Jeff has worked with leaders in business, the military and in sport. The most successful display a variety of styles and ability to change gear. present vs. future. customer vs. internal.
Great leader Ron Dennis of the McLaren Formula One recognises the importance of teams. Only 50 of 200 of his team go to a grand prix, but he gets them ALL together after each race to share every aspect of each race with everyone. He recognises the importance of the 'insider' feeling - part of the team.
What do your team feel - do you know what makes them sad, mad and glad? Do they feel part of the team?
How well do you know the people who report to you? What's the name of their partner? What's their passion outside of work? You need to understand what makes them tick.
E-mail is a great tool, but Jeff believes in "Eye-Man". Face-to-face for more personal communication. Say thank you personally. Connecting at a personal level. E-mail can dislocate communications.
Discussed the changes Clive Woodward made when he became England Manager including the most junior player in 'team meetings'.
What are your staff feeling? What is morale like? It's one of your biggest jobs as a Leader. Connecting honestly with your people.
Constantly strive to reinvent ourselves. Change involves listening.
It's not developing new ideas that is difficult; it's about changing old ideas. Great Leaders constantly challenge ideas to find better ways of doing things.
The first obstacle is fear of failure. We need to challenge habit.
Change requires leadership backing and commitment.
In your organisation, do people work together at all levels? Does everyone know the overall business objectives? What the immediate priorities are and where they fit into the mix?
The best bosses people remember are honest. Not a soft touch, but open with everyone. Someone who makes it absolutely clear what they want from everyone. Someone who takes responsibility and communicates that effectively.
As a leader, if you want people who are capable of making decisions - allow them to make decisions.
"If you don't know how you failed, how can you improve? If you don't know how you succeeded, how do you know how you did it?" Seb Coe. "Celebrate success but review how you did it and improve."
As a leader, share your dream.
Comments