Friday, July 29, 2005
Tip: Modelling Good Behavior in Meetings
Even if you do not chair the meeting, as a leader you will be a strong focus of attention for everyone participating. People will watch your behavior, even when you are not saying anything, or when another team member is speaking. If you are staring out the window, doodling, typing or answering email, or slouching in your chair you are signalling disinterest. People WILL notice. Use your body and eyes to encourage people to take part. Nod, smile and stay silent when others talk. Give everyone your full attention.
Breaking Up Cliques in Small Groups
A clique is defined as anything that excludes rather than includes others. Teenagers are not the only age groups that can have a problem with cliques in small groups; adults may have the same issues. If you are a small group leader or facilitators here are ways you can help to break up cliques and to become a group where everyone feels welcome and at home.
Shuffle the seating. By moving the seating around, or having the group members change where they sit from time to time, you will immediately be able to separate those who have become “attached” or are a clique. Another benefit to shuffling the seating is that everyone will have an opportunity to talk with one another instead of just seeing another group member sitting at the other end of the table or row of chairs. Depending on the purpose or focus of your small group, one fun idea would be to have a “special” comfy chair that is given to a different member each meeting, or a drawing to find out who is “special” today. By rotating who sits in the special chair you will also find that the group members rotate where they sit as well.
Shuffle the seating. By moving the seating around, or having the group members change where they sit from time to time, you will immediately be able to separate those who have become “attached” or are a clique. Another benefit to shuffling the seating is that everyone will have an opportunity to talk with one another instead of just seeing another group member sitting at the other end of the table or row of chairs. Depending on the purpose or focus of your small group, one fun idea would be to have a “special” comfy chair that is given to a different member each meeting, or a drawing to find out who is “special” today. By rotating who sits in the special chair you will also find that the group members rotate where they sit as well.
Always be aware of “closed” or “secret” conversations. Avoid talk or conversations that leave group members out. Also, stay away from “code talk” during conversations or “secret” words or comments that only a few individuals know about. If you find a couple of small group members carrying on a side conversation during your meeting, you can also break this up simply by asking one of them a question, they will be sure to “snap out of it” if their whispering is called to the group’s attention. Finally, if you find one or more group members are routinely carrying on sidebar conversations, you may speak with them outside of the meeting one day and ask for their support to be “inclusive” and to avoid the appearance of cliques.
Be frank and open. Most people will never intend to be exclusive. If you are aware of a problem in your group, mentioning it by either a private conversation or talking about it generally with the group can often solve the problem without any difficulty.
Facilitate “pairing-up.” Instead of saying “let’s pair off” and letting group members find their own partners for activities, assign group members who don’t know each other to be together. Or, you can use some sort of drawing, or other fun way to assign people together. For example: if someone’s name starts with the letter “A,” pair them off with another who starts with the letter “B,” or the next letter in the alphabet, etc.
As a facilitator or leader of a small group, you will need to develop an awareness of the group dynamics as they unfold around you. Whatever you do, always take a kind, gentle tone with the group members but do not be afraid to find ways to break up the cliques using creative and fun ideas. As a leader it is also your responsibility to make sure that everyone in the group is included in the discussion and activities, even if they are the “quiet type.” Everyone should have the same respect and opportunity to participate.
About the Author: Michele loves learning about leadership and management skills and styles and likes to share this with others using Online Learning Tutorials.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.
Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Dictators and Their Effect on the Workforce
In the past 20 years there has been a massive shift in corporate leadership. Accountability for leadership and what really goes on in an organization has been pushed down and distributed throughout the organization. Command-and-control tactics may still be found in basic military installments; society, however, has been informed to the point that the vast majority of the population will no longer tolerate a dictatorial style of leadership. Today’s generation is more concerned with people than with products.
In this consumer-oriented era, the balance of power has really shifted and flows from the bottom up. It is a high-stakes game where the consumer is holding the most valued cards or sitting in the driver’s seat.
Perhaps you are a leader who believes there is no alternative other than to be an autocratic leader in today’s marketplace. With any business, it certainly takes a firm hand to guide an organization, but dictatorial methods will never work in the long run. Here are five reasons to not be an autocratic leader:
The best people will always head for the door. Your best employees who have their acts together enough to land a new job or serve in a new cause will always leave a dictator to his/her own devices.
Only the insecure, ineffective workers stay behind. Autocratic organizations and leaders will eventually find that they have zero leadership – except for the dictator.
The work environment becomes one of constant stress on employees. Dictators and their domineering decision-making produces an atmosphere of anxiety and tension that even visitors or customers can recognize.
Dictators cannot afford, or tolerate, even one failure. If you are an autocrat, beware! Just one bad or unpopular decision and the “troops” will pounce all over the dictator’s leadership and attempt to tear it down.
The overall quality of services and products will decrease because of the demoralized workforce. The internal strife and stress that is produced by the dictator will eventually cause the bottom line of the organization, or its mission and goals, to suffer.
If you find this story believable, or are honest enough with yourself to admit that you may be an autocratic leader in need of a makeover, then do not waste any time – start changing your style today! Just how does one get transformed from a dictator to a humble leader? First, it begins with you. In order to reinvent or breathe life into your organization, you must first reinvent and transform yourself.
About the Author: Michele loves learning about leadership and management skills and styles and likes to share this with others using Online Learning Tutorials.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.
Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
In this consumer-oriented era, the balance of power has really shifted and flows from the bottom up. It is a high-stakes game where the consumer is holding the most valued cards or sitting in the driver’s seat.
Perhaps you are a leader who believes there is no alternative other than to be an autocratic leader in today’s marketplace. With any business, it certainly takes a firm hand to guide an organization, but dictatorial methods will never work in the long run. Here are five reasons to not be an autocratic leader:
The best people will always head for the door. Your best employees who have their acts together enough to land a new job or serve in a new cause will always leave a dictator to his/her own devices.
Only the insecure, ineffective workers stay behind. Autocratic organizations and leaders will eventually find that they have zero leadership – except for the dictator.
The work environment becomes one of constant stress on employees. Dictators and their domineering decision-making produces an atmosphere of anxiety and tension that even visitors or customers can recognize.
Dictators cannot afford, or tolerate, even one failure. If you are an autocrat, beware! Just one bad or unpopular decision and the “troops” will pounce all over the dictator’s leadership and attempt to tear it down.
The overall quality of services and products will decrease because of the demoralized workforce. The internal strife and stress that is produced by the dictator will eventually cause the bottom line of the organization, or its mission and goals, to suffer.
If you find this story believable, or are honest enough with yourself to admit that you may be an autocratic leader in need of a makeover, then do not waste any time – start changing your style today! Just how does one get transformed from a dictator to a humble leader? First, it begins with you. In order to reinvent or breathe life into your organization, you must first reinvent and transform yourself.
About the Author: Michele loves learning about leadership and management skills and styles and likes to share this with others using Online Learning Tutorials.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.
Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
What is Your Leadership Style?
There are countless numbers and types of leadership styles in organizations today. Unfortunately, many leaders today are ineffective because they are not motivators or because they have a warped idea about their role and purpose. As such, workers in these organizations suffer from inadequate leadership and likely have no energy, motivation or loyalty to the organization.
Leaders who honestly appraise their leadership style can effectively reinvent themselves in order to inspire and motivate those whom they lead, are to be commended. Here are five basic categories of leadership. Identify which category best suits your style and how you can best use your style to motivate and lead those who work with you.
Authoritarian. Leaders using this style are often harsh, demanding, and inflexible in their approach to others. Best stated as “It is my way or the highway!”
Humanistic. This leadership style is characterized by someone who does not follow a precise plan. They allow others to set the agendas. You may hear a humanistic leader say “What do you think we should do today?”
Charismatic. These leaders depend on personality and energy for success. You can hear them say “Wow! I am really excited about this!”
Democratic. Democratic leaders are always seeking a group consensus prior to moving ahead. Have you heard anyone say this lately? “Before we go any further, let’s take a vote.”
Mission-Driven. Leaders who are mission-driven build teams to help bring about the organization’s vision and purpose. They may be overhead to say, “We are all in this together.”
There are some interesting observations to be made about these styles. For the first four styles: authoritarian, humanistic, charismatic and democratic, their style almost always reflects a person who is in charge, or “at the helm” of the business. When a leader is mission-driven, however, several other important factors emerge, most importantly that the entire organization is pulling together in the same direction. This means that there is far less motivating or “nudging” the troops and more forward direction.
So, what is your leadership style? Review the five basic categories above and determine which style you typically present. If, after your review, you decide that you want to change your style, then reinvent yourself! Become a party of one to change and motivate yourself to become an effective leader!
About the Author: Michele loves learning and studying about leadership and helping others develop or enhance their skills too through Internet Learning Tutorials.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.
Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
Leaders who honestly appraise their leadership style can effectively reinvent themselves in order to inspire and motivate those whom they lead, are to be commended. Here are five basic categories of leadership. Identify which category best suits your style and how you can best use your style to motivate and lead those who work with you.
Authoritarian. Leaders using this style are often harsh, demanding, and inflexible in their approach to others. Best stated as “It is my way or the highway!”
Humanistic. This leadership style is characterized by someone who does not follow a precise plan. They allow others to set the agendas. You may hear a humanistic leader say “What do you think we should do today?”
Charismatic. These leaders depend on personality and energy for success. You can hear them say “Wow! I am really excited about this!”
Democratic. Democratic leaders are always seeking a group consensus prior to moving ahead. Have you heard anyone say this lately? “Before we go any further, let’s take a vote.”
Mission-Driven. Leaders who are mission-driven build teams to help bring about the organization’s vision and purpose. They may be overhead to say, “We are all in this together.”
There are some interesting observations to be made about these styles. For the first four styles: authoritarian, humanistic, charismatic and democratic, their style almost always reflects a person who is in charge, or “at the helm” of the business. When a leader is mission-driven, however, several other important factors emerge, most importantly that the entire organization is pulling together in the same direction. This means that there is far less motivating or “nudging” the troops and more forward direction.
So, what is your leadership style? Review the five basic categories above and determine which style you typically present. If, after your review, you decide that you want to change your style, then reinvent yourself! Become a party of one to change and motivate yourself to become an effective leader!
About the Author: Michele loves learning and studying about leadership and helping others develop or enhance their skills too through Internet Learning Tutorials.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.
Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
How Leaders Unlock Potential in Teams
Leaders are faced with unlocking the potential in the people that they lead and motivating the individual is a key part of this process. Motivation is not something that is done to an individual as they already posses it. What a leader does, to benefit the whole team, is to release, or unlock, it. Here are seven ways leaders unlock potential in people.
Leaders share their vision and values. Vision is what the team aspires to. Some visions may not ever be reachable, yet by their very existence they inspire, excite and motivate people to turn them into a reality. Where the vision comes from, however, is less important than whether team members fully share the vision. Where does vision come from? Essentially it comes from what you value or care strongly about. Values, then, are the foundation of the vision. Normally you would have only a few values. Each person can usually identify and describe them in their own words. They are not necessarily the same as mission statements, slogans or taglines written on walls or bulletin boards. As a leader, it is important that you regularly restate the team values and display them by your own actions. Leaders should also ask team members to keep producing examples of how they are turning values into reality.
Leaders value people. People will work very hard for a leader because they feel you value them as a person. You do this by treating each person with respect and by persisting in demanding that this is how team members treat one another as well.
Leaders Give Recognition. Research has shown that organizations seldom give enough recognition to their people. All too often people feel that they are taken for granted and that there is insufficient feedback about their efforts. Recognition does not always have to be in the form of a promotion or pay raise. Your team needs clear signs of appreciation and this can easily and simply be done by saying “thank you,” a small gift, public praise, a party, etc.
Leaders are Creative. Creativity is one of the most powerful means a leader has of unlocking your team’s full potential and infusing them with new energy. You can foster creativity by being open to new possibilities, new connections, new methods and surprising solutions. To use everyone in the team to their maximum potential, they need to be stretched as human beings. This does not mean setting impossible goals as much as it does expecting the most of each person on the team. To expect the most, you need to know each persons talents. You can learn about members of the team through formal assessment procedures, asking the person, asking others, trial and error in the workplace and so forth. The range of your team’s talent will likely astound you. Have fun uncovering the team’s talents.
Leaders Inspire Special Effort. Interestingly, people will do extraordinary work for some leaders and not for others. This happens when people see their own interests linked with the leader and he/she wants to achieve. When you call for team effort, remember that people respond to facts and emotion. Both are essential. Facts will start the process of convincing your team that heroic effort is needed. Make sure you prepare the facts carefully since they must stand up to the team’s scrutiny. Emotion is another vital ingredient. You need to appeal to people’s feeling, not just their logical, rational, parts. Facts alone will seldom tap a team’s hidden energy and commitment. Watch for signs in the team to indicate that people are making special effort and immediately reinforce this by offering approval and recognition.
Leaders Do It Their Way. Leaders need to develop a method and adopt a style that suits them. Then, when you need a special effort from the team, this is the moment to show them your real leadership style. Inspiring people is not as easy as it sounds. It starts with you, sharing with them what inspires you. If are committed to what you want, people will respond to your inspiration, energy and vision. If you really believe in your vision, and exude energy and passion about it, the team will also share in that effort with you and feel your passion. Conversely, negativity will also breed negative thoughts from your team. Remember that each team member will internally respond with a “what’s in it for me?” approach. Discover what each person on the team wants and you will have the key to unlocking their potential and sustaining that special effort you need.
Your qualities as a leader will attract people to consider making the heroic effort you want or need. They may be drawn to your passion, your humanity, energy, integrity or commitment. They may admire and fear your determination to make something happen, but it is the human qualities you share that will gain their respect and commitment.
About The Author: Michele has enjoyed serving in community, professional and educational leadership roles and would like to share her experiences and training courses with others and enjoys speaking and writing articles on leadership.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author requests an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.
Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
Leaders share their vision and values. Vision is what the team aspires to. Some visions may not ever be reachable, yet by their very existence they inspire, excite and motivate people to turn them into a reality. Where the vision comes from, however, is less important than whether team members fully share the vision. Where does vision come from? Essentially it comes from what you value or care strongly about. Values, then, are the foundation of the vision. Normally you would have only a few values. Each person can usually identify and describe them in their own words. They are not necessarily the same as mission statements, slogans or taglines written on walls or bulletin boards. As a leader, it is important that you regularly restate the team values and display them by your own actions. Leaders should also ask team members to keep producing examples of how they are turning values into reality.
Leaders value people. People will work very hard for a leader because they feel you value them as a person. You do this by treating each person with respect and by persisting in demanding that this is how team members treat one another as well.
Leaders Give Recognition. Research has shown that organizations seldom give enough recognition to their people. All too often people feel that they are taken for granted and that there is insufficient feedback about their efforts. Recognition does not always have to be in the form of a promotion or pay raise. Your team needs clear signs of appreciation and this can easily and simply be done by saying “thank you,” a small gift, public praise, a party, etc.
Leaders are Creative. Creativity is one of the most powerful means a leader has of unlocking your team’s full potential and infusing them with new energy. You can foster creativity by being open to new possibilities, new connections, new methods and surprising solutions. To use everyone in the team to their maximum potential, they need to be stretched as human beings. This does not mean setting impossible goals as much as it does expecting the most of each person on the team. To expect the most, you need to know each persons talents. You can learn about members of the team through formal assessment procedures, asking the person, asking others, trial and error in the workplace and so forth. The range of your team’s talent will likely astound you. Have fun uncovering the team’s talents.
Leaders Inspire Special Effort. Interestingly, people will do extraordinary work for some leaders and not for others. This happens when people see their own interests linked with the leader and he/she wants to achieve. When you call for team effort, remember that people respond to facts and emotion. Both are essential. Facts will start the process of convincing your team that heroic effort is needed. Make sure you prepare the facts carefully since they must stand up to the team’s scrutiny. Emotion is another vital ingredient. You need to appeal to people’s feeling, not just their logical, rational, parts. Facts alone will seldom tap a team’s hidden energy and commitment. Watch for signs in the team to indicate that people are making special effort and immediately reinforce this by offering approval and recognition.
Leaders Do It Their Way. Leaders need to develop a method and adopt a style that suits them. Then, when you need a special effort from the team, this is the moment to show them your real leadership style. Inspiring people is not as easy as it sounds. It starts with you, sharing with them what inspires you. If are committed to what you want, people will respond to your inspiration, energy and vision. If you really believe in your vision, and exude energy and passion about it, the team will also share in that effort with you and feel your passion. Conversely, negativity will also breed negative thoughts from your team. Remember that each team member will internally respond with a “what’s in it for me?” approach. Discover what each person on the team wants and you will have the key to unlocking their potential and sustaining that special effort you need.
Your qualities as a leader will attract people to consider making the heroic effort you want or need. They may be drawn to your passion, your humanity, energy, integrity or commitment. They may admire and fear your determination to make something happen, but it is the human qualities you share that will gain their respect and commitment.
About The Author: Michele has enjoyed serving in community, professional and educational leadership roles and would like to share her experiences and training courses with others and enjoys speaking and writing articles on leadership.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author requests an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.
Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
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