5 Critical Leadership Lessons from the Frontlines


5 Critical Leadership Lessons from the Frontlines

In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie said, "Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind." That applies to leadership skills, whether someone's a rookie manager or a pro. New managers need new skills; for more experienced people, this is a valuable scoreboard and action plan.

Five critical leadership insights:
  1. Delegate, delegate, delegate. All managers have been primed with this mantra. What does it really mean? In most cases, it's distributing workload to people, with defined goals and tangible accountability. It builds leadership credentials for managers, and helps cure the "It'll be easier if I just do it myself" syndrome.
  2. What makes them tick? It's more than courtesy; managers who identify an employee's motivations are better equipped to communicate with and encourage that person. Individuals, in turn, respond positively to someone who plays to their strengths. Result: They're more comfortable with the assignment and capable of superior performance.
  3. Mix and match. For assignments that demand hit-the-ground-running teamwork, managers who've identified employee motivations can quickly mix and match people into highly efficient teams that deliver optimum performance. Patience; this is an evolving process. If one team doesn't mesh, managers file that knowledge for the next time people are assigned to work with each other.
  4. Coaches keep planning. Managers don't put together teams and cut them loose, no matter how strong they are on paper. Even the best teams need a coach. Sports analogy: A coach preps his or her team before the game. But the coach doesn't wait until after the game to tell players what they should've done better. The locker room talk at halftime is feedback and advice on what it'll take to win.
  5. "Rewards matter." Everyone appreciates a pat on the back. There are times, though, when a manager wants to recognize a top performer and share the message with other employees. Suggestions: Celebrate specific achievements - not Mr. Nice Guy stuff. Don't wait until Friday or the end of the month or the end of the quarter; the best recognition is more immediate. Finally, rewards should suit recipients -- Employee of the Month parking spots don't do much for bus commuters.

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