If you are in charge, you better be thinking about it all the time!
Why is important? Because it’s all on you. Your team won’t improve until you improve. You can’t expect to be the same leader and expect your team to grow. The leader has to stay in front. If the team is going to be more focused, efficient and productive it must start with the leader.
Don’t think people aren’t watching you
If the team wins, the team gets the credit and they deserve it because they are doing the work. If the team loses it’s the leaders fault. Any leader who tries to duck responsibility by blaming people on the team will lose everyone’s respect and won’t be the leader long. You can’t win by pointing your finger at others because they were counting on your coaching and leadership. If you fail…the fingers will be pointing at you.
A leader who is driven to improve can inspire others and naturally earns their respect. They can tell you are working and expecting better things. So how can you keep improving?
The common advice isn’t the best advice
They’ll tell you to read books, listen to tapes and improve your habits. All that is the kind of thing that every serious leader does to improve. You can find value there. In fact, if you have to be told to do that kind of thing you probably aren’t very driven anyway. Those kinds of things help keep you fresh and in the game—but they won’t put you over the top. So what will?
The best advice – Grow your numbers!
The best way to develop is to grow into it. It’s really the only way that really works.
- Focus on results.
- Focus on getting specifics done in time frames.
- Know your numbers, targets and accomplishments. What exactly is it that you and the team is supposed to be doing? How are you judged? What production categories are most important?
You know yourself and your team better than anyone, so improve.
It’s a step by step process. If you are growing in leadership, your production will go up! You know where your stumbling points are. You know where you need to improve.
It may be an area you need to improve personally…like game planning, setting priorities, eliminating time wasting activities and people. It may be your staffing, facilities or training.
It may be your systems that are the problem. You may have some bottlenecks at certain points in your processing. What ever is the current weakest link won’t fix itself…it will stay the same until you fix it. As you continue to fix, adjust and improve your business you grow your leadership style.
