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GL MONTHLY e-NEWSLETTER - November 2004

Brought to you by Jeff Thoren, DVM  

Read any book on leadership and you'll discover that successful leaders put a great amount of time and energy into developing their people.  Some, like GE's Jack Welch and United Technologies' George David, make it their mission to manage and foster talent with hawk-like attention.  All great leaders realize that their own success is dependent on the success of those who work with them.

In today's thriving companies, where people at all levels of the organization are expected to exercise leadership, helping other team members learn and grow, then, becomes everyone's responsibility.

So how do you go about nurturing and developing others?  As this month's article points out, leaders must involve their people in setting goals that are achievable, measurable, and tap into their motivation.

Here’s this month’s feature …

Four Practices for Great Performance - by Lauren Keller Johnson

From Harvard Business School 's "Working Knowledge" August 23, 2004

Highlights from the article:

When it comes to setting individual's learning and performance goals, leaders should apply the following practices:

  • Involve employees.  Too many leaders leave out this crucial first step when setting growth and performance expectations for their employees (i.e. finding out if their direct reports agree with and buy into the proposed expectations).  People are more committed to objectives that they've helped to define.  Another important consideration ... "think group, but see individuals!"  Big organizational goals inspire people at the collective level, but you then need to work with each person based on their roles, strengths, and passions.  You can't - and shouldn't - expect the same performance from everyone.
      

  • Focus on achievability.  No matter how actively employees participate in the goal-setting process, they won't rise to the occasion unless they understand in concrete terms what's expected of them.  Therefore, agreed-upon goals should be expressed with as much specificity as possible, including a target time frame for fulfilling each objective.  For example, "We will sign a contract with this large account to provide them with five full-time and ten part-time technical staff members through the first quarter of next year."  Additionally, goals should be realistic and achievable from the employees perspective.  Goals should be challenging but not so difficult that they seem impossible.
      

  • Build measures that help meet goals.  With the right goals in place, leaders should focus next on the measures that will help people meet them.  Well-written goals include objective measurements that help people receive ongoing feedback and gauge their progress toward achievement.  The leaders role involves insuring that people get the feedback they need to know how they're doing and to provide encouragement.  Leaders must constantly notice, affirm, and express thanks for high performance.
      

  • Tap into employees' deepest motivations.  This last element is often the most challenging for leaders ... tapping into a person's motivation.  But it could be the most critical part of the equation.  People are motivated to fulfill expectations and reach goals based on their personal interests - not based on what others are telling them to do.  Leaders must work closely with employees to discover what each person is most motivated by - whether it's tackling a new challenge, having a chance to form close working relationships, or some other reward.

For the full text article, go to . . .
http://hbsworkingknowledge.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=4332&t=organizations

Things Leaders Do

The editors of Fast Company recently asked their readers to share their thoughts about the characteristics, qualities, and skills of successful leaders.  The most compelling answers revealed that the magazine's readers have a good understanding of what it means to lead effectively. (Fast Company - June 2004)

In the words of the Fast Company faithful, here are a few of the most important things good leaders do:

  • Leaders develop a vision, along with others, get buy-in of the vision, execute according to the vision, and hold themselves and everyone else accountable for achieving the results of the vision.

  • The most important thing a leader has to do is serve.

  • Leaders need to make other leaders.

  • Listen, listen, and then once more listen.  Half of the problem has been solved or the opportunity is understood when you have listened effectively.

  • They need to know the strengths and weaknesses of each employee as well as their character.

  • Understand their people better - especially what really motivates and energizes them.

  • Be honest and open with employees.

  • It is critical to delegate both authority and responsibility and then stay out of the way.  Let your staff do what you hired them to do and always be available when they need guidance.

  • Lead with integrity - so that those you lead know who you are, that you are consistent from the inside out.

Leaders cannot be self-serving.  They are responsible for the well-being of the people around them and part of that responsibility involves understanding people and giving them opportunities to grow and develop.

One last thing ... a leader can't help other people develop more of their potential unless the leader is first committed to developing more of his/her own potential.  Is your personal development a habit and are you also in the habit of taking the time to develop others???

           

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