Most people in leadership positions will confirm that they tell people who are doing a good job. They are definite that they use positive reinforcement. If you ask their team members, they will say that they don’t receive any positive reinforcement. Here we have two groups of people with completely different views over positive reinforcement. The reason this happens is because of the way it is done. Read more…
As I listen to managers and supervisors in different countries and different industries, I hear the same problem repeated frequently. “Why don’t people listen and do what they are supposed to do?” To understand this situation we have to step back for a moment and ask ourselves some direct questions. If you have been guilty of asking why people don’t listen to you and why people don’t do what you ask them, I suggest, gently, that you ask yourself these five searching questions. Read more…
It is the relationships between the leader and the followers that create the opportunities to coach in the workplace. These relationships are built on mutual respect and trust. If your relationship with a staff member is strained, not well-established or is not on solid ground for one reason or another, it is unrealistic to expect your attempts of coaching to be well-received. Read more…
Over the last few years there has been a remarkable amount of words written and spoken about leadership. We have heard about visionary and charismatic leadership and wonder whether or not there is anything left to be said. The discussion has been loud and long about what leaders do, how they think, what sort of critical characteristics they possess, analyses of their “competencies” and, of course, how these can be imparted through education and training. In spite of all this attention, one thing is absolutely clear, our leadership training is failing. Read more…
Many of us pride ourselves on our common sense. We use the expression frequently in our day-to-day interactions with other people. Firstly, sense is not that common. Secondly, sense means different things to different people. It’s one of those expressions that we think we know what it means. The trouble is that the understanding is not universal. Read more…
If someone elects not to work for us, we are powerless. We cannot exercise power over someone who withholds their discretionary effort. When staff members copy or fit in with the effort and energy level of their peers, we have no way of forcing them to perform at a higher level. We cannot exert force to gain compliance. Compliance seems to indicate some minimal level of effort and achievement. Read more…
Let’s say you are one of the people who gets sent to a training course typically entitled “An Introduction to Supervision” or “Practical Management” or similar. Here you sit in a classroom or a training room with a lot of other people for a few days being told how to supervise, manage or lead. Read more…
Great leaders are workplace catalysts, they release potential energy in each of their followers. They select a person, set clear expectations and then motivate and develop every one of them. During this process they ignore conventional wisdom. Read more…
Our effectiveness in leadership is based on several fundamental principles. These principles are present in every single civilization and they are part of human relationships and human organizations. The principles include fairness, justice, integrity, trust and honesty. These are the fundamental principles that underpin survival and stability in our lives. Read more…
An important leadership task is the development of skills so that individual and overall team performance can be lifted. The first part of the task to be completed is to identify those areas where skills are deficient. The best tool for the leader is a skills matrix. Read more…