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lead.

Leadership For example, in a new job you should


usually start by asking questions. You
need a sound knowledge base before
Copyright © 2018. you start making decisions on
Article by Dr. Salim Hajje Ph.D., Strategy technical issues.
Consultant Business Unlimited - People need to be convinced
of a leader’s expertise
Whether you are the and determination.
managing director or the C Leading a team means
office supervisor, the way developing and motivating
you lead is the single individuals and groups (see 7).
biggest success factor for This includes helping people
everyone you work find meaning and purpose in
with. Leaders change the what they are doing, so that it
organizations around them. is seen to be worthwhile.
They make a difference to
the business, rather than
just making the business D Leaders must often press
work. Leadership is ahead where managers see
about what you do. It involves learn- problems and back off.
able skills that can be applied to the
tasks that occur in every business. For example, every new product idea will
face a series of obstacles. A leader will
This article tells you how to make find a way around each of them.
leadership work in practice. It covers: Leaders at supervisor or office level need
backing, as it is often difficult for them
The leadership functions of a manager to be recognized as leaders by their
— and those of a managing director. workmates.
Leading a successful team.
How to achieve more as a leader. 2- Leadership from the top

1- Leadership at all levels The managing director has a wider


leadership role, which includes leading
Leadership — whoever is doing it — is other leaders. As a managing director,
about creating positive change to you have four special responsibilities.
achieve long-term objectives.
A Leadership involves setting goals (see A Create the vision, based on an
6), then moving the business towards understanding of strategic shifts and
them. opportunities.
Making the best use of resources, The vision need not be something you
including people’s potential, is the key can methodically plan your way
skill. towards. It gives a compass direction,
B Leaders have to earn the authority to not a road map.

The Secret Guide Series™ Leadership Copyright © Business Unlimited 11


It must be worth the effort or it will
not attract people and provide
motivation.
The end point must be able to be
measured or verified. There should be
no doubt about it when you get there.

B Form the team and a structure that


helps you achieve your goals. setting demanding targets and helping
For example, if excellent customer them to achieve them.
service is the priority, start by
employing friendly, confident people. C Win commitment based on honest,
realistic, two-way discussion.
C Decide key business and personnel Make it clear that you expect
policies. problems to occur, but that they will
be overcome.
D Manage rewards and discipline. Let everyone see that you are
Use a range of incentives — besides confident about the long-term future.
cash — to stimulate effort, ideas or
whatever the business specifically D Create a climate of learning, so
needs. people know it is safe to make mistakes
(see box).
3-What do leaders do?
Great mistakes
Leadership involves taking on six tasks. Business is about planning, but you still
A Achieve clarity about the changes that end up m oving forward by t rial and
must happen.
error. Managers who seek scapegoats
For example, a courier business might when things go wr ong create an
need to grow quickly — possibly by environment in which peopl e avoid
acquisition — to achieve the critical experimenting and taking risks.
mass that makes multi-drop trips Realistic leaders foster a cl imate in
possible. which it is OK to make mist akes, as
Once people are clear about the need for long as they are not caused by
change, they will begin to work towards carelessness or stupidity. A retailer,
it. for example, wil l back the buyer ’s
judgment and give c ustomers a chance
B Turn ideas into action points and to try a new line. If it flops, it is soon
motivate others to act on them. forgotten. If it flies off the shelves ,
Be flexible about ways and means — supplies are scaled up an d everyone
‘tough on the what, easy on the how’. celebrates a success. In a business
Ask managers to put proposals in a one where peo ple are not af raid to tr y
-page summary plan, so you can see and fail, the flow of ideas can become
the quality of their thinking. a major asset.
Encourage people to achieve more by

The Secret Guide Series™ Leadership Copyright © Business Unlimited 22


E Keep going. Without persistence, even
the best ideas can come to nothing.
One survey found that 80 per cent of
corporate change programmes had
failed within two years. Of the
surviving programmes which were
successful, 75 per cent had come close
to being scrapped at some point.

F Learn from your experiences. in small ways, with other


You are looking for lessons that will organizations.
help you replicate your successes. Promote your business tirelessly and
enthusiastically wherever you go.
At the very least, make sure you do
not make the same mistakes twice. Where do the ideas come from?
4-What must leaders do more of? Most leaders have their best ideas almost
anywhere other than in the office.
To be a leader, you have to act like a Many experts believe that leaders (even in
hectic smaller businesses) should spend
leader. The more of these things you do, half their time away from their desks.
the more you will achieve. At work, there are too many distractions
and you become immersed in everyday
detail. Ideas come when people h ave time
A Make time to look into the future, to think.
rather than always letting today’s rush
A Time spent doing anything that brings
overwhelm your attention. you into contact with other people’s
thinking and experiences may spark new
B Make complex things simple. ideas.
Talking to business people and friends.
People try harder and make fewer
Reading books (many leaders get
mistakes when everyone understands inspiration from biographies).
what is going on. Paying attention to magazines,
newspapers, radio, and TV.
C Always try to change the organization B Ideas can also come to you during time
for the better and move it forward. you usually think of as unproductive,
from a business point of view:
When you see the chance to bring in
At home — in the garden or the bath.
real improvements, make the changes
On trains and planes o r stuck in traffic
now. jams.
While walking, cycling or exercising.
D Invest time and effort in networking. While unconscious, when you decide to
Put in time with your contacts outside ‘sleep on it’.
the business, especially friends who This is not coincidence. To focus intently
run other companies. on a problem & th en let your brain carry
on & chew it over while you are occupied
Spend time talking to customers,
with something else is often the best way
industry experts and journalists.
to solve it.
Build alliances by co-operating, even

The Secret Guide Series™ Leadership Copyright © Business Unlimited 33


E Be systematic, so things do not fall C Train your people to use their
through the cracks. initiative, and to present you with
Your example will encourage other solutions, rather than problems.
people to work in a methodical way. For example, instead of hearing ‘We
need a designer’, you would like to
F Add value yourself every day. hear ‘We need a designer, so shall I
The best leaders sell, negotiate, plan draft a spec and find three for you to
and administer every day and get choose from?’
through a mountain of work, partly Decisiveness is a virtue. Procrastination
through managing their time rarely makes decisions easier. It usually
effectively. holds other people up, and it is a bad
Phone or visit customers and suppliers. habit that others tend to copy.
Be seen to get personally involved.
6-Point the way
5-Making decisions
Once you have delegated as much
decision-making as is reasonable (see
7A), be dynamic in your own decision-
making.

A Many decisions can be made immedi-


ately, without consulting others.
When the decisions only affect you, or
are minor or routine.
When an inexperienced team needs to
be told what to do. A Everyday leadership focuses mainly on
When speed is vital. For example, deciding priorities and setting
when you are close to deadlines. objectives.
The objectives that are set need to be
B More important decisions should be SMART (specific, measurable, agreed,
made having consulted others. realistic and time-limited).
Outline the objectives, problems and Leaders lead the search for ideas and
ideas and invite comments. improvement. For example, they ask
Participation in the discussion helps questions like: ‘Who do we know who
win the commitment of those does this well?’ or ‘Whose brains can
affected. we pick about how to tackle this?’
Involve others that may know more
about the issue than you. B The managing director usually decides
For example, you might commission a the strategy and direction for the
piece of market research only to find business. In some companies, this role is
that an employee had the answers shared by the chairman, or the board of
already from a published survey. directors.

The Secret Guide Series™ Leadership Copyright © Business Unlimited 44


The classic formula for defining strategy
has four parts:

Where are we coming from?


Where are we now?
Where are we going?
How are we going to get
there?

From the answers, a strategy can be


derived. This gives a framework for
assessing day-to-day decisions, to ensure
they all move the business in the right
direction.
C Lead by example.
7-Manage the team
Show the honesty and consistency that
The lighter your management touch people want from a leader.
when things are going smoothly, the Let everyone see from your actions
more you have what you mean by excellent service.
in reserve for emergencies. Show confidence. If there is a problem
with a particular customer, let
A Delegate more than you think is everyone see that you are prepared to
possible. pick it up yourself and sort it out.

Break strategy down into projects that D Develop people’s potential.


individuals or small groups can tackle.
Provide positive supervision. Ask Provide training for the team, and for
people what they feel they are best at each person individually, including
— and give them the chance to do yourself.
more of it. Encourage employees to try new
things.
B Motivate people by showing you notice Create opportunities for people to
everything that goes on. learn without risking disaster.

Build people’s confidence by trusting E Make communicating second nature.


them with challenging projects and
targets Question, listen, and take time to
Let people know their views and ideas ensure employees understand the
are always taken seriously. reasons for any important decisions.
Give full credit for every success. Consider how people will be affected
Give individuals rewards that matter before communicating changes.
to them. A half-day off may cost less
and mean more than a cash bonus.

The Secret Guide Series™ Leadership Copyright © Business Unlimited 55


8-Know yourself

Leadership skills are a mixture of natural


talents and learned technique. Play to
your strengths and avoid — or work to
improve — your weaker points. Here are
eight key areas to consider.

A How good are you at working with


other people? business in France may well come
Can you gain the respect and support from someone who has just done it.
of others?
Can you fire them up with your H Do people have faith in your integrity?
enthusiasm, energy and vision? A good leader is open and flexible in
approaching problems, but unwavering
B How decisive are you? about values.
Is your decision-making approach right
for the circumstances (see 6)?
Good Work!
C Is your imagination a leadership asset?
Is the detail and clarity of your vision
an inspiration to your employees? Now if you’re serious about developing
your leadership skills and the s kills of
D Is your analytical ability a key your team;
strength?
you really need t o know mor e about
E Do you have the energy and drive to how Dr. Salim Hajje, strategy
work hard and see jobs through to consultant can hel p you reac h your
completion? goals.
If you accept nothing but the best,
people will take their cue from you. Its where top professionals go to
become successful...
F Are you realistic enough to bring in
other people to cover your back? Please contact me at 03-394325
You can benefit by working with 04-41 60 61
others who are not like you. For
example, leaders who are strong on consult@business-unlimited.com
the big picture often need www.business-unlimited.com
process-minded nit-pickers to deal
with the detail. This is truly a risk-Free call

G Are you prepared to learn from other Dr. Salim Hajje Ph.D.
people’s experiences?
For example, the best advice on doing

The Secret Guide Series™ Leadership Copyright © Business Unlimited 66

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