1. Don’t Use “I Don’t Trust You” Phrases. Be very careful about using the following phrases: “I never want to be surprised”, “Before you start anything, check with me first,” “When I am on the road, I will call in every morning for an update” All of these phrases send strong messages to subordinates that you want to keep them on a close leash and, even worse, that you do not trust them.
2. Welcome Criticism. All leaders should fully understand that criticism and loyalty are mutually supporting. When subordinates quit complaining that can be very bad news. It means that they are either afraid to complain or have given up on making things better within the organization. Both are deadly.
3. Don’t Set Unreasonable Deadlines. There is an expression in the Pentagon, “If you want it bad you will get it bad”. Try to give your folks enough time to put together a solution that you and they can be proud of.
4. Expect Exceptional Performance. Although perfectionism in a leader can be deadly in any organization, leaders must not let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction. If leaders don’t ask for exceptional performance from their associates they are not likely to get it.
5. Don’t Allow Yourself to Become a Wind Chime. If your primary skill is blowing with the wind by being politically agile, you will not be respected by those you lead. Have a backbone and exercise your strength of character by taking strong positions on important issues.
6. Fight the Temptation to Get Even. If someone does something to you that is mean spirited, think of it as his or her problem—not your problem.
7. Focus on Goals not Process. It is important to be clear about the job to be done but to be very flexible about the way you do the job.
8. Be a Blame Acceptor. If something goes wrong within the organization which you lead, you must be willing to accept the blame even though you personally may be only a tiny part of the failure. Too many bosses try to blame others, especially their subordinates. By doing so they often lose the respect of their people and their bosses.
9. Establish Self-Reinforcing Relationships. Praise and support those who can move smoothly from competition to cooperation. Encourage those who find solutions that reconcile the opposites. This is an area where the French have it right. They have a national motto: liberty, equality and fraternity.
10. Be A Leader Developer. A big part of leadership is mentorship. Helping people to develop their leadership skills can be immensely rewarding.
Also, leaders should help subordinates think like them and like their bosses. When these subordinates get promoted they will then be ready to take on the big job.
Perry Smith is an active member of the Augusta Museum of History and area civic clubs and encourages your involvement. He can be reached via email at genpsmith@aol.com. “Rules and Tools For Leaders” is available on www.amazon.com
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