Let's Talk ... Leadership!

February, 2008

			OPENING THOUGHT    "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day...teach a man to fish and you feed him for life." Unknown   I have often said this during my workshops - particularly to leaders. "Teach your staff how to carry out tasks rather than doing if for them. This will build capacity and is a great succession planning strategy."    Pigs in China - An excellent source of fertilizer and protein! What does this have to do with training leaders you ask? Throughout 2008, NRL Group Incorporated will be taking on a leadership role and contributing to training the less privileged in Canada and throughout the world. Each month we will be undertaking one initiative that will help to provide long-term sustainability to a child, a family or a community in need. Find out more about this month's initiative and how you can make a difference too... This month - 5 Tangible Tips for Effective Leadership: Communicate, communicate and then communicate more - great leaders keep others well informed. Deal with conflicts sooner rather than later - don't let issues "fester" unresolved - they only tend to get worse! Be consistent, but flexible...people want to know what they can expect and count on, but they also respect leaders who can be flexible, based on the situation. Recognize your own personal leadership style as well as your strengths and areas for improvement. Leverage your strengths and create a personal improvement plan to deal with your "challenges". Practice adjusting your leadership style according to the person/people involved. Some will need more direction than others. Provide both praising and constructive feedback. Positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful (and under-utilized) tools for continuous improvement. Involve others in solving problems. Doing so not only builds ownership and buy-in early on, ultimately it lays the foundation for the discovery of better solutions. Leadership is about behaviour first, skills second. Good leaders are followed primarily because people trust and respect them, rather than for the skills they possess. Remember to recognize and value the differences in people. Each brings with them diversity in their background, culture, experience and knowledge. People are, after all, an organization's most valuable asset.   - Janet Stewart-Lussier   President, Canadian Association of Professional Speakers - Ottawa Chapter - Listen to my Internet Radio Interview   Author of "Let's Talk Teambuilding - 10 Strategies for Becoming a High Performance Team Member"

Contribute to training the children of our world   Enter the word DONATE when you order your copy of   "Let's Talk Teambuilding - 10 Strategies for Becoming a High Performance Team Member"   and $3 will be contributed on your behalf. Tell me more!   Tell me more about the Let's Talk Teambuilding Leadership Workshops   Check out the new Let's Talk Teambuilding Tip Sheets

SIGN ME UP FOR MY FREE SUBSCRIPTION!

View past issues of "Let's Talk..."

Your feedback is welcome!
 
If you would prefer not to receive future issues, please contact Janet Stewart-Lussier by e-mail.