Leadership and that ‘vision thing’

It goes without saying that having a vision is a necessary quality of an effective leader or leadership team; followers can’t follow without a vision to follow!

But the best visions that work are the simple ones. They work because they demonstrate three things:

  1. Where we are going and why that is relevent to each individual.
  2. How exactly we will get there and that getting there is possible.
  3. What the vision means to each person and this is communicated well.
Blog, Communication skills, Leadership, Team building

A must- have for the emerging leader – positivity

Leadership is a long and never ending journey. A journey of learning, via successes and failures, imitation and study topped off by your own stamp of leadership style and DNA.

We are all familiar with the typical qualities required of the senior leader – vision, decisiveness, the ability to handle crises and integrity to name just a few.

But what about the emerging leader? The behaviours and attributes required of potential leaders are different. They include things such as:

  • Self confidence
  • Adapability
  • Reliability
  • Proactivity
  • Ambition

And the characteristic that underpins this list is positivity.

Blog, Leadership, Positive thinking

The 5 essentials for leading a team

Most of us are required to exercise a leadership function at some time in our lives even though this may be in adhoc and informal situations.

However, regardless of whether you officially lead a team at work or only find yourself in leadership situations from time to time, there are certain elements that have to be present for you to lead a team effectively.

Be positive: one of the most important characteristics that a leader must possess is positivity. As a leader you must have a fundamental belief that you can change and improve things. Being positive means you see opportunities rather than problems, that you focus on what can be done to resolve an issue rather than dwelling on what can’t be done. The way you speak is also important, nobody will feel inspired by a leader who uses negative language to make judgements or expresses doubt before examining possible solutions.

Communication skills, Influencing, Leadership, Management skills, Team building

5 ways to minimise conflict at work

It is impossible to go through life without conflict. As human beings we are all different, with differing values, perceptions and opinions. Conflict is inevitable especially in the workplace, where in addition to our different personalities and personal aspirations, we have to deal with the pressure of deadlines, office politics and often confusing and inconsistent communication from…

Leadership, Management skills, Personal Development

“Stars don’t work for idiots.”

I love this statement, apparently made by HR guru, John Sullivan of San Francisco State University. It comes from a post about the resignation of Steve Jobs in The Harvard Business Review http://blogs.hbr.org/taylor/2011/08/why_steve_jobs_matters_to_you.html and how it encourages us to think about the legacy we ourselves will lead behind.

“Stars don’t work for idiots” a stark sentence yet full of meaning got me thinking about leadership and how many “idiots” there are, unfortunately, currently directing companies.

How many people are in positions of leadership simply because they excelled at a technical skill or because they happened to know someone who provided the famous “enchufe”? It really alarms me when I speak to reputable business people here in Spain who time after time lament that the overall standard of top directors leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to leadership and people management skills.

Influencing, Leadership, Management skills, Motivation, Personal Development