As professionals we sometimes tend to try and forget what it’s like to be in the shoes of the client.  Ensure your ideas and their ideas are in sync.  If you don’t, you can go above and beyond from your perspective and still have a disappointed client.

Put your hand up the very first time that scope creep rears its ugly head.  It’s always much better to set the precedent early in the project rather than send the wrong message to the client by constantly throwing in extras.  It also ties in nicely to my first point.

People hire you because of the your “U” factor.  What makes you Unique?  Don’t ever forget to bring that along to your meetings and prospect/client discussions.

This is a bit of advice that seems to land firmly in the common sense territory, but it’s far too uncommon these days.  It seems that we’re always so busy with each task (or burdened under many, many tasks) that each time we successfully complete an item we have no time to celebrate it before we’re thrown into the next pit of snakes.  This is a very key item that we have implemented in our organization, and we have seen it blossom into an amazing experience.  I don’t think there’s a day goes by that we don’t stop for a few moments for each member of the team to share and celebrate a win of some sort.  It doesn’t have to be landing some major deal, or wrapping up some massive project.  It can just be a smooth and happy day-care drop off for example, when a normal one includes yelling or tears.

When people take the time to internalize and then share the things in their lives that can be counted as something worth celebrating, suddenly each day has a bright point in it, a positive energy if you want to call it that.  When this continues every day for an extended period of time, each person starts to look back and realize that their life is good, that there are many happy moments each and every day.  Over-all I have seen the amazing effect this has on moral, which acts as a catalyst for many other positive feelings and changes.

People by their very nature change, that’s one of life’s great mysteries.  As people change, the role they play in a community, a project, or a task changes as well.  It takes regular re-evaluation of each person to ensure that a team or community continues to function as a whole.  The best way to make sure that this re-evaluation happens sooner rather than later is to create regular schedules.  This idea is somewhat contrary to who I am at my core, but it is also something that I am working very hard (and using available tools and resources) to change.

By the same nature, projects and tasks change over time. Regular re-evaluation of the tasks at hand will keep people on target, keep everyone in the loop, and generally help things to run well.

This is much more than a leadership style; it’s a common sense that I fear is not so common anymore.  It seems somewhat of a “no-brainer” that you need to say thank-you to people who you work with, and give special praise to people who do a great job.

I have seen this at work in myself from both sides of the coin, and I can say with confidence that a little thanks and affirmation can go a very long ways to help people recognize that they’re appreciated.  When you mix that with the previous discussion of letting people do what they love to do, it becomes an amazing example of what people are capable of accomplishing.

Don’t take my word for it.  Check out any CEO-focused self-help book, parenting magazine, or even dog-training articles.  They all push the idea of positive reinforcement as the best way to empower, teach, and train.

I do not believe that any leader should ask of her/his people to do anything they’re not willing to do.  I firmly feel that a leader must spend time in the trenches, up to her/his elbows in whatever is going on.  Complete immersion and involvement is key to help the leader to understand what’s going on in the lives of those s/he affects and has influence on.

I don’t know that this can be totally classed as leadership strength.  I do have lots of first-hand experience of times when this concept worked against me, as it’s a short step from here to the idea of “If you want it done right, do it yourself.”  I have learned the hard way that times come for the leader to step back and let others do the digging, but I still think he must understand how the shovel works and what the job really feels like.

This applies to the leadership of teams of people getting things done in any organization.  I have always felt that it’s unfair of me to ask anyone to think or feel or believe or do anything that I’m not willing to take on myself.  I often challenge groups of people where I’m speaking to do something in the coming week, but in the same breath will also promise that I’ll take on the same challenge.

Let People Do What They’re Best At

The life experience that I draw from stems largely from a business background, especially a small-business and entrepreneurial stand point.  In my experience, I have seen time and time again the huge benefits that can be drawn from giving people an opportunity to do what they’re good at.  In my current consultancy position, we strive every day to make sure that each member of a team is kept busy with things they want to do, and are good at doing.  This benefits the entire project in many ways, including:

1. People give the best of what they have when they enjoy what they do
2. Stress level is lowest when people are working in their comfort zone, and people who are not stressed:
   1. have a positive outlook on life and the project at hand
   2. are more productive
   3. make fewer silly mistakes
   4. are more likely to want to work an another similar project
   5. give all of their effort without thinking that someone’s getting the best of them
3. People generally love to do what they are best at.  It leads to more praise and affirmation, and helps each individual to be aware and proud of what they bring to a team.
4. Focus and concentration are not issues when people are happy with what they’re doing
5. Too many times I have found myself working with skill sets or concepts that are not intrinsic to my nature, and they have never been examples of my best work

All these items can apply directly to the leadership roles in any organization where personnel would be called upon to chair committees, or lead teams or any other projects.  I think that each and every day people should be given an opportunity to do what they’re best at.  It will lead to people who are happier with what they’re doing, which leads to better quality/productivity, which leads to more confidence and self worth.

About the only argument here is that if people only ever do what they’re best at, they might settle into a rut.  This is possible, but forcing people to learn when they don’t want to can be much more destructive.  I don’t believe that I know enough (or ever will) about people and what they “should” be doing to ever push someone into a situation where they are forced outside their comfort zone.  I would much rather give opportunities for people to reach out of their comfort zone if they wish, and encourage them as they do.  I have been witness to some amazing things that have happened when people chose to step outside the “norm” and attempted something that wasn’t within their core competency, but when people are forced out it just leads to stress, anger, reduced productivity, and other negative stuff.

This is part 2 of a 6-part series on Leadership.  Leadership is a valuable skill to cultivate no matter what you do.  It will help you in all walks of life. I’ve found myself in leadership roles in many different organizations, and I’ve been discussing, thinking and postulating on the topic a bunch lately.  I would like to share some of the not-so-common sense foundations of leadership that I’ve discovered.

I like to get to know people.  I mean I LOVE to get to know people.  It’s one of the things that really drives my life, and making that realization has helped me to understand myself and why I do what I do much better.  That realization has lead to a change in the types of projects I take on, and the roles I play in those projects.  In my current business life, the times when I am happiest is when I have the time to get to know a client, get to know their business and their processes, and nail down the things that get in the way of happiness and productivity.  Then I can work with them to create a solution that can really make a difference for them.  Though my education is in a technology field, I find myself very often working on personal and business processes long before we ever get technology involved to help people.

My leadership style is based on this same fact.  I love to get to know the people I’m working with, and learn what they love to do, what they hate to do, what they’d like to be better at, and what makes them really uncomfortable.  I firmly believe that without an understanding of the individual, a leader has no hope of integrating them into a project or task effectively or efficiently.

Starting with understanding is clearly important in all types of leadership roles.  Whether you’re a C-level executive, or volunteering for a local not-for-profit, understanding the people that your working/speaking/dealing with is key to being able to connect to them, share with them, and lead them into tighter community, better relationships, higher productivity, or happier life, whatever your goals are.