Developing Quality Leadership In Your Daily Routine

Effective leadership skills aren’t something you use once in a while. They are daily habits. Adopting these habits into your daily routine can help you improve your leadership skills.

Continue to learn something new, everyday. This could be reading a book (even one chapter a day). Or it might be listening to a podcast!

Have a routine. It doesn’t have to be set in stone and inflexible. But your routine should be as consistent as possible.

Smile and be approachable. A good leader has a positive and happy attitude.

Have casual conversations with everyone you work with. Not just those you lead, but your peers as well.

Ask questions. Listen intently to the answers.

Act on constructive feedback about your leadership style. Do not be offended if you hear concerns from others (your supervisors, peers or even your team members).

Focus on what really matters. Set goals and work on accomplishing them every day.

Recognize when you are being indecisive and then make a decision.

Spend time with people - outside your own demographic group as well as with other departments or companies. 

By incorporating these daily leadership qualities into your daily routine, you will grow as a leader.

For a more detailed discussion of these topics, please read the entire post on my website at:
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/developing-effective-leadership-skills-pt-4/

Weekly Wrap Up

This week, we have been covering “Developing Effective Leadership Skills.”  A successful leader will be able to persuade those team members to always be accomplishing the mission. 

On Monday, I defined “Leadership” as a “process of persuasion.” 

On Tuesday: I discussed the three major types of Leadership Styles and explained the differences between them.

On Wednesday, we discussed the qualities effective leaders are always working to improve.

On Thursday, I discussed developing quality leadership in your daily routine. 

The Next Step
As you can see, being a leader is more than just managing others. It’s a lot deeper and requires more skill than micromanaging. It is also more than just “barking orders” and expecting everyone to perform.

For a more detailed discussion of these topics, please read the entire post on my website at: 
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/developing-effective-leadership-skills-pt-5-friday-wrap-up/

LEADERSHIP and COACHING – Are They the Same Thing?

This week, I have been sharing with you some ideas the difference and the similarities on “Leadership and Coaching.”  

On Monday, the Top Three reasons employees give as to why they will stay working for an organization in the long term.  

On Tuesday, I shared the concept of “Leadership is difficult to develop and easy to lose.”  

On Wednesday, I shared how leaders are always the COACH of their team! 

Then, on THURSDAY,I talked about how, if you are like me (being human and all), you will probably make a mistake from time to time! 

All of these tips this week were designed to develop your leadership skills and your role as a COACH for your team. As a leader, your number one responsibility is to COACH your team to successful team accomplishment of the organizational mission (goals).

For more information on this topic, please read the entire post on my website at:
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/leadership-and-coaching-is-it-the-same-thing-pt-5/

Show Confidence in Your Decisions 

Being a successful leader will sometimes involve taking “measured risks” in order to grow your business. Sometimes, this will end up being the wrong decision. Sometimes it will be the correct decision. Whatever you do, make sure you follow these simple steps:

1. When the wrong decision is made, do not assign blame. Accept the complete responsibility for what went wrong. 
2. When things go right – give the credit to the team. 

Grow the confidence and skills of your team by encouraging them to also take calculated risks in the performance of their duties. Note, I said “calculated.”  By doing so, they will learn the decision making processes. They will learn you trust them to make the right decision. 

For more information on this topic, read the entire post on my website at: 
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/leadership-and-coaching-is-it-the-same-thing-pt-4/

BE A COACH FOR YOUR TEAM

One of the main responsibilities for leaders is to become the head coach of their team. It doesn’t matter if your lead a team of 3 or 300. You need to be the coach!

The leader of the organization sets the climate for trust and cooperation. The leader of the organization is able to paint the picture of the future in order to inspire the team to achieve the goals.

As a coach, you inspire your team to take the appropriate actions that will achieve the goal. Help them where they need help; guide them where they need guidance but let THEM do the work.

1. Do not BE A JUDGE!  Do not judge them. GUIDE THEM.
2. Give credit where they deserve it. Tell them “THANK YOU” when they do something to help! 
3. Provide coaching and mentoring to build confidence and competence – it’s not a one size fits all approach.
4. Reinforce positive behavior when your team members achieve their objectives. 

When you do these things, you will be a successful COACH for your team!

For a more in depth discussion of this topic, read the entire post on my website at:
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/leadership-and-coaching-is-it-the-same-thing-pt-3/

Leadership is difficult to develop and easy to lose.

Effective leaders never quit “trying” to develop their leadership skills and techniques.  The day you quit and think “you’ve arrived” is the day your team begins to dwindle. 

It may not be perceptive at first, but is happening.

Leaders must always STRIVE for improvement. This does two things.

1.    It shows your team you are always trying to do better. This will translate into THEM always trying to do better.

2.    It shows them you care.  Fake interest is spotted quickly. But genuine interest in THEM will build genuine trust for you.

To build trust, you have to prove to your team that you are worthy of their trust. This can take on different forms, but will basically boil down to a few methods.

1.  You need to prove to them that you are “going to bat for them.”  
2.  As the leader, you should always keep the organization goals and objectives paramount in making decisions and leading your team. But if necessary, you will step in and correct something that is harming your team, even if it means confronting your superiors.
3. Another way to build trust is to participate in daily activities (the "grunt work") that involves your team. 
4.  Make an effort to learn about your team members. Some personal things about their life (family, hobbies, etc.).
5. Be consistent in your actions. 
6. When possible, include your team members on important decisions.
7. When a team member does something significant, recognize them for their actions! 

When you take these steps, you will begin to develop yourself as a successful leader. You may not notice results immediately, but they will become ingrained in your psyche and become a habit and then a lifestyle!  

For more information on this topic, please read the complete post on my website at: 
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/leadership-and-coaching-is-it-the-same-thing-pt-2/

To be an effective leader, you must interact with other people!

To be a leader, you must have people. You cannot be a leader without interacting with other people. They do not necessarily need to work for you. They can be people you interact with on a frequent basis. People that help you in your business.

This could be your local print shop. The newspaper you take ads out with. It could be who you order your materials through. The list could go on and on. But the commonality with all of them – is YOU. 

If you have employees, the same rules apply. 

Do you know what the Top Three reasons employees give as to why they will stay working for an organization in the long term?  Let me help you out  (Hint: It’s NOT the money)!

1. 48% of those surveyed want to be CHALLENGED in their job!  If they are bored with their job, they will look elsewhere!
2. 41% want to have a definite "work-life" balance!  What does that mean? They do not want to be bothered by you when they are off work (i.e. DO NOT call them, text them or email them). Technology today has made it "way to easy" for employers to "just ask a quick question."
3. 34% want to know how they fit into the organizations strategic growth plan. They want to know they matter. They want to know they are not just considered "paper pushers" (or whatever).

So, if you want to increase your team morale and cut down on the turnover you are experiencing in your organization, work on improving those three areas. Statistics prove, your team members will appreciate it!  

For more information on this topic, read the entire post on my website at:  
 http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/leadership-and-coaching-are-they-the-same-thing-pt-1/

This week, I have been sharing some insights into what leaders SHOULD NOT DO. The list could go on and on, but I believe I have given you enough examples to make sure you know what you should not do!

On Monday,I shared “DO NOT SPEAK BEFORE THINKING ABOUT THE INTENDED RESULT.”

On Tuesday,I talked about “DO NOT DRAW LINES IN THE SAND.”  

On Wednesday,we talked about the importance of “NOT HAVING DIFFERENT STANDARDS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE.”   

On Thursday, I shared the importance of NOT HESITATING TO MAKE A DECISION and DO NOT CHANGE YOUR DECISIONS once they are made!”

Finally, I want to leave you with a POSITIVE thing to do:  When you are wrong, admit it. It is not a sign of weakness. It is an indicator of honesty and humility. 

For a more detailed look at this weeks topics, please read the post on my website at:
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/03/what-not-to-do-as-a-leader-friday-wrap-up/

DO NOT HESITATE TO MAKE A DECISION; DO NOT CHANGE YOUR DECISIONS (unless absolutely necessary)!

An effective leader is one that is not afraid to make a decision in a very stressful, critical time. An effective leader is one that will make the right decision most of the time. An effective leader is one that will gather as much information as they can before he/she makes the decision. An effective leader is one that trusts his/her team to provide accurate information for the leader to make the correct decision.

You have heard the expression, “They have book knowledge but no experience” before, correct?

For more information on this topic, please read the complete post on my website at:
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/02/what-not-to-do-as-a-leader-part-4/

DO NOT HAVE DIFFERENT STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE

We have been discussing things NOT TO DO as a leader. Probably the number one thing that will get you more disrespect than anything else is this:  Having different standards for different people.

Do Not Play Favorites! Do not allow some people to get away with certain things and try to discipline others for the same infractions!

If you want to be successful, establish the standards. Make yourself live up to or even exceed the standards you expect from others. 

For a more thorough discussion of this topic, read the full post on my website:
http://rthibodeau.com/2019/02/what-not-to-do-as-a-leader-part-3/