How To Be A Great Leader Under Any Circumstances
You need the right set of skills to be a great leader. You may be born with some leadership skills. If not, they can be learned with a little bit of work and research. Use these tips to get started on training yourself to be the best leader you can be.
Watch out for project creep. This can happen when your project's scope isn't clearly defined. If you have control over the project, resist the temptation to add more project objectives as time goes on. If you are receiving external pressure to expand your project, resist it with all your might. Your subordinates will thank you.
Good leaders know how to nurture growth in other people. Take the time to support other people. You can do this by learning their strengths, work styles, and passions. Try encouraging them to seek new possibilities and challenges. Remember that every person has the ability to expand the potential of the company.
Be sure to finish everything you start or you risk losing the respect of the people that work under you. Even if something seems particularly difficult, you should give it your all and see it through to the end. No one will look at you the same if you turn into a quitter.
Learn to delegate nonessential tasks to your employees. Delegation allows you to focus on the essential things that must be done to make your company successful. Additionally, delegating tasks to your employees gives them a sense of pride and ownership in the company. Although it is tempting to try to do everything yourself, delegation is beneficial to your company.
Real leaders are willing to learn. Many great leadership skills don't just occur from a sudden flash of insight or a great epiphany. Great ideas can come to anybody, but good leaders study. Try reading some books on how to be a good leader, going to seminars, and talking to colleagues to see what works best for them. It can take a long time, but the more knowledge you have about proper leadership skills, the better yours can become.
If you are in a leadership role, make it a point to avoid using harsh, or discouraging comments with your team members. Instead of using negative reinforcement, try starting the conversation with a positive comment, then gently easing into your problem or concern. This helps them to let their guard down, and remember that you are on their side.
Preparation is vital before speaking to your team. You want to have thought of questions they might have. Think about how you will answer them. Your team is going to have more respect for you if you know the answers to their questions. It does also help to speed things up.
Surround yourself with smart people. The best leaders out there all know one thing: when you've got the best people, you'll elevate everything. Don't think you need to be the smartest person in the company. Far from it. You need to be a visionary who sees greatness. Use that and find the best colleagues to surround yourself with.
Real leaders are willing to learn. Many great leadership skills don't just occur from a sudden flash of insight or a great epiphany. Great ideas can come to anybody, but good leaders study. Try reading some books on how to be a good leader, going to seminars, and talking to colleagues to see what works best for them. It can take a long time, but the more knowledge you have about proper leadership skills, the better yours can become.
Become a more effective leader by becoming a more self-confident individual. Research shows that a developed sense of self-confidence makes you look, sound, and act more like a leader. You can communicate confidence by maintaining excellent posture, speaking with certainty, and calling attention to key points by adding appropriate hand gestures.
Maintain a positive attitude. As the leader, you set the tone for your business. You need to make sure that the tone you set is one of possibilities, positivity and patience. Always encourage those under you to think in terms of the solution and not the problem, so that they too can keep an air of positivity as they go about their work.
Always remember that there is an inverse relationship between what's on your mind and your personal productivity right now. If something is on your mind, write it down. If you need to, work on it now. If it can wait or can't be helped right this minute, set the paper to the side and get to work on something you can do right now.
Get to know each of your employees one-on-one within the business environment. Find out what they like about their job, what they don't like and the things they would change. Try to check in with every employee periodically. These one-on-one meetings should be informal and you should not be threatening when you spend this time with your employees.
Every good leader should be an expert at delegation. Some leaders make the mistake of thinking they have to do everything important themselves. However, if someone else can handle a task in an efficient manner, delegate it to them. Just be clear about expectations, timelines and understanding of the task.
When it comes to being a leader at work, it is important that you prioritize. If you place things that are not very vital at the top of the list, you will look incompetent. Make sure that the things that need to get done are completed in read more a good amount of time.
When called upon to lead others, think about your duties in an entrepreneurial way. Shopkeepers cannot expect to generate profits without first investing their time, energy, and insights. You cannot reasonably expect your team to perform its best without similar inputs on your part. Take pride in your team, and don't hesitate to advertise it in the form of compliments, encouragement, and recognition for a job well done.
Decisive actions are the key to a great leader. If you want people to really look up to you as a leader, you're going to have to know how to decide on things quickly and then stand behind your decisions. If you have little follow through, others will be uncomfortable with you. Flip-flopping on important decisions will quickly lead to your employees wondering if you know what you are talking about.
Work hard to develop your team. Leadership is never about taking over on every task. It is about delegating effectively and developing the individual skills of your team to help everyone work more effectively. Realize this and you will help your organization to get more things done in a shorter amount of time.
You may feel as though leaders are born, not made. But, the truth is that leadership skills can be studied, practiced and honed to perfection by anyone willing to dedicate themselves to the effort. Keep the tips and advice you have just read close at and, and you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams.
How a former ISU basketball coach found new purpose after a stint in federal prison
Minutes after the Iowa State University men’s basketball team lost to the Michigan State Spartans in the 2000 Elite Eight game, I found myself searching for a place of solitude in the Palace at Auburn Hills.
I walked the circular hallway dodging people left and right looking for an open door. I found one and stepped inside a pitch-black, small room. I laid on whatever was in front of me, my screams and sobbing echoed for what seemed like an hour.
My heart had been ripped in two knowing that the biggest dream of my coaching career was over. Millions had seen us lose and the season that was heading toward a national championship was over.
Never before or after did I feel that kind of sheer agony from losing a basketball game.
For a little guy 8 years old, I fell in love with basketball. Here I was 35 years later at the pinnacle of the college game as one of its most promising coaches. Maybe I would lead my own big-time program or coach in the NBA. The sky was the limit.
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