Whenever possible, hire people who are better than you. Hire those who are the best you have ever seen within the domain of services or products that your team is responsible for. You want quality over quantity and you’ll want it every single time. Additionally, you don’t want the rest of your team to be doing someone else’s job in …
Who inspires you and why?
Who inspires you professionally? In this instance, I am not taking family, friends and historical figures into account even though all of them could be significant sources of inspiration. What I mean is who is currently an inspiration to you from the professional stand point? For me, two very different (age, background, experience, approach…) entrepreneurs come to mind instantaneously and …
Be proud of your accomplishments, but don’t gloat
While marketing your ideas and accomplishments is essential, being obnoxious about it actually has a reverse effect from what may be desired. It is important to be proud of your accomplishments and be confident of what you know and can do, but remember to stay humble. Let others comment of your quality work and accomplishments, don’t pat your own back. …
Organizational policies must be communicated
Whether it is a new policy or an update to an existing one, all changes must be clearly communicated across the organization and an official start date needs to be set. Furthermore, enterprise policies needs to be written with your organization, people, culture in mind – don’t simply copy them from other organizations as they won’t make sense in your …
Trust, but verify (quietly)
As you introduce new staff to your team it is essential to verify their skills, quality and performance and ensure that they are a valuable addition to your team. However, when you do this, make sure you do it quietly as you don’t want any “bruised” egos or notions of distrust among employees. This can be done in a variety …
Build your team, then get out of their way
Due your due diligence when building a team and get involved in the selection process. Your direct reports need to match your quality standards as well as their personality needs to fit with the rest of the team. Once you have built your team, empower them and get out of their way. Don’t micromanage, trust them and allow them to …
Relaxed and creative environment
One of many leadership responsibilities (both formal and informal) is to create and maintain a relaxed and creative environment for your team as that is a major prerequisite to them performing at their very best. Be professional, courteous and aware of varying needs of your team members, but ensure that each of them enjoys being part of that team.
Meetings don’t have to suck
Meetings don’t have to suck…well, most of them do actually, but with a bit of structure and clear objectives they could be less of a nuisance. Some of the important things to consider are: Share the agenda at least 24 hours in advance (it allows for participants to arrive prepared and ready to contribute) Keep the meetings focused on the …
New? Listen, absorb and learn, then act
Started a new job? First order of business is to listen, absorb and learn the culture, environment and players within. Depending on your placement within the organization the impact of your decisions and actions will vary and as such it is essential to educate yourself with the current state of affairs. Your experience is essential, but don’t assume that every …
Success is theirs, failures are all yours
Promote your team and their achievements whenever possible, be proud of them and make sure that their contributions to the organization are known and recognized. On the other hand, when a failure occurs it is the responsibility of a leader to deal with any and to face any public ramifications and consequences. One of many leadership responsibilities is to protect …