I sat in the classroom. The professor said about the characteristics of a great leader. I certainly can not object to his list: passion, vision, dedication, inspiration, responsible, ... That's a very important point, but it's hard to remember and more is applied in practice.
"Let's inspire members of the group" is great advice, but how to implement it?
I realize that most of what I know about leadership not from schools or workshops.
1) The information easy to easy to go, but pride is forever
Facts and figures, charts, tables or results, ... very useful in the interpretation of logic and reasoning, they will quickly be forgotten.
However, if you make employees feel foolish or lose face before others, he will never forget it.
One of my employees express their opinions in meetings, and I instinctively countered sarcastically. (For a long time, I like a sniper people with sarcastic comments because I always think it is witty.) Everyone laughed, except him.
Since then, our relationship changed completely. I apologized right away and then back again to apologize, but things were then.
Use double your time for data and logic to think about the feelings of your employees. Fix bug of information or data is easy, but to overcome the damage you caused to the employee's self-esteem, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is almost impossible.
2) Presentation alone will never give out these great ideas
These presentations are a great way to share information and complexity. But it's really bad when used to share creative ideas.
After almost hear a presentation about the Sig Sigma, and I cut them and say, "Let's share ideas." Some people will say, "Ah, well, we will discuss the data, technical analysis and their conclusions ...". But most people do not care and really and I can not blame them.
These great ideas can only in a few small words, and your staff have the idea, let them share. All you need to do is listen to them carefully and absorb the wonderful idea.
3) "The penalty voluntary" kill line creative ideas
The best employees will often have the best ideas. And nature is responsible for implementing the idea will be delivered to the given idea. Moreover, if the person is a good employee, you will always want to assign responsibility for him because it ensures the work will be completed.
Of course, good staff who have worked hard with intensity, so when assigned to them each time they offered would be able to stop their flow of ideas.
As an excellent staff explained to me: "I finally realized that to stop giving him the idea, because every time, he assigned me one more new responsibilities." It's like a "voluntary punishment". Sometimes employees are willing to implement their ideas out, but other times not so.
So how to know their answer?
Ask for it!
4) To share the positive results will lead to a negative
I once said about changing paper vacuum system will improve air quality in the factory how, but I have a true bypass, which will lead to a number of staff will look like Maybe they just roll into a tub filled with wheat to plant each day.
Never ignore the negative issues, talk openly about the downside, especially when it affects the left side directly to the employee. Demonstrate that you understand the best thing and the worst that can happen, and it will affect how your team.
When you are comfortable discussing the potential negative issues, staff will not only respect you more, but usually will work harder to ensure that the underlying problem does not occur.
5) Listen to the people instead of listening to the number
Once, I made shift rotation for 2 group of about 30 employees because I know that it will help improve productivity by 10%. I also know that most of them hate the rotation because they have told me that. But I hold the company and I understand the great leaders willing tough decisions and do whatever possible to achieve the goal.
But it turns out I was totally wrong. Of course, the rotating shift work. But it has ruined the lives of a family of employees. Finally I had to change this stupid thinking and moving people on the right shift old. We have to find other ways to improve productivity.
Sometimes a decision should not be based solely on analysis, logic or reasoning by which decisions are made by humans.
If the employee does not agree with you, but why not ask questions just to protect their own opinions. Ask to learn. You know what the staff does not know, and they know what you do not - only when you listen to what they say.
