Opinions expressed by entrepreneurs’ colleagues are their very own.
When you read the word “leader”, you possibly can think about the movie GladiatorWhere Russell Crowe leads his people to fight to defeat barbarians, and the army follows him without asking. Or it’s possible you’ll think about the deceased Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, who was worshiped by her people, without governing them. Or perhaps you think about the coach of the football team in highschool, which invents art, shows each soft and hard love so that their team takes this challenge challenge, ending with the impressive “You have it!” speech.
You can read countless books on leadership and ways of effective leadership, but I intend to share the key concepts that I have used, which in my opinion is essentially the reason why the great leader can lead a collective to the result, which otherwise won’t ever be achieved.
Concepts that I habit The emphasis is authoritative, making all decisions, demanding loyalty or giving false hope or magical speeches of greatness.
In fact, these rules are completely opposite.
Being present
The Japanese have a barely more sophisticated word entitled “Gemba” or “Go See”, which at all times resonated with me and was in the center of my activities in leadership.
Be present. Show your team that you are with them, and when you see or hear something that does not seem right or prevents the team or company in the right direction, go and actually look at what is happening.
As a biotechnology leader, I’ll use a very specific example of this idea at one of my startups. The company I worked with conducted research and development, using microorganisms, and working with these organisms required careful scientists in their way of labor, that the samples they worked with would remain clean and free from any pollution.
The laboratory began to experience a lot of pollutants, and progress got stuck. The staff and team pulled their hair what was happening. Some questions were asked, but the team got stuck. So I asked the laboratory manager: “Hey, could I walk with you in the laboratory and talk about what you see and show me the trial?”
The manager hesitated for a moment, but then sighed with relief. We began walking, and I gently asked questions, listening and accepting what they said. And then I saw it … The cleansing solution they used didn’t have the right time to work, and the staff was never trained about this particular solution, because it was latest. I asked the laboratory manager what they think, and immediately desired to implement training and speed up people.
They returned to the desk and began the next steps.
Pay attention to what happened here. Did I tell them what to do? Did I ask them the way it could have happened and how they planned to repair it? No – I used to be just present and saw what was going on for myself.
Manage the task, not a person
Very rarely a person is not suitable for work. Ninety -nine percent of the time, this is their level of readiness in performing a specific task. This is an amazing concept that can transform the work after doing well. It is also necessary to know that this is still a dynamic process. There are 4 categories of ready tasks.
Level 1 It is if a person is unable and does not need to perform this task.
Level 2 It is if a person is unable, but he desires to perform the task.
Level 3 Whether a person is capable but does not need to do this task – the most difficult to administer.
Level 4 Whether a person is capable and willing to perform this task.
At level 1, it is necessary to know that this person does probably not know how you can do what you wish, and you possibly can not simply “let them figure it out” because they probably do not know where to start out. So here you spend some time leading, removing fear and specific at every step to perform the task.
At level 2, the result is often that you do not get what you wish, because this person is like “yes, I have it” when I actually don’t, so it is important to actually make sure that with a few small probes, as they will take the first few steps of the task. If they say “I come up with it”, you know that you will need to give more suggestions.
Level 3 is a funny beast to unravel. An individual actually knows how you can do this task, he just doesn’t need to do it. Are they too busy with other things? Do they have a injury attributable to work load? Do they have enough different and it is advisable to discover what is going on? It is here that a good 1: 1 chat can assist (or perhaps several of them).
At level 4, it is necessary to not microme of this task – let the person deal with and deliver it and you will probably be very glad with the result.
Be your authentic yourself and do the right thing
Pretend until you do it, it does not apply. Don’t pretend you are someone you are not. Every time I used to be told to “do it this way” by an investor or a member of the board or “you must be less similar to this …” It just does not work for me, often because their request is to create a fundamental change in my personality, which is not authentic to me, and not help me achieve the result they are looking for.
Stay faithful to your values. Act with honesty. Don’t lie, steal or cheat to maneuver on. We all have a fundamental compass in which we know the law from evil. Just do the right thing. It seems easy, but to be honest, you could be surprised how many people in this world think that it comes at all costs.
Really deal with your people
Unless you run a company fully run by AI agents, people do work to realize the result. Work to make sure your people feel respected, heard, mentord, appreciated and satisfied with their work.
It is difficult.
You don’t have to bend back to do this, but “throwing money on a problem” is not at all times the answer. If you have a small organization, it might probably be a more personal meeting. For larger organizations, use your managers. Everyone’s motivation is different, so the general approach won’t work. I learned that there are basic areas of top of the range in which recognition is motivated by staff.
Verbal diagnosis: These people sometimes wish to hear a “good job” and before others.
Support: These people need to perform a task with you or keep their progress with you, so they feel that they receive a mentoring that they might need.
Development: Learning latest tasks or cross training helps some people not feel bad. This is especially necessary for more repeated tasks employees. The possibilities of external training or general training in the workplace, for example, how you can cooperate with colleagues may be helpful.
Money: Yes, some people are primarily motivated by money – a bonus and even a point bonus helps them feel appreciated.
Quality time: Some people need a structure or they will just want to take a seat with you or talk about water protection. They feel noticed when you ask about their family or this coming journey. Usually these people are also looking for one of other recognition elements, but this is their best.
Take care of yourself too
Listen, pull the whole and eating McDonald’s for each meal could seem brave, and (*5*) for your team, but in fact he often does this exactly in the opposite in terms of motivation. I discovered that devoting time with a family or training helps people see that I’m also human. It is not about the balance between skilled and private life, but more about conducting an example to indicate things that matter most of the time. Those completely bats can occur, but it mustn’t be a lifestyle.
Being a leader is complex. It is not only about the strategy, vision and mission, but more importantly, the way each of them is made in the company.