One of the key roles of first-line leadership is to assist team members with their growth and development. Jim Rohn noted: “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better”. This involves the mind-set, skills and…
“People don’t change that much. Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to draw out what was left in. That is hard enough” (Buckingham & Coffman: First, break all the rules: What the world’s greatest managers do differently, 1999) Whilst the human resources department has the daunting task of understanding…
Behind the problems that routinely plague teams and organisations are individuals who either can’t or won’t deal with failed promises, broken rules, missed deadlines or just plain bad behaviour. If anyone addresses the issue, he or she often does a lousy job and creates a whole new set of problems. When problems arise: In the…
“The purpose of pruning is to improve the quality of the roses, not to hurt the bush” (Florence Littauer) Pruning involves the selective removal of “diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound or otherwise unwanted plant material from crop and landscape plants” (Wikipedia). Some horticulturalists call the categories “The 4 D’s: diseased, dead, damaged and deranged”….
Build a team so strong that no-one can point out the leader (Anon) The mark of true leadership lies in the efficacy, confidence and performance of the leader’s team. Too many leaders rely on personal charisma, authority (even manipulation) and other coercion techniques to get the job done, disempowering team members as a result. Trust…
All managers want their respective teams to function well and meet or supersede team goals. Getting the team to achieve over and above expectations, however, requires more than encouragement or inspiration. The manager will need to keep the team focused on the goals consistently if energy is going to be applied appropriately by each team…
“Proper preparation prevents poor performance” (British Army adage) More than ever before, there is pressure on businesses to ensure that their respective assets (people, intellectual property, products and machines) deliver real results. As cash is not as readily available as a decade or so ago, companies are forced to refocus energy on business efficiency, sustainable…
Many idioms referring to human behaviour are based on analogies to parts of the body, especially arms, hands and fingers (e.g.: to keep one’s fingers crossed, all hands on deck, elbow room, to be on hand, keep her at arm’s length, he is all thumbs, he would not lift a finger, give someone a free…
All companies need them – talented individuals who are not just satisfied with the status quo, but rather who push the perceived boundaries of innovation, creativity and exploration to arrive at better ways of doing things, new or enhanced product suites and improved ways of supplying customers with exactly what they need. If encouraged and…
Behind the problems that routinely plague teams and organisations are individuals who either can’t or won’t deal with failed promises – some have just not performed well, missed deadlines or behaved badly; others have broken rules or have been involved in more serious issues. The managers that attempt to address these difficulties often do so…
“We need entrepreneurs who will come up and create businesses, yes; but not everybody’s an entrepreneur”. (Strive Masiyiwa: Founder & Executive Chairman, Econet Wireless Group) In a world that is plagued by many problems, “entrepreneurship”, as a topic for Global Fora, government committees and non-government organisations, has never been more fashionable – not more so…
I have met many “nice” managers in my travels and frequently at workshops – good people, pleasant demeanours, humorous, caring and loyal. These managers easily fit into the leadership team and are generally liked by all. They go about their tasks faithfully and encourage colleagues and employees, especially when the workload is putting everyone under…
