“If you think [being a leader] is easy, you are doing it wrong.”
Aubrey C. Daniels
It is often discussed whether leadership is an inherit or learned trait. My feeling is that some leadership skills do come more naturally to some but that no one can be a great leader without real effort. Likewise, I believe anyone can learn the skills necessary to become a leader. Yet still, some people think being a true leader is easy—and if they do, like the opening quote suggests, they must be doing something wrong. Leadership takes consistent, focused effort.
Consistency
Consistency is key to successful leadership and this means consistency over time. And not a day, or a month, or even a year—this means real time. Being consistent for a long period of time is not easy, yet great leaders are able to find a way to provide constancy day in and day out.
Consistency is critical to successful leadership because it builds trust. People in general have a lot of instability in their lives however, when they find someone they can rely on and trust, they generally want to follow that person.
Leaders who are consistent are also labeled as sincere and genuine meaning people do not believe they are being deceived by the leader or are being told one thing only to have the person do the other. When a leader is consistent in word and deed, people gain respect and appreciation for that person.
Focused Effort
Good leaders work hard. If a leader is not setting an example of strong work ethic, what makes them think their followers will work hard? Hard work day in and day out is required for successful leaders. They set the example for others to follow.
Leadership takes calculated effort. Not just effort but effort that is thought out and will maximize the benefits to the team. A lot of people can work hard, but it takes a special person, a leader, to work hard and smart simultaneously.
Focused effort takes patience, and diligence. Being a great leader or becoming a great leader does not happen over night. And regardless of our focus and effort, we all make mistakes. However, great leaders find a way to bounce back quickly and become better from what they have learned.
So, if you believe leadership is easy, or that people are naturally born great leaders, you are wrong. Every great leader must work hard and be consistent to be successful. Truly great leadership is not easy for anyone and the moment it seems easy to us, is the moment we must be doing something wrong.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Small Stuff
“You might have big dreams, but you must understand that your long-term successes are a direct result of what you achieve every day.”
Rick Pitino
Today all I have is a simple thought and it is that the little, simple, day to day things we do matter. Often we believe that a wasted 15 minutes here, or an evening that is contradictory to our pursuits now and again do not really mean much to our success long-term but they do. Without daily consistent action and habits, our long-term dreams will never be realized. We must “sweat the small stuff.” We must realize that 15 minutes each day adds up quickly, that actions that hinder our progress tend to linger, de-motivate, and eventually destroy. What we do each minute of each day either builds on or tares down the success we are trying to achieve. Find ways to spend each moment wisely—in pursuit of your dreams…
Rick Pitino
Today all I have is a simple thought and it is that the little, simple, day to day things we do matter. Often we believe that a wasted 15 minutes here, or an evening that is contradictory to our pursuits now and again do not really mean much to our success long-term but they do. Without daily consistent action and habits, our long-term dreams will never be realized. We must “sweat the small stuff.” We must realize that 15 minutes each day adds up quickly, that actions that hinder our progress tend to linger, de-motivate, and eventually destroy. What we do each minute of each day either builds on or tares down the success we are trying to achieve. Find ways to spend each moment wisely—in pursuit of your dreams…
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Motivation Through Rewards
Recently I’ve been reading, Bringing Out the Best in People, by Aubrey C. Daniels, and in it there is a section about making rewards effective. Many people and many businesses struggle with how to effectively reward people in a way that motivates them. In fact, when rewards and recognition are handled the wrong way, they actually can do a lot more harm than good. With this in mind, here are a few pointers from the author that I believe truly help in motivating others through rewards.
#1-Make Positive Reinforcement a Habit
Consistent and sincere positive reinforcement is the number one way to motivate others. In life we are often trained to look for and point out the bad whether we are parents at home or supervisors at work. And pointing out the bad constantly is very deflating to anyone, whereas doing the opposite, meaning pointing out the good, is uplifting. In fact, most often people don’t need rewards or gifts to be motivated—all they really need is sincere positive reinforcement and praise for a job well done.
#2-The Reward Must be Earned
If we are motivating through rewards, then there must be a strong, clear, and direct correlation between performance and the reward. There should be a clear understanding of what must be accomplished to receive the reward, and those achievements must be reached before the reward is given. It also must be something that requires some effort. If not, the reward will lose its value and its ability to motivate.
#3-The Reward Must have Personal Value
Have you ever received something you didn’t want or like? When we reward someone for achieving something, we must give them something that they want. When we have a “blanket” reward approach, people who are not interested in the reward are not motivated. Like shoes, one reward does not fit all; thus to make our rewards systems the most valuable, the rewards should be personalized.
#4-The Reward Must be Given Immediately
The closer we can give the reward to the time the behaviors to earn the reward occurred, the better. When reinforcement is immediate, motivation and the likelihood to repeat performance greatly increases. When we delay, people often forget or fail to correlate what they did “good” to receive the reward—even when you tell them! Thus, have the reward ready to give as soon as possible.
Often we believe that simply giving rewards is enough to motivate others. The opposite could not be more true however. When done properly, by following the tips above, rewards can be an effective way to motivate others; however when done poorly, rewards can actually decrease and completely eliminate motivation. Thus, we must be careful how we reward others. By following the simple steps above, we will become more effective leaders and more effective “rewarders”.
#1-Make Positive Reinforcement a Habit
Consistent and sincere positive reinforcement is the number one way to motivate others. In life we are often trained to look for and point out the bad whether we are parents at home or supervisors at work. And pointing out the bad constantly is very deflating to anyone, whereas doing the opposite, meaning pointing out the good, is uplifting. In fact, most often people don’t need rewards or gifts to be motivated—all they really need is sincere positive reinforcement and praise for a job well done.
#2-The Reward Must be Earned
If we are motivating through rewards, then there must be a strong, clear, and direct correlation between performance and the reward. There should be a clear understanding of what must be accomplished to receive the reward, and those achievements must be reached before the reward is given. It also must be something that requires some effort. If not, the reward will lose its value and its ability to motivate.
#3-The Reward Must have Personal Value
Have you ever received something you didn’t want or like? When we reward someone for achieving something, we must give them something that they want. When we have a “blanket” reward approach, people who are not interested in the reward are not motivated. Like shoes, one reward does not fit all; thus to make our rewards systems the most valuable, the rewards should be personalized.
#4-The Reward Must be Given Immediately
The closer we can give the reward to the time the behaviors to earn the reward occurred, the better. When reinforcement is immediate, motivation and the likelihood to repeat performance greatly increases. When we delay, people often forget or fail to correlate what they did “good” to receive the reward—even when you tell them! Thus, have the reward ready to give as soon as possible.
Often we believe that simply giving rewards is enough to motivate others. The opposite could not be more true however. When done properly, by following the tips above, rewards can be an effective way to motivate others; however when done poorly, rewards can actually decrease and completely eliminate motivation. Thus, we must be careful how we reward others. By following the simple steps above, we will become more effective leaders and more effective “rewarders”.
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