 the famous psychologist Kurt Lewin identified the basic styles of leadership in existence. The three styles of leadership have been established but types which are more specific have been found since that time. Leaders should never be confused with managers. Leaders are always in positions of management but not all managers are leaders. Good leaders tend to use a style or a combination of styles that works best with a situation.

Autocratic:

This is a dictatorial type of leadership where a single person makes the entire decisions. Expectations are always clear. This sort of leadership is the type that causes the most discontent in any establishment. It is rarely used but it can be be used for the completion of routine or unskilled tasks.

• Whatever needs doings and everything about how and when are the entire responsibilities of the leader.
• Permits quick decisions when time is of the essence.
• This approach isn’t a creative one. Doing what you are told regardless of what you are told. Obedience is mandatory and so it is a strict form of control.
• You should use this autocratic form of leadership when a group or member has no knowledge of the practice or the procedure.
• This sort of leadership usually works when there is hardly any need for input or when Input would hardly affect the decision or the outcome.

Democratic:

Democratic leadership is a leadership style that is participatory and it is the most effective form of leadership. Employees and team members will feel in control of whatever they do and when they are involved in the decision making process which leads to a greater sense of satisfaction and a better feeling of being appreciated. However the leader will have the final say in everything.

• The leader will act as guide to others. He will accept and look for ideas and suggestions by way of discussion.
• Though the leader may have the final say on what happens the team is part of the entire process.
• Democratic style can lead to problems because the final decision is held back by a wide range of opinions.
• People tend to be more committed because they are involved in the decision making process. They have a personal stake in the outcome of everything that happens.
• This style of leadership tends to benefit everyone who is involved and helps them improve their people skills.

Delegative/Free Rein:

When you’re a leader you can’t do every single thing alone. A leader must learn to organize his priorities and delegate tasks and decisions to others while taking the final responsibility.

• Works best when the team or members of the team know a lot more about the subject in question.
• Highly motivated and well trained people work best with this sort of style.
• Minimal in direction.
• Allows decision-making by team members