Leaders Edge!

Leaders Edge is a posting of ideas, thoughts and techniques for leading edge executives from the creative mind of Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey. Visit http://www.LeadersEdge.biz for more information.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Edmonton Area, Alberta, Canada

I draw from a rich wealth of experience in retail, manufacturing, sales, education, and association leadership and management. I'm the author of ten leadership, career, and business development books, a mini-book series and several ebooks in process. Visit: http://www.SuccessPublications.biz for more information on the writing or http://www.bobhooey.com on the services I provide my clients. Visit my main site: http//www.ideaman.net or http://www.fullofhooey.com for more information on what I can do to help you or your organization move to the next level.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Leadership development

Leadership development

Found this site recently. Figured I'd pass it on to my fellow leading edge business owners and managers... we need to continually develop our leadership skills if we are to survive and succeed in this very volitile market.

Leadership Development: for Your Employees, the Enterprise�and You - Leadership Research Center - CIO

Leadership Development: for Your Employees, the Enterprise and You - Leadership Research Center - CIO

Now here is an interesting area of study if you are serious about building a solid team and becoming the leader your employees hope you would become.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Creating Time to Sell, Lead or Manage! Creating more face to face time for the sales and marketing focus

Creating Time to Sell, Lead or Manage! Creating more face to face time for the sales and marketing focus

Should you decide to be a leading edge sales person this publication would be a good addition to your success library.

Taking personal leadership over how you invest your time and how you treat your customers is the step to success most sales people miss.

Make this year a profitable and productive one. Choose success and make it happen in both your lives and the lives of your clients.

Leadership excellence begins with The Courage to Lead!

Leadership excellence begins with The Courage to Lead!

Being a leader is not an easy role, nor is it an easy choice. True leaders have the Courage to Lead! Have you?

If you strive to hone your leadership skills, add this book to your success library. Share its secrets with those you lead and see each of you profitably move your careers and leadership to the next level.

Friday, September 16, 2005

12 Rules for ‘Bringing Out the Best in People’

Alan Loy McGinnis wrote a book back in the last century about bringing out the best in people. It was well-received and gained exposure and acceptance among progressive leaders at that time.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to reflect on what Alan outlined. In fact, I still have his 12 rules sitting on my wall above my desk as a visual reminder of how important they are in leading and coaching the people I have the privilege of working with across North America.

If you are committed to being an effective leader, perhaps they should be sitting somewhere close, so they are not far from your mind’s eye.

I include them, along with my own thoughts, for your inspiration and illumination.

Expect the best from the people you lead. See them performing at their best. Often people will rise or fall to the level of our expectations. See them as they could be, not as they are! Don’t limit them by expecting less than their best.

Make a thorough study of the other person's needs. Each person on your team is an individual with specific skills, talents, strengths, weaknesses, needs and dreams. Taking time to know them makes it easier to lead and direct them for mutual success.

Establish high standards for excellence. Leaders fail when they accept mediocre results or fail to set challenging standards. People will amaze you when you set the bar higher and lead by example.

Create an environment where failure is not fatal. Mistakes are a natural part of life and taking risks means occasionally you fail. If your team feels supported and encouraged, they will take risks and move past their comfort zone into the winners’ zone. Help them learn from the lessons of any mistakes and move ahead with energy to face the next challenge.

If they are going anywhere near where you want to go, climb on other people's bandwagons. Sometimes you need to be honest and realize that people are not always going the same direction or share the same values that you live. In that case, let them go and stay your own course. Be courageous enough to realize that you can follow your own path. Others who share your values will follow.

Employ models to encourage success. This goes to the heart of leadership by example. Make sure this is modeled in your own life and in the lives of those you promote and delegate to succeed.

Recognize and applaud achievement. People do not work simply for money. Each has his or her own needs. One of those needs, deep inside each of us, is the need to feel appreciated and important. As a leader the most effective thing we can do is to recognize achievement and effort from those we lead and to share and applaud their achievements.

Employ a mixture of positive and negative reinforcement. We understand it is a good thing to provide praise and positive reinforcement in our team members’ efforts. This affirms their actions and encourages them to move ahead. It is also necessary at times to apply the opposite tack when one of them is doing something detrimental in the fulfillment or follow through of their role. Letting them know what is ‘not’ acceptable is part of a leader’s role. We can do it nicely and in love, but do it we must if they are to grow and maximize their potential.

Appeal 'sparingly' to the competitive urge. Each of us has a natural competitive edge. If used wisely competition can be a great tool to higher achievement. It has its ‘dark’ side in allowing divisive actions and attitudes to creep into a team environment. Focus on the team accomplishment and mutual win. Encourage each to compete for higher standards and skill development.

Place a premium on collaboration. This is where team – ‘works,’ and where effective leaders learn to pull people from diverse backgrounds, agendas and experiences into an effective unit. Brainstorming is one way of effective collaboration allowing each to build and draw on the brainpower of another.

Build into the group an allowance for storms. It is not always smooth sailing as a leader. Storms, difficulties, challenges, detours and disasters can strike when you least expect them. As a leader you need to build in allowances for these speed bumps in your team’s progress and have some plans in place to cover each potential challenge. Sometimes you need to step in and help them weather the storm.

Take steps to keep your own motivation high. You are ‘on’ as a leader all the time. This means people will be looking at you and taking their cue from you. It also means you need to keep your personal motivation high and maintain a positive outward attitude. This means you may need to find a trusted advisor who can discuss your challenges in private. Letting your negative feelings show can be devastating to your team. They look to you as being confident, clear in focus, and consistent in action and follow thru. Don’t disappoint them.

Learn to apply these rules of the leadership road to smooth out your path, and make it easier for those who follow you to walk in it.

© Copyright 2003-2005 Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey http://www.ideaman.net All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.

Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey is a creative, productivity and leadership strategist who regularly writes for North American Consumer and Trade Journals, on-line magazines and company intranets. He is the author of 9 books and the 48th person in the history of Toastmasters International to earn their coveted professional level Accredited Speaker designation. He is a professional member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and the International Federation for Professional Speakers.

Visit his website for additional articles like this one: http://www.ebusinesssuccess.biz/ Visit: http://www.SuccessPublications.biz for information on his publications.

Welcome to The Leaders Edge!

This is a new idea from the creative mind of Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey. Bob is an inspirational, award winning leadership coach who works with leading edge executives including Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies.

Visit: http://www.LeadersEdge.biz for more information.