What does this have to do with leadership? What do you believe are the characteristics of an effective leader?
A good listener, enthusiasm, passion, shows appreciation, a visionary, role model, trusting, integrity, organized, knowledgeable, credibility, persuasive, charisma, team building, clarity of purpose, problem solver, attitude of service, leads by example, patience, willing to act without complete knowledge, understands followers, consistent, empowers other people, and adapts to change.
I'll add that this is essentially the same list that I receive from other audiences when I ask this question. From this comes some useful insights.
1) Notice what the list contains. All of these characteristics relate to the human side of leadership. That's interesting because I often hear people minimize this side of leadership with terms like "soft" or "touchy feely." Actually, applying these characteristics requires more strength than not.
2) Notice what the list excludes. Absent from this list (and all lists from other programs) are characteristics such as stern, mean, serious, short tempered, vindictive, tough, angry, harsh, punitive, controlling, violent, or ruthless. And that's interesting because many popular representations of leadership emphasize at least one of these "hard" characteristics. In fact, these characteristics are the refuge of those who lack the strength (or the skills) to apply the human side of leadership.
3) How about you? How would you rate yourself as a leader compared to the list of positive characteristics? If you were to survey the people who report to you, how would they describe your leadership? Would they list characteristics from the "soft" list or from the "hard" list? Could you become more effective by improving upon any of the "soft" characteristics? And how about the other leaders in your organization? Do they truly maximize human potential?
People want leaders who treat them with genuine compassion, courtesy, and respect. They want leaders who help them become more successful. They want leaders who inspire them with a vision for a better world and show them how to go there.
For further information regarding how our training can improve your leadership skills, please go to www.leadershipmanagementsolutions.com.au
Do you struggle to achieve a balance between work and family? You're not alone. Many corporate mums face a daily struggle between work demands and the demands of a family.
Along the way, I've learned some tips that I'd like to share.
1) Be highly organised. I spend around an hour a week planning the following week. This one hour of planning my time saves me hours. The important thing here is to plan regularly. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. An important point here - don't overschedule or pack your schedule so tight that if you can't make one appointment it has a snowball effect. Allow yourself some quiet time in your schedule too.
2) Avoid multiple car trips out. Organise your to do list so that you can achieve several things in the one trip. This not only saves petrol but wear and tear on you too!
3) Have a set routine. Have certain activities outside scheduled for fixed days and times in the week. Having a regular routine ensures that all the priorities you have are achieved. It also helps to reduce your stress levels.
4) Set up a regular filing system in a central place at home for keeping on top of your work and home paperwork. File your completed paperwork each week.
5) Book appointments for early in the day or late in the day. This way you'll avoid cutting into a huge chunk of your valuable time.
Do you have any tips that you'd like to share?
We'd love to hear from you.
www.leadershipmanagementsolutions.com.au
How does your professional profile stack up?
When you send your resume in for a position, does it pass the 3 second test? Yes - 3 seconds before it's rejected. That's about how long it will take for a recruiter to look at your profile.
Here are some tips for avoiding your resume from being put in the round file.
1) Your email address. It's amazing how many people keep an old email address with a less than favourable name. If I had a dollar for every time that I saw an email address with a name like "wild thing " or "hot chilli", I think I'd be very wealthy. Obtain a professional email address. Discard the old unsuitable one.
2) Do you have a Facebook account or other Social networking site? Clean it up. Recruiters frequently conduct web searches for prospective candidates. The same applies to You Tube, My Space or other similar sites.
3) Check your spelling and grammar on your resume. If you're a poor speller, have someone proof read your resume.
4) Make sure that your resume is not long winded.
5) When preparing a job application - allow plenty of time to prepare. When your application is ready, take some time out to revisit your application to ensure it meets the criteria.
6) With your resume, the question that is always raised is whether or not you should include hobbies. By all means, if your hobby relates to the job that you are applying for, feel free to include them. Avoid mentioning high risk activities, unless you are applying for a job as a skydiver. A prospective employer will view you as a future liability.
7) Professional presentation at the interview is also a must. Ensure that you are well groomed, with a minimum of makeup and jewellery. It is better to err on the side of conservative.
Do you have some additional tips that you'd like to add? Please feel free to comment below.
For further assistance in developing your professional presentation skills, visit www.leadershipmanagementsolutions.com.au
Copyright Leadership and Management Solutions Pty. Ltd. 2013
Success comes through hard work, determination and re-direction of your energy towards what is really important. Too often people focus on "busy work" rather than "results directed" work. Which category do you fall into? Don't worry, we're all tempted at times to fall into the busy work category.
Successful business women have some characteristics in common. They have:
1) Effective Research Skills. Successful business women research opportunities widely and find out what other successful business women have done to achieve their success.
2) High level organisation skills. To succeed in business, it helps if you are highly organised.
3) High levels of attention to priorities and time management. Let's face it, we're all juggling multiple demands. In the midst of our demanding schedules it can be tempting to let some things "slide". By prioritising effectively, you can learn to distinguish what is really important from other less important tasks.
4) Effective business networks. To build and sustain a strong business, you need to network effectively. Successful business women have a wide range of business networks and constantly seek new opportunities for networking.
5) A business mentor. A mentor is some who you admire that can provide a great sounding board for your ideas and provide you with the guidance that you need to succeed.
6) Confidence and assertiveness. Successful business women are confident and know what they want. They aren't afraid to ask for it.
7) Exceptional personal presentation skills. A successful business woman has presence and owns the room when she walks into it.
If you would like help with networking, mentoring or presentation skills, Leadership and Management Solutions Pty. Ltd. can help. Perhaps there is a group of women in your workplace who would also benefit?
If you'd like to know how we can help your career, business or personal development, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd love to hear from you.
www.leadershipmanagementsolutions.com.au
Copyright Leadership and Management Solutions Pty. Ltd. 2013
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