Leaders Play a Major Role for the Employee

By Gregg Gregory

Think of the best boss you have ever had in your adult work life. Now what are the top three reasons you said this is your best boss? If you are like many you answered with statements like:

• Lead by example

• Encouraged everyone

• Rewarded fairly

• Held me accountable

• Empowered me

Now either go see or call this person (do not email) and tell them you just thought of him/her. How do think they will feel when you tell them this? Pretty awesome I would think. These are just a few of the things employees said are important to them. What is interesting is that these are leadership traits and not management traits.

When you take a training class what are you looking to learn? Many of us want to learn 'the how' to do the things in our jobs – which translates into managing things. Have you ever given thought to what your team members look for and are they getting what they expect. Leadership from the

top down in essence dictates the culture of an organization. If the leadership is empowering then this will breed future leaders that too empower others. On the other hand if the organization is one that keeps a stronghold on everyone then that too will result in breeding future leaders of the same style. Think about it this way. Have you ever noticed how much a child resembles the parent?

Not just in physical appearance either. This includes mannerisms and communication styles. Here are four quick tips on breeding a successful legacy in your organization:

1.     Treat everyone fairly – and fairly does not mean equal – it means fairly. This is one of the strongest ways to build a respectful team and a respectful team is generally a trusting team.

2.     Lead from a position of integrity – How do you expect to breed others if you are not leading the pack. This goes beyond walking the walk – it means you must live the part you are portraying. This means be consistent between word and deed at all times.

3.     Develop the right track for everyone to run on – Have you ever had an employee that shared in the vision but could not perform at his or her position? Get the right person into the right job and do it fast.

4.     Show a genuine interest in your team members – Everyone likes to have some attention shown to them. This means that even if you are not the extroverted leader develop the skill set to make sure the employees know you care about them on every level.

If you are lucky you will be like the legendary San Francisco 49er head coach Bill Walsh. When he was asked about his career he said he was proud of his super bowl rings but he was even more proud of the number of head coaches he developed over the years. One day five years from now you could be sitting at home and answer the phone. The voice on the other end says, “Hey boss – I just read an article about best bosses and when I thought about my best boss I thought of you and wanted to just give you a call and tell you how much I appreciated everything you did for me back in 2007.” Imagine that…

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