Cynicism is everywhere is many organizations. There are many cynical Junior and middle managers who are going to stay that way: cynical and junior. The most effective leaders have a positive outlook on their work, themselves and their lives.

Positive leadership is a frame of mind where leaders:

• Look to the future, not to the past;
• Focus on actions, not on analysis;
• See possibilities, not just problems;
• take control versus being controlled;
• create options versus accept the status quo.

Some people behave like this naturally. For the rest of us, the good news is that these habits can be learned.

The first steps to becoming a positive leader is to become a professional leader.

Professionalism in today's business starts with respect. Respecting your people and other managers. Its important to figure out what the accepted standard for professionalism is in your organization and what falls below the line. Below are some typical traps that fall below the line:

• Mobile phones use in meetings;
• being ate for meetings
• bad-mouthing customers or colleges.
• talking about business or customers in public spaces.
• failing to follow up on promises
• ignoring dress code.

Look within yourself and your team. what do you see that could be perceived as unprofessional. Run a exercise with your team and create a list of actions and behaviors that are regarded as unprofessional. Pick a number of area for improvement and hold each other accountable. Don't make your list to large, this will become nightmare for you. Everyone can work on a few key area's to improve there professional behavior. Once you have established these new behaviors over a few months, you can move on to the next steps.

Managing Your Boss or a senior member of your organization is not something many of us expect to have to do or a skill we need to excel at when we first start a new job.

Who hasn't started a new job, excited by the challenges ahead, the desire to prove our worth running strong and to create new relationships with our boss and co-workers. Then ...

        ... after a few months (often it's called the 100 day honeymoon) reality starts to kick in.

The person you thought so wonderful turns into a tyrannical maniac, or an uninspiring indecisive wimp, or a good communicator with little substance or a ..... you get the picture! It is at this point that you are in danger of having your relationship with this person deteriorate beyond repair.

Even the most inspiring of leaders can, at times, lead you into circumstances that are stressful, discouraging or that leaves you feeling that not only is your boat not being floated - you are on the wrong boat! So let's take a look at when you need to be managing up (and other difficult people in the workplace) and how to do it successfully.

• You aren't looking forward to going to work and interacting with your boss


• You feel the hairs on your body stand on end when s/he comes toward you


• You are starting to feel that you hardly ever get it done right


• You have a bigger work load than you have capacity for and things are starting to slip


• You are consistently working late into the night and on weekends

What Not To Do When Managing Your Boss Here are some ways of managing your boss that are worth avoiding:

• Assigning 100% of the blame on your boss - you are probably contributing something to the situation. Accept responsibility and accountability.
  
  
• Complaining to everyone else except your boss - those you are complaining to generally can't fix the problem. If you are guilty of this type of workplace gossip then you must stop it if you want others to take you and your career seriously.


• Giving your boss a piece of your mind when you are in a high state of emotion - it will only escalate the situation.


• Convincing yourself that you should get another job - unless you are absolutely 100% sure that you aren't contributing at all to the situation (most unlikely) - you go with you and so does the problem.


• Not asking for his/her opinion of you (see below for what to do)


• Saying Yes to everything they ask of you - you'll probably end up under-delivering and then they'll jump more on your case


• Ignoring or not saying anything about their poor behavior - no denying it, this one's a challenge - see below for more details - but if you don't address their poor behavior you are asking for havoc


• Not making sure you understand the key home runs you need to hit in order for him/her to see you as successful. (Your job description and what the boss wants from you can be two distinctly different things)


• Jumping the Chain of Command This will probably only increase the conflict between you and your boss and you may even suffer some retribution. Only use it as a last resort.


• Trying to hide problems - you'll end up in deeper water and definitely with your boat sinking.


• Giving up after your first attempt at getting your boss to modify his/her behavior - - Rome wasn't built in a day, the Titanic can't be turned on a dime: don't expect your boss (or anyone else, for that matter) to change from one conversation

What To Do When Managing Your Boss

• Take a Good Long Hard Look At Yourself. What are you doing that is contributing to the problem. Are you asking good enough questions when being assigned tasks? Are you communicating to your boss the workload you currently have? Have you avoided informing your boss when something s/he has done has had a negative impact on you.


• Change Your Behavior Try to identify what it is your manager wants more/less from you, then make some modifications. Then, and only then, ask for your boss' feedback and whether the changes you are making are in alignment with what s/he wants


• Get Clear About What You Want How much time have you spent thinking about and writing down the type of work situation you want. You attract to you that which you give focus to. So be deliberate and spend some time really thinking about how you would like to be treated at work, what you'd like to achieve, how you'd like to contribute, how you'd like to interact with others.


• Set Boundaries Decide what you are willing to accept and not accept. For example, you may decide "I'm okay with my boss making sarcastic comments, but I will not tolerate her shouting at me." Then get clear what you will do if your boss crosses that boundary. This can be challenging, but very freeing when done well. You can do anything from saying "Do you realize that you have (e.g. raised your voice?)" to "Please be advised that I will not tolerate (e.g. you raising your voice at me). I request that you stop right now". Done well this is often a show-stopper and the person may never repeat that behavior with you again.
  


• Set it on The Right Track When the Work is Being Assigned When your boss is assigning work to you make sure the discussion includes current workload you have, order of priorities and dates s/he wants things delivered by. In effect you are managing your boss by delegating up.


• Think Through Carefully the Conversation You need to have with your boss to rectify any situation which isn't going as well as you would like.


• Manage Your Emotional State Make sure that you mentally and emotionally prepare yourself before any interaction with your boss. Think about your Big Picture (taken from the Planning Sheet) to ensure that you stay aligned with what it is you do want, not just get caught up in the moment.


• Walk A Mile In Your Bosses Shoes Do you know the pressures your boss is facing? Have you asked him/her what stresses/problems/challenges s/he is up against. You may or may not be able to help him/her with any of it, if you can then terrific go ahead and be part of his/her solution. S/he will love you for it. If you can't help, at least you'll be more understanding of why s/he is behaving the way they are


• Know Your Boss', Your Team's and Your Organization's Goals When you do, you can link the impact of his/her behavior, on you, your issue and on the goals. It also gives you a framework and context within which you can better understand why things are being asked of you


• Understand Your Boss' Preferred Communication Style Use a tool such as DISC to identify your own style of communication and then use it to assess your boss' preferred style. This one thing may be all you need to get your relationship humming if you are prepared to flex your style so that you can communicate in a way that s/he can 'get'.
  


• Let Your Boss Know About Your Successes This doesn't mean running into his/her office every time you do something, but do make sure that you accurately and regularly communicate with your boss hurdles you've overcome and solutions you've implemented.


• Let Your Boss Know When S/he Gets It Right This is often the most overlooked technique when managing your boss! You love it when you get positive feedback right? ... Don't you think your boss does too? You can do it in such a way that it doesn't feel like you are fawning. If you stick to communicating to your boss the specific behavior that you appreciated, it will come across as sincere and appropriate.


• Keep Work At Work This is probably a stressful time, so don't take it home and dump on your family and friends.
  

If you've been shying away from managing your boss, you really don't need to. Yes, it can be challenging and can have some risk attached ... however how is it working out for you doing nothing? If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always got - right?!

I have always been fascinated by mistakes. As human beings, we share several things in common; making mistakes is one of them. The vast majority of the time we blunder into mistakes innocently. Obviously, if we could see mistakes coming, we would take steps to avoid them. The mistake is usually like a mouse trap that is sprung on us while our focus was on something else. The interesting thing is how we react after a mistake.

When you admit an error, it has an incredibly positive impact on trust because it is unexpected. Perhaps this is one of the differences between IQ and Emotional Intelligence. Intellectually, leaders know the best route to improve trust, but emotionally they are not mature or confident enough to take the risk. When you admit an error, it has a positive impact on trust because it is unexpected. As Warren Bennis in Old Dogs: New Tricks noted, “All the successful leaders I’ve met learned to embrace error and to learn from it.”

Respect is not always increased if a mistake is admitted. For example, here are three circumstances where admitting a mistake would reduce respect and trust:

1. If this was the third time you had made the same mistake
2. If the mistake was so stupid it reveals you as being clueless
3. If the mistake was made in an effort to hurt someone

If you find yourself making these kinds of mistakes, it would be wise to reconsider if you are right for a leadership position at all. The vast majority or mistakes are honest lapses where something unexpected happened. For these so-called “honest” mistakes, it is far better to admit them and ask for forgiveness than to try to finesse the situation or blame others or circumstances. It is a tangible demonstration of your integrity, and that improves trust.

Organizations are set up for conflict. This is a surprise to people who think that organizations are meant to be as cooperative as bees in a beehive.

Different functions, business units and geographic will have different priorities. Internal conflicts, be it nice or nasty, its how these conflicting priorities are resolved. Conflict is good, provided it is contained. Uncontainable conflict and open warfare are not good.

The first principle of conflict management is:

Do not take it personally; especially when it's meant to be personal. This is easy to say but hard to do.

The natural reaction to conflict is to fight or flight: Punching a work colleague or running away is not good tactics but the fear is real. Fear stands for:

Fight furiously
Engage the enemy emotionally.
Argue against all-comers
Retaliate, and repudiate reason.

Remove the F from fear and we have ear.

Empathize.
Agree the problem
Resolve the way forward.

Empathize: Listen past the bluster and blame. Listen past the emotion. Let the person talk. Listen actively to show the person you understand. Do not try and put your own point of view forward or justify yourself, it will only cause more conflict. and my personal failing is to try to fight emotion with logic.

Agree the problem: Try to focus on the actions, outcomes and benefits desired. This is where listening moves from paraphrasing to asking questions:
- "So what we need to achieve is...?"
-"So where do we need to get to by next week/Month?"
-"What does the customer want as a solution?"

Resolve the way forward: Once you have all calmed down and agreed the situation and the problem, then the way forward is often clear. Formally agree the next steps forward.

If your in conflict it means that someone thinks you are wrong. In many organizations, the standard operating procedure at this point is:

1. Deny and wrongdoing: It has all been misinterpreted; that is not what happened.
2. Spread the blame: you where told to do it or you where let down by someone else.
3. Change the subject: in a superior way point really should be focusing on a more important issue.
4. Shoot the messenger: as usual, up to no good and poising the well of corporate well-being.

Next time you feel yourself in conflict why not try this:    apologize.

This needs courage and strength that few people have and it needs to be done right.

The word "Sorry" hardly exists in the corporate language. Be aware that when people are angry they are incapable of listening. You will often need to repeat the apology several times. This can be increasingly frustration because it feels like your apologizes are been rejected. Be aware they may not be able to listen past there emotions.

You will need to act fast. Get the apology out early: the longer things are left to fester, the worse they become.

Two little words. Practice them.

"I'm sorry"

You can expand on them once you get the hang of these two little words.

"I'm sorry, you where right, I was wrong"

These 7 little words in the right situation could be the most powerful moments of your career.

Is it possible to train people to be effective leaders -- or do you think that the best leaders are just born that way? For some people, the question of whether leaders are born or made is truly intellectual – fodder for a good classroom or dinner party debate. But for people like you, in front-line positions to hire, promote, and fire, the question, “Who has the right stuff to lead?” definitely has more urgency. Getting the answer right can drive an organization’s culture and performance to new levels. Getting it wrong can too -- downwards.

So what’s the answer? Of course, since we’re talking about real life here, it isn’t neat or simple. The facts are, some leadership traits are inborn, and they’re big whoppers. They matter a lot. On the other hand, two key leadership traits can be developed with training and experience – in fact, they need to be.

Before going any farther, though, let’s talk about our definition of leadership.  It’s comprised of five essential traits. These traits, by the way, do not include integrity, which is a requirement in any leadership position, or intelligence, which is likewise a ticket to the game in today’s complex global marketplace. Nor do they include emotional maturity, another necessity. These three characteristics are baseline – they’re givens.

So let’s go beyond them. From our experience, the first essential trait of leadership is positive energy – the capacity to go-go-go with healthy vigor and an upbeat attitude through good times and bad. The second is the ability to energize others, releasing their positive energy, to take any hill. The third trait is edge – the ability to make tough calls, to say yes or no, not maybe. The fourth trait is the talent to execute – very simply, get things done. Fifth and finally, leaders have passion. They care deeply. They sweat; they believe.

As you may have figured, positive energy and the ability to energize are pretty hard-wired. They’re basically personality. Similarly, passion feels inborn. Some people just seem to come fully loaded with intensity and curiosity; they naturally love people, life, and work. It’s in them. It is them.   

Edge and the ability to execute are different. New hires rarely show up with them in polished form, and even middle managers benefit from training in both. But the best teacher for these two traits is trench warfare. That’s because edge and execution are largely a function of self-confidence. You can say yes or no a heck of a lot better when you’ve done it a bunch of times and seen how well decisiveness works. Likewise, only in real world challenges can managers truly feel the power of moving quickly, demanding accountability, and rewarding results. They can also experience how damaging it is not to execute – a mistake most effective leaders don’t make twice.

So are leaders born or made? The answer (perhaps not surprisingly) is both. Your best strategy, then, is to hire for energy, the ability to energize, and passion. Go full force in training and developing edge and execution. Promote the people who have a good dose of all five traits. Always remember, though, that not everyone was meant to be a leader. But as long as you are one yourself – and you are -- it’s your job to find and build those who were.

Sourse: http://www.welchway.com/Home.aspx

The power of expectation settings is well established: Expect your people to succeed and they will do so. Expect them to fail and they will fulfill your expectations completely. They rise or fall to the standard of expectations.

Effective expectations is about setting the right psychological contract between the leader and the team member. This agreement as variouse elemnets on the leaders side and on the team members side.

The Leaders side of a agreement is:

• Deliver bonus and promotional promises if performance justifies it.
• Give political support for dealing with other departments.
• Be clear about what working style works best in the team.
• Demonstrate a interest in and commitment to the future of each team member.
• Delegate effectively: give interesting opportunities, not just administrative. Coach on there performance with effective feedback.
• Pride Coaching and a action plan.

The team members side of the contract is:

• Deliver the results promised.
• Be 100 per cent loyal to and supportive of the leader.
• Work in an appropriate style for the current leader and team.
• Avoid surprises.
• Don't whine and undermine the moral of the team.

Within these broad expectations there is a huge amount to be discussed.

• What are the right goals?
• What is the right working style?
• What is the best mix of assignments?

Leaders cannot expect there team members to be telepathic. It helps to set these expectations explicit. The expectations need to be discussed, not mandated.

If the team members feel involved in agreeing and setting expectations, they are much more likely to feel committed to them.

Expectation setting should always be a two-way process.

It hard to motivate others if you don't talk with them.

Managers who's teams are not performing well stop doing the right things and look for the quick fix.

Their time is consumed with non effective activities rather than stopping and deciding "what is the right thing to do".

Teams need to be lead from the front. Start regular One on One's, Coaching and feedback. Communicate to your people regularly about performance and give feedback around effective behaviors, coach for better performance and measure the steps.

What gets measured gets done!..

Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.

A skill of a leader is to show their people that they can accomplish more than they think they can.

Your people will admire you for always seeing there potential and asking them to step up.

A leader serves those following, serving them every step of the way, especially by bringing out the best in them, and refusing to buy their limitations as achievers.

Creating great relationships is how careers, business and great teams are built.
One of the best ways to motivate others is to give them interesting things to do, especially things that free up your time.

The foundations for success is in one on one's, coaching, feedback and delegation.. "Know, Grow, Empower and Guide you people"

Unconsciously, managers without leadership habits will ofter seek to be liked. Rather than holding people accountable, they let them of the hook. They give the feeling that everything's fine.

They seek approval rather than success. This habit has a severe consequence. It leads to a lack of trust in the workplace. A true leader focuses on the practice and communications that lead to being respected.

Communication is the source of trust and respect within a organization.

Good leaders allow their people to see they are at the heart of things.

If people feel that what they are doing can make a difference to the success of the organization they will feel centered and that gives their work meaning.

Professional managers fall into two Categories:
Doers and Feelers.

Doers do what needs to be done to reach a goal they have set.
Feelers do what they feel like doing.

Your ability to motivate others increases exponentially as your reputation as a doer increases. You also get more clarity about who are the doers and feelers are in your team..

There is only one boss: the customer.

Our customers are the originating source, of all the money we have and all the things we own.

The customer has the power to fire everyone in the company simply by spending his money somewhere else.

Motivate your people accordingly. Show our people the joy of treating that customer relationship as a real genuine friendship.

People who succeed in leadership and in sales transform the entire activity away from the concept of managing and selling into a day-to-day concept of building relationships.

Communication solves almost all problems. Avoidance worsens all problems. No leadership agreement was ever made outside of a conversation. Leadership is not a formula or program, it's a human activity that comes from the heart.

A motivated leader is one who doesn't have to be right about everything. It's powerful to say "now that I've listened to you, I've realized your right, I'm going to take some steps to get it done."

Being right won't matter in the long run. What matters is achieving something. Focus on the objective. You can be wrong about everything and still be a great leader if you bring out the best in your people.

The role of thought in managing people and results cannot be overestimated.
If you think motivating people is hard, it is hard. If your thinking thoughts that are bringing you down, your not going to have a good day.

Leadership requires high levels of humanity. To be a great leader we need to share our humanity and receive our people's humanity all day.

Your Vision and Belief will inspire your people to greatness. Numbers and charts are not inspiring, they are the measurement for progress..

Once others see & feel your vision they will support you with your journey.

Focus on the vision and the numbers will thrive. Focus on the numbers and the vision will struggle (and so will the number...)

To be angry with a weak person is proof that you are not very strong.

As a leader its your responsibility to give affirmative effective and adjusting feedback. Even if the person disagrees with the feedback, never get angry.

Not getting angry does not mean you cant give feedback around your disappointment or disapproval.

Always Smile. You cant get angry while you are smiling, you can give adjusting feedback on behavior while smiling. If you feel yourself no longer smiling, stop.