Enough Already - Tell Us Something We Don't Know

Stop! Enough already. Please tell us something we don't know. I'm about ready to scream, just like the character in the movie when he said, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!!!" The last straw for me was a recent news headline that read "Poor leadership seen as main cause of low worker morale". Oh really? Give me a break! You've got to do better than that. I hope someone didn't pay good money to a research firm so they could state the obvious.

The article went on to report that 73% of human resources executives surveyed said poor leadership is the leading cause for low employee morale. That far outnumbered the percentage who blamed workload (16%), and salary and benefits (11%). The conclusion reached from the results of the survey was that "being fair with employees builds morale, improves productivity, decreases turnover and ultimately boosts the company's bottom line". Duh. Abraham Maslow knew that as far back as 1943 when he introduced his "Hierarchy of Human Needs" theory to executives. People respond better if they feel that they are appreciated and respected. It's a basic human need we all have, to some degree or another.

I am a student of human behaviour. I've been conducting my own research throughout a 40-year career in managing people, and there are seven things I have come to know for certain. I believe that to be an effective leader today, in this 21st century, you need to be FOCUSED™.

You need to:

F - be friendly. People respond better and are more likely to want to follow a leader with whom they have built a relationship, and with whom they trust.

O - be observant. Manage by walking around. Offer assistance only when and where it's needed. Provide people with the tools they will need to be successful.

C - be competent and be confident. Know what you know, and know it very well. Know, too, what you don't know. Surround yourself with talented people and rely on them often.

U - be understanding and develop empathy. Be able to see things from your staff's point of view. Dale Carnegie believed effective leaders listen to understand, not necessarily to agree.

S - be sincere. If you are truly interested in your people and you truly want them to be successful, it will show in the way that you interact with them.

E - be energized. If you don't like being around people and helping people to succeed, then you are in the wrong place. Be passionate about what you do. Convert cynics.

D - be dependable. If they can't trust your word, then they can't trust you period. If you say you are going to do something, then do it and without delay.

Daniel Goleman said it best: "We are being judged by a different yardstick. Not just by how smart we are, or our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other." Effective leaders make an emotional connection with the people who choose to follow them.

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		Mr. Brian Smith - Author, Professional Speaker, College Professor and Training and Performance Consultant - has been in the "people" business for over 37 years, 27 of those years as a general manager for a major Canadian retailer and as an award-winning owner/operator of his own small business. A leading authority on performance improvement and leadership development, Brian has worked with clients both in the public and private sectors, including: Med-Eng Systems, Aecon, I-Stat Canada, and Siemens. Brian is a member of the faculty of Algonquin College's School of Business where he teaches entrepreneurship and business management.

E-mail me if you have any questions. I can also be reached toll free at: 1-877-714-1499.

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