Christian Whamond Leadership learnings

Teams that bond, build!

30/7/2012

Teams that don’t bond, can’t build. Why? Because they never become a cohesive unit. Why do wounded soldiers strive to rejoin their buddies on the battlefield? Because after you work and live with people, you soon realize that your survival depends on one another.

For a team to be successful, the teammates have to know that they will look out for one another. When a team member cares about no one but himself, the whole team suffers. I have found that one of the best ways to get members of a team to care about one another is to get them together outside of a work context in order to build relationships.

Plan retreats and other events that put people together in social settings. And during these times, make sure that they spend part of their time with staff members they don’t really know very well. That way they’re not only building relationships, but they’re being prevented from developing cliques.

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Signs You're The Coworker Everyone Hates:

16/5/2012

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Talk to nearly anyone about their co-workers, and you'll almost always uncover a slew of frustrations, often about habits that most of those co-workers don't even realize they have.

But have you ever wondered if you might be that annoying co-worker?

Here are the warning signs that you might be pushing your co-workers to the limits of their sanity:

1. Do you dump last-minute work on people? There will always be projects that pop up at the last minute, but don't be the manager or the co-worker who sits on something and doesn't assign it until late in the game. You'll come across as inconsiderate and disorganized.

2. Do you really like to chat, even when other people are on deadline or have something else to do? This trait can be hard to see in yourself, so think about how much talking you do in the average conversation compared to how much the other person does. And remember that just because you happen to have time to talk, it doesn't mean that other people do. Be alert for cues that your colleagues might be trying to extract themselves from the discussion.

3. Are you chronically defensive? If you bristle at the slightest hint that your work isn't perfect, your co-workers will probably end up avoiding you so they don't have to deal with your prickliness. As a result, you'll end up finding that problems go unaddressed and you don't get important feedback when you need it.

4. Do you complain about people behind their backs instead of talking to them directly? If you've ever discovered that a co-worker was complaining to others about something you did but didn't bother to come talk to you about it directly, you know how frustrating this can be. When you talk to someone directly, not only do you give them the chance to know about your complaint and respond to it, but you might also learn new information that makes you see things in a different light.

5. Are you negative? If you hate new practices, other people's suggestions, and the guy down the hall, you might be the office grump. Grumps sometimes think they're demonstrating their own value by pointing out flaws, but if you find fault in every suggestion, you'll lose credibility, and eventually people will start finding ways to avoid your input altogether.

6. Do you bring your personal life into the office? If you frequently take personal calls in earshot of others (especially if they involve yelling, swearing, or crying), share details about the fight you had with your spouse last night, or complain about your toe fungus, you might be making people uncomfortable. Professional boundaries are different from social ones, so err on the side of discretion.

7. Do you interrupt other people's conversations? If you answer questions that were addressed to other people, and if you don't believe there's any such thing as a private conversation at work, you might be the office interrupter. It can be difficult to resist the impulse to interrupt once it has become a habit, but try to wait your turn and don't jump in if people are talking privately.

8. Do you pull your own weight? If your co-workers are hard at work but you're playing online or planning your wedding, you might be known as the office slacker. Slacking off won't just alienate your co-workers in the short-term; it will also ruin your reputation, references, and promotion potential in the long term.

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Leadership tips - Jack Welch style..

3/11/2011

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Jack Welch, respected business leader and writer is quoted as proposing these fundamental leadership principles (notably these principles are expanded in his 2001 book 'Jack: Straight From The Gut'):

There is only one way - the straight way. It sets the tone of the organisation.
Be open to the best of what everyone, everywhere, has to offer; transfer learning across your organisation.
Get the right people in the right jobs - it is more important than developing a strategy.
An informal atmosphere is a competitive advantage.
Make sure everybody counts and everybody knows they count.
Legitimate self-confidence is a winner - the true test of self-confidence is the courage to be open.
Business has to be fun - celebrations energise and organisation.
Never underestimate the other guy.
Understand where real value is added and put your best people there.
Know when to meddle and when to let go - this is pure instinct.

As a leader, your main priority is to get the job done, whatever the job is. Leaders make things happen by:

knowing your objectives and having a plan how to achieve them
building a team committed to achieving the objectives
helping each team member to give their best efforts

As a leader you must know yourself. Know your own strengths and weaknesses, so that you can build the best team around you.

However - always remember the philosophical platform - this ethical platform is not a technique or a process - it's the foundation on which all the techniques and methodologies are based.

Plan carefully, with your people where appropriate, how you will achieve your aims. You may have to redefine or develop your own new aims and priorities. Leadership can be daunting for many people simply because no-one else is issuing the aims - leadership often means you have to create your own from a blank sheet of paper. Set and agree clear standards. Keep the right balance between 'doing' yourself and managing others 'to do'.

Build teams. Ensure you look after people and that communications and relationships are good. Select good people and help them to develop. Develop people via training and experience, particularly by agreeing objectives and responsibilities that will interest and stretch them, and always support people while they strive to improve and take on extra tasks. Follow the rules about delegation closely - this process is crucial. Ensure that your managers are applying the same principles. Good leadership principles must cascade down through the whole organisation. This means that if you are leading a large organisation you must check that the processes for managing, communicating and developing people are in place and working properly.

Communication is critical. Listen, consult, involve, explain why as well as what needs to be done.

Some leaders lead by example and are very 'hands on'; others are more distanced and let their people do it. Whatever - your example is paramount - the way you work and conduct yourself will be the most you can possibly expect from your people. If you set low standards you are to blame for low standards in your people.

"... Praise loudly, blame softly." (Catherine the Great). Follow this maxim.

If you seek one singlemost important behaviour that will rapidly earn you respect and trust among your people, this is it: Always give your people the credit for your achievements and successes. Never take the credit yourself - even if it's all down to you, which would be unlikely anyway. You must however take the blame and accept responsibility for any failings or mistakes that your people make. Never never never publicly blame another person for a failing. Their failing is your responsibility - true leadership offers is no hiding place for a true leader.

Take time to listen to and really understand people. Walk the job. Ask and learn about what people do and think, and how they think improvements can be made.

Accentuate the positive. Express things in terms of what should be done, not what should not be done. If you accentuate the negative, people are more likely to veer towards it. Like the mother who left her five-year-old for a minute unsupervised in the kitchen, saying as she left the room, "...don't you go putting those beans up your nose..."

Have faith in people to do great things - given space and air and time, everyone can achieve more than they hope for. Provide people with relevant interesting opportunities, with proper measures and rewards and they will more than repay your faith.

Take difficult decisions bravely, and be truthful and sensitive when you implement them.

Constantly seek to learn from the people around you - they will teach you more about yourself than anything else. They will also tell you 90% of what you need to know to achieve your business goals.

Embrace change, but not for change's sake. Begin to plan your own succession as soon as you take up your new post, and in this regard, ensure that the only promises you ever make are those that you can guarantee to deliver.

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Teams that bond, build!

Signs You're The Coworker Everyone Hates:

Leadership tips - Jack Welch style..

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