Living As A Leader™ Daily Tips

Understand that technical expertise does not translate directly to leadership expertise.

Moving into a position of leadership requires a serious commitment to learning how to be a leader.   Sign up for seminars, read books, talk to someone you admire who is in a leadership role.  Then, practice what you are learning.  It´s a process.

Balance accountability and inspiration.

Manage your employees´ performance on an ongoing basis while listening to them and involving them in decision making.

Appreciate that everyone comes from a different past.

One of the advantages of leading a team is the wealth of diverse experience your team members bring to the table.  If you´re asking the right questions and listening, the differences among team members that occasionally produce disagreements and tension, can become your team´s greatest strength.

Ask and listen.

Provide opportunities for regular interaction with employees.  Your employees are in a position to know where the problems are and, they have ideas regarding how to solve those problem.  Ask for their input.  They will feel valued, and you will gain additional insight.

Serve others.

Be a technical resource to your employees.  It´s your job to facilitate their optimal performance.

Provide positive feedback.

Employees need to know when they´re doing things right.  If you don´t take the time to tell them, they may interpret your silence as a sign of disapproval and may change the way they are doing things.

Provide improvement-oriented feedback.

People do not usually do their jobs poorly on purpose.  If you are dissatisfied with an employee´s performance, tell him/her when you see the undesirable behavior.  Be sensitive, and be specific.  People want to do things right.  Help them.

Recognize and reward employees.

Thank you notes, pats on the back, a mention in the employee newsletter, one-on-one feedback: these and other forms of recognition go a long way to motivate employees and strengthen their loyalty.

Act with kindness.

Communicate with your employees in a calm and supportive manner.  Screams and insults only serve to damage your relationships with employees.  Explosive and demeaning responses to employees humiliate and create fear rather than fostering what should be an environment of mutual respect and harmony.

Act with integrity.

Be true to yourself and your beliefs.  Your team will respond positively to a leader they know they can trust and respect.

Act with humility.

Value your employees above yourself.  Look for opportunities to shine the spotlight on others.  Think of yourself less and your team members more.

Be tolerant.

Be patient with your employees´ weaknesses, and admit your own.  Remember, people want to do well.  If an employee falls short, investigate the reasons why, and help him/her make the necessary adjustments.

Set the standard.

What behaviors do you expect from your employees?  You must be the role model for those behaviors.

Build relationships with your employees.

Make time to get to know your team members.  Find out what their expectations and needs are.

Stay in control of your emotions.

Do not show your frustration or anger.  Always strive to be tolerant, patient, and respectful.

Be more other-centered and less self-centered.

Lead other-centered meetings, involve team members in problem solving and decision making.  Make them feel important and appreciated.  Show gratitude.

Admit your mistakes.

You are only human.  Sometimes you are going to be wrong.  A leader admits his/her errors and asks for help.

Stay curious.

Ask questions, stop and gather information, listen to your employees.  Curiosity leads to discovery.

Inspire, don´t bully. 

A leader´s power comes from being a person your team admires and respects.  Getting what you want through humiliation and fear will only create resentment.

Work side by side with your team members.

You will gain the respect of your employees by demonstrating that you are competent and hardworking.  And you will be setting a great example.

Create a culture of civility.

As a leader, you must model appropriate behaviors which reflect personal values, standards and habits, i.e., respect for all workers, providing a sense of belonging to the team, appreciation of team members.  And you must stop inappropriate behaviors in team members and in yourself.

Help create the norms by which your team will operate.

A leader identifies the personal values, standards and habits that should be used to create workplace boundaries and expectations.

Develop an awareness of your Emotional Intelligence.

A leader´s self-awareness, self control, collaboration with others, and the ability to resolve conflicts are enhanced when you learn to monitor your own and others´emotions.

Identify your personal and professional standards.

What do you stand for?  What attitudes and behaviors do you value?  How are you living those values?  Write the answers to these questions and compare your values with those of your organization.

Acknowledge personal habits and external forces that prevent you from living up to your values and standards.

Determine what triggers these slips in behavior, and make the necessary adjustments. 

Live your values.

Your employees look to you for consistency.  If you plan to hold them accountable for upholding these values and standards, you must hold yourself accountable too.

Be proactive in creating a culture of civility in your organization.

Spell out the boundaries within which all will be expected to behave.  Communicate those boundaries.  Have a meeting with your staff to inform them of the boundaries you are establishing. 

Enforce boundaries.

Use positive energy to reinforce them when they are crossed, rather than expending negative energy putting up with inappropriate or offensive behaviors.  

Foster a work environment where employees feel free to speak up.

No one wins when employees are afraid to express their opinions, ideas, criticisms, and suggestions.  An oppressive workplace causes employees to resent their managers and withhold valuable information.

Uphold the legal and safety obligations of your organization.

Abiding by the law will make your employees feel safe, protected and valued.

Strive to control the day-to-day stress.

Neverending work overloads and time pressure will produce stress, anger and depression in your team members and in yourself.  Try to build periods of relative calm and peace into the schedule.

Clarify your employees´ job responsibilities.

Determine whether employees have too little or too much responsibility.  Are they overworked?  Are they sufficiently challenged?  Talk with them and find out what they need.

Tell the truth, even if there is a consequence.

Lies, half-truths and misinformation lead to an inevitable erosion of trust and confidence.

Be courageous.

Let people know what you stand for.  Choose behaviors that match your values.  Address situations that cross your boundaries.

Give yourself permission to make mistakes.

Sometimes you´re going to be wrong.  That´s O.K.  Show your team that human errors are opportunities for forgiveness and growth

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Accept responsibility for establishing and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships with your staff.

A leader takes the lead.  Get to know the people you work with.  Be available to them.  Take an interest in their lives.

Establish and maintain a relationship of trust with every member of the staff.

A leader shows respect to all, regardless of job titles or levels of educational background.

Avoid the 3 “Bs.”

A leader will not bicker, backbite, or blame.  To foster a healthy and happy work environment, a leader will discourage those destructive behaviors in others.

Reenergize yourself.

Breathe—this increases oxygen to the brain and the body.

Reenergize yourself.

Check your posture—slumped shoulders decrease oxygen to the brain by 30%.

Reenergize yourself.

Sip ice water—this stimulates the brain while increasing your metabolism.

Reenergize yourself.

Look at a bright light—this stimulates the neuro-transmitters in your brain.

Reenergize yourself.

Laugh and smile—these simple acts are proven to increase endorphins and shift moods.

Hold employees accountable.

A leader needs to communicate clearly the goals and expectations he/she has for employees.  Let employees know when they are hitting the mark and when they are falling short.

Set goals jointly with your employees.

Taking into account employee interests and concerns will increase their involvement and commitment.  Let them assist in the creation of their work goals.

Monitor employee performance on an ongoing basis.

Identify what you should monitor.  What tools do you have available for monitoring?  What are the obstacles that get in the way of monitoring? 

Conduct performance appraisals that bring out the best in employees.

During the appraisal process, get the employee´s input.  Compare your perspective to the employee´s.  Listen to your employee.  This should be a two way conversation.

Observe, assess and appraise employee performance every day.

A leader gives his employees feedback continually and in a variety of ways.  Employees are motivated through feedback that is sensitive, specific and timely.

Set clear goals and expectations.

Clearly identify the “destination” and then set goals with the employee to reach that destination.  This will save time, money and energy because they will focus on what´s really important to the organization.

Be specific during the goal setting process.

A leader expresses goals that are exact, clear and explicit.

Set measurable goals.

The goals that a leader sets for him or herself and with employees should be defined in quantitative terms.  Upon reaching x %, x number or x level, a goal is achieved.

Set reachable, realistic goals.

A leader must set goals that are balanced.  They must be challenging yet practical and possible.

Set goals with realistic deadlines.

A leader needs to be mindful of corporate goals and establish timely employee goals that will move the company toward meeting its goals.

Anticipate obstacles that your employees may encounter in their attempt to reach goals.

A leader and his/her employees should talk candidly about real and potential barriers to reaching goals.  As a leader, you must support your employees through ongoing, open communication and by providig the necessary resources.

Reward your employees for achieving goals.

Everybody needs and responds to recognition.  Get to know your employees.  Each person is motivated by different rewards.  Find out what will be meaningful to each employee.

Peel the onion!

During a performance appraisal, get to the core of how your employee feels about his/her performance.  Ask open-ended questions that invite employee participation:  Can you give me a couple of examples?  What do you mean when you say...?  How can I help you?

Plan what you´re going to say before a performance appraisal.

By planning you´re positioning and transitioning statements, you can direct employees to talk first.

Gather information throughout the performance review.

Ask and listen.  Don´t interrupt and tell.

Remain open-minded.

Most ideas, solutions and processes aren´t perfect.  Don´t stay married to an idea just because it´s yours or because “it´s how we´ve always done it.”  Listen to other ideas.

Inspire your employees to perform.

Listen to them, involve them in decision making, encourage them, praise their progress, and facilitate their interaction with others.

Don´t get emotional.

As a leader, you need to stay cool, calm, and in control at all times.  Emotional outbursts cloud your ability to problem solve and are unsettling when witnessed by your employees.

Be comfortable with silence.

Silence is a good thing.  It gives people time to think and give consideration to what is being discussed.  When a leader is silent, it is easier for employees to share their opinions and ideas.

Don´t prepare your own answers while someone else is speaking.

Focus on the person talking.  Really listen to what they are saying.  Your response should be based on everything the person has said.

Eliminate distractions.

Before a meeting (with one person or a group), make sure you will not be interrupted or distracted.  Turn off your cell phone.  Have your calls held.  Consider the room in which you are meeting.  Are there things you can do to limit the distractions in that environment?

Strengthen your “ask and listen” skills.

Ask at least two questions before you talk.  Peel the onion.  Focus on getting to the core.  Ask questions that will help your employees share what they know.

Remain other-person focused.

Be there to help your employees.  Support, empathize, guide, inspire and encourage.

Non-verbally indicate you´re paying attention.

Make eye contact frequently.  Lean forward.  Assume an open posture.

Make sure you understand.

During meetings, tell the other person what you heard him/her say.  Paraphrase. This lets them know you were listening and understand.  It also provides for further clarification of ideas.

Involve the employee in the performance discussion.

Increased employee involvement leads to increased commitment.  Increased commitment leads to increased performance.

Demonstrate respect and trust.

Thank people for their feedback and other contributions.  Acknowledge good work.  Credit your team members for their work and ideas.

Keep a positive attitude.

A leader takes action with enthusiasm and ambition.  Enjoy your work and strive to brighten the atmosphere.

Be aware of your mood and how it affects others.

If you´re in a good mood, spend time with your team members.  If you´re in a bad mood, limit your contact with others, and try to reverse that mood.

Follow through on your promises.

A leader understands the importance of developing and maintaining mutual trust with his/her staff.  Doing what you say you´re going to do shows your team that your word counts and can be depended upon.

Help your team handle change.

Tell them what you´re going to do and why.  Ask them what they think.  Look for signs of resistance, and address it.  Talk about the change.

Keep your anger and frustration in check.

Assume the other person is not causing you distress because he or she is evil.  Try to understand why this person is behaving this way.

Assess the levels of trust on your work team.

Who do you trust and why?  Who don´t you trust and why?  Consider how your team members regard you and each other.

Establish positive relationships within your team.

Create opportunities to get to know each other.  Look for opportunities to have fun together.  Encourage your team members to help each other.

Resolve conflicts.

Help clear up misunderstandings as soon as you are aware they exist.  Find the source of the problem.  Help team members find mutually acceptable solutions.

Make sure your employee understands the assignment.

Don´t assume he/she does.  Encourage them to ask questions.  Answer their questions.  Ask the employee to paraphrase the order, assignment or instruction.

Be selective when giving orders/instructions.

Wait until you believe an employee has good control over the projects you´ve already assigned before you assign another.

Watch out for conflicting messages.

Check with supervisors and managers in other departments and on other shifts to make sure you are not telling your employees one thing while others are delivering conflictingorders.

Be fair to your employees.

Try to be impartial when you assign tasks.  Don´t let employees who are hard to get along with off the hook.  And don´t punish easy-going employees by giving them more than their share of unpleasant jobs.

Train team members who lack necessary job skills.

Explain the steps of the job.  Demonstrate the correct way to do the job.  Observe the team member doing the job, and provide specific feedback.

Roll up your sleeves.

Work with team members to accomplish work goals.  Do your fair share of the dirty jobs.  Model the work behaviors and attitude you expect to see in team members.

Work on your meeting facilitation skills.

Look for opportunities to draw ideas and opinions from other team members.  Encourage team members to ask questions.  Limit team members who tend to dominate a discussion.

Share responsibility with team members.

Encourage team members to learn new skills in order to expand their jobs.  Delegate a variety of tasks to team members (not just unpleasant jobs).

Give up control.

Even though you feel you could do a job better and faster than someone on your team, delegate it.  Develop your team members.  It´s an investment.

Identify the people who frustrate you.

What is it that they say or do that rubs you the wrong way?  Most people don´t behave in ways that are upsetting or annoying intentionally.  They behave based on their personality style.  Try to understand their motivation.

Work on your communication skills.

Consider your words, your tone of voice, the pace of your speech, your body language, and your questioning and listening skills.

Get organized.

Mark deadlines on your calendars.  Write reminders of upcoming events.  Set deadlines for delegated work. Use your wastebasket.  If you don´t need something, throw it out!

Use your time wisely.

Plan for waiting time.  Bring work along.  Read, reflect, relax.

Let go of some of your job responsibilities.

Determine which job responsibilities only you can do and which can and should be delegated.  Spend more time being a resource to those you´ve delegated tasks to and less time doing the work yourself.

Make a daily To-Do list.

Make sure the items on your list help you reach your goals. Check in with yourself throughout the day to make sure that what you are doing is helping you reach one of your goals.

Do unpleasant tasks first.

Get them out of the way.  Plan to work on a pleasant task after you´ve completed an unpleasant one.

Manage your outgoing phone calls.

Determine whether a phone call is the best use of your time and the best way to communicate a given message.  Would an e-mail, memo or letter be better?  More efficient?

Handle interruptions tactfully, but firmly.

Get the interrupter to state the question or problem.  Keep to the topic, and deal with it.  Stand up to end the visit.  Use posture cues.

Organize effective meetings.

Set specific objectives.  Choose an appropriate time and place.   Distribute the agenda in advance.  Stick to the agenda.  Control interrupters.

Keep the meeting on track.

Start on time and end on time.  Follow the agenda.  Remind participants to confine their discussion to agenda items.  Monitor the amount of time spent on each agenda item.

Manage your meeting time.

Request an agenda.  If you have an option, decide if you really need to attend.  If you attend, make your contribution and leave.  Be on time.

Evaluate the meeting process.

Ask participants what they liked and disliked about the way the meeting was conducted.  Ask for their suggestions for improvement.

Reward yourself.

Build in personal time for yourself every day (alone time, family time).  Set aside time to feel good about what you´ve accomplished.

Manage your stress.

Exercise at least three times a week.  Cut down on coffee.  Get plenty of sleep.  Avoid junk foods.  Create a positive vision for your future.

Express confidence and support.

Describe why you believe the employee will be able to accomplish his/her goals, and then explain how you will provide assistance.

Be aware of resistance.

Listen for it in your employees´ words and tone of voice.  Look for it in body language and actions.

Acknowledge resistance.

Use “I” statements to describe your perceptions of and feelings about the resistance.  Then ask questions and listen.

Don´t get defensive.

Stay calm and focused on the problem.  Being defensive increases resistance and gets in the way of problem solving.

Understand why you are giving feedback.

Will the feedback help the other person?  Its purpose should not be for you to get something off your chest or to hurt the other person.

Lead team problem solving meetings.

Use your team to solve problems.  Individually, we tend to produce fewer answers and run out of ideas sooner.  The quality of team answers is usually superior.

Arrange to hold meetings in a comfortable place.

The location should be convenient.  If possible, arrange for comfortable chairs, a comfortable room temperature and few distractions.  Your team will be more eager to attend and participate if you have tried to plan for their comfort.

Keep meetings small.

Include only those people who should attend because of their interest in the meeting or because you need the information and skills they bring.