home | site map | privacy policy |
|
A Winning Choice for Leadership!
"The only way to enjoy anything in this life, is to earn it first." One bad apple can spoil the bunch! As a leader, we cannot allow "bad apples" to interrupt our efforts toward achieving our goals. Leaders can quickly lose credibility with their team when we fail to immediately address issues that get in the way of the teams' mission. So how do we best address an issue with an employee that we perceive to be a "bad apple"? First, we self-assess our own actions. The three key leadership areas that we must consistently hold ourselves accountable to: - Teach Teach - Have you, as the leader, taken the time to communicate your expectations clearly? Have you taught the employee? Coach - Have you provided the one-on-one training and coaching to ensure the employee is capable of meeting your expectations? Expect - Have you witnessed the employee doing the task, or exhibiting the behavior you expect, so that you know they understand? Have you been consistent in your expectations so that you know that the employee could not have misunderstood? Assuming you have met the above criteria, then the conversation with the offending employee can be pretty straightforward. We never said it was going to be easy, but if you've done your job as the leader, the employee simply needs to understand his/her choices. An effective leader understands the importance of acting quickly and fairly with problem employees. To ensure fairness, leaders must remove their personal emotions from the professional issue at hand. Leaders must prepare themselves so that the entire discussion focused on two areas: - Performance Stay focused only on Performance and Behavior when working through employee issues. Trust this advice and I guarantee that your Human Resources Rep. and/or any future Legal Rep., will love you for it! Yes, there is always a risk, and possibility of legal consequences ie. someone suing you for wrongful termination. Serious stuff, right? Still, you can be confident! Terminating someone due to repeated, specific behavior and/or performance issues, can be reasonably understood by a 12-person jury. Whereas, firing someone because "you just didn't like him/her" can raise serious doubt about the credibility of the manager. So, one last time - always keep comments (verbal and written) focused solely on Performance and/or Behavior. Let's consider a specific example. How a great leader can present a WINNING CHOICE to a bad apple: - Communicate clearly your expectations in terms of Performance and Behavior. - Communicate the rewards of meeting your expectations ie. job security, future opportunity, respect and credibility - Communicate the consequences of not meeting expectations ie. looking for another role where he/she will find more fulfillment. - Allow the employee the opportunity to choose his/her own path (one road leads to rewards, the other road leads to new adventures - probably working for someone else) - Ensure the employee that you will support the employee in either CHOICE he or she makes - but ultimately, the choice and the responsibility belongs to the employee. - Confirm that the employee understands your expectations and that you will do your part by supporting him and holding him accountable. Once you have had this discussion and placed the employee on a "Final Notice", you have truly empowered the employee to create his/her own destiny. The actions of the employee, in terms of both Performance and Behavior, will soon signal to you his or her "choice". Make sure you "support" the employee in whichever path she chooses to take. Reward her for her progress, or release her from a situation that neither party is happy with. By following the above guidelines, your team will respect you for your fair and decisive leadership. No, it's never easy to let someone go, but it is the right thing to do if that's the employees' "choice". Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.
Leadership is best defined by the quality of your thoughts, decisions and actions. It is also underpinned by the quality of the tools you use in your role. Be seen to bring true leadership to your organization and act with the authority that it brings to you.
MORE RESOURCES: A Crisis of Campus Leadership National Review Leadership shakeup at the Carbondale YMCA | News | thetimes-tribune.com Scranton Times-Tribune Head of DLNR defends her leadership amid calls to resign, including from several lawmakers Hawaii News Now Elon Musk’s Leadership Gaps At Tesla Come To A Head CleanTechnica Bill seeks to speed Wake schools' hunt for university partnership with leadership academies WRAL News Ball State University's Dr. Jason Rivera Selected to AGB Institute for Leadership & Governance Class of 2024-25 Ball State University News Excellence in Leadership Awards celebrates student leaders - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis Brentsville District High School's Student Government Association hosts 10th annual leadership conference Prince William County Public Schools Team Little Rock members develop into leaders during Flight Leadership Course Little Rock Air Force Base Eckerd College alumna delivers message of perseverance at Diversity Leadership Scholars banquet Eckerd College News Youth Leadership Shelby County sees 32 students graduate - Shelby County Reporter Shelby County Reporter The Impossible Dilemma of Black Female Leadership: The Tragedy of Nobody Seeing Us Even When Everybody's ... Nonprofit Quarterly Daily Pennsylvanian leadership to speak as part of SAS "Living the Hard Promise" series The Daily Pennsylvanian How Empathy-Based Leadership Can Transform Your Team Entrepreneur EMU Announces Women’s Golf Leadership Change EMU Eagles Youth Leadership Citrus graduation held | Lifestyle | chronicleonline.com Citrus County Chronicle To help right the ship, Richmond councilmembers and city leadership talk about being more thoughtful to each other The Mercury News SES Karen M. Davis Engages in Insightful Leadership Discussions at SUPSHIP Newport News American Military News Lessen Expands Leadership Team and Appoints Kevin Owens as Executive Vice President, Multifamily Yahoo Finance Profiles in 4-H Leadership | Farm Home Garden | huntingdondailynews.com huntingdondailynews.com Let's join the Louisiana Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee as they visit Landry Vineyards RFD-TV BioMarin axes 4 candidates, centers R&D around 3 assets Fierce Biotech 'Conservative' John Powell Talks Leadership In Race For Magistrate Wheeling Intelligencer ECU Alumni Association names 2024 Robert H. Wright Alumni Leadership Award recipients ECU News Services People Moves: Lockton Promotes 2 in Crisis Management Team, Announces Changes in Norway Leadership Insurance Journal Empowering Young Leaders in Wildlife Conservation and Trade: Global Youth Network Launched in Singapore at the ... Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Gastonia youth leaders recognized by city council Gaston Gazette Catholic group buys Boeing’s sprawling former leadership campus KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis Center notes change in executive leadership Bonner County Daily Bee 2023 Class of President’s Leadership Class graduation celebrated Southeastern Oklahoma State University After Israel-Hamas war Israel must restructure its ministerial cabinet The Jerusalem Post Susquehanna announces annual Leadership Awards – Susquehanna University Susquehanna University ACRA encourages civic engagement among local business leaders The Aspen Times 14 Aldine ISD Students Complete Lone Star College's Leadership High School Program – Aldine ISD Aldine ISD Leadership Pulaski County Application Deadline My Ozarks Online Letter: Webb has leadership Grant County needs | Letters To Editor | bluemountaineagle.com Blue Mountain Eagle Area school districts seeking new leaders WCPO 9 Cincinnati Attorney says 'accountability clock' is ticking for UI leadership Lewiston Morning Tribune Bates, Rouse reelected to Iowa Board of Regents leadership • Iowa Capital Dispatch Iowa Capital Dispatch SIA Leadership Summit Advances Sustainability, Climate Change Talks Shop-Eat-Surf.com Stefanik Statement on Columbia University's Failed Leadership | Press Releases Congresswoman Elise Stefanik Login-dot-gov gets new leadership Nextgov/FCW In global leadership poll, Germany scores highest, Russia the lowest Voice of America - VOA News Youth vaping issue is leading topic at Archway Leadership Summit Moultrie Observer Supporting female leaders to advance cell and gene therapies European Pharmaceutical Review Leadership Transitions Have Huge Impact on Long-Term Productivity. Here's How Two Austin Companies are ... Built In Austin Head of DLNR defends her leadership amid calls to resign, including from several lawmakers Hawaii News Now With new leadership and support, Cheney High School's drama program relaunches to create a solid platform for the ... The Inlander Poland lays claim to a leadership role in Europe as Russia's war threatens stability - Yahoo! Voices NAHB's Inaugural HBCU Cohort Paves Way for Future Leaders National Association of Home Builders LeadershIP 2024 CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies The Leadership Renaissance In Executive Education: Cutting-Edge Programs At The World's Top B-Schools Poets&Quants Doña Ana County commission announces official leadership for troubled water utility • Source New Mexico Source New Mexico First Presidency Announces 2024 Area Leadership Assignments Church Newsroom Leadership Midland donates $44,000 toward improving local parks KMID - Local 2 News Better Business Bureau Southeast Texas to host first Spark Leadership Summit 12newsnow.com KBMT-KJAC Marisol Gomez's leadership boosting Plainsmen softball | Laramie High | wyomingnews.com Wyoming Tribune |
RELATED ARTICLES
The Compassion Paradox Effective leaders are comfortable with paradox. They can call on skills and work in ways that seem to be contradictory. Effective Listening Equals Effective Leadership: Learn How! No matter what role you play in your company, becoming a more effective listener will help you get ahead in your position. It means fewer errors, improved accuracy, and enhanced working relationships. What We Can Learn From J. Paul Getty J. Paul Getty planned to enter the U. Wanted: A Dictionary-Perfect Leader Answers are often before our very eyes or in front of our noses - particularly if we read the American Heritage Dictionary!Explore with me how some of the multitude of definitions for the word "leader" actually serve as a performance standard for leadership.Leaving behind the standard definition of "one who leads or guides", consider the second definition: "one who has power or influence". Effective Leaders are (#1) Conceptual SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is obviously important, but a good leader must be able to see the long-range picture, to know the history of the organization and have a sense of the direction in which it is traveling. Effective leaders always have the long-range picture in mind as they plan laterally. The Three Essential Attributes of a Leader: (Part 2) Bringing Others to the Vision We need to engage our listeners and transform them into excited, willing and committed supporters of the vision - for the duration of delivery!Logic, our intellect, doesn't know how to do this. It knows how to present the facts. Leadership and Change in a Holographic Universe Have you ever noticed that since the early part of the 20th century, nearly every new scientific theory manages to sound more and more like the same sort of metaphysical philosophies science once dismissed? Well, it's happening again and this time our views on the structure of the universe, the power of human consciousness and even the nature of reality itself are being challenged by a startling new finding: that many hard to explain events and scientific puzzles become suddenly clear and easily understood if we consider that everything we see and experience around us is not in fact a physical reality, but rather our own interpretation of an infinitely large, dynamic and multidimensional hologram, constructed by and interpreted through our own consciousness.Most people are familiar with the concept of a graphic hologram - an image imprinted on a special film that, when illuminated with a certain type of laser, projects a 3-dimensional picture that you can view from any angle. Hidden Self Confidence Peer independence is arguably the least understood aspect of self confidence. Many people who are shy, or suffer from social anxiety, tell me that they lack confidence. Steps to Becoming a Good Leader STEPS TO BECOMING A GOOD LEADER: 1. Develop a master plan. Characteristics of a Good Leader It's interesting to hear the responses from executives when I ask them, "What are the characteristics of a good Leader?"If I ask that question in a large room of executives, or even upper level managers the answers will be all over the map, and many are conflicting.A couple of the usual answers are:A leader is someone that empowers those working for him to make their own decisions. Recommended Books on Leadership and Team Building The single most important thing a leader can do is lead by example, and if you want your team to be dynamic and learn more, you've got to continually innovate and find new ways to encourage, reward, and motivate YOURSELF! That's right, I said you've got to motivate YOU! If you lead by example, and you're motivated, soon your team will be too!That being said, here are my recommendations for a few good leadership and team building books. Enjoy!The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow them and People Will Follow You Failing ForwardJohn C. Charismatic Leadership What motivates people to work and to achieve? What circumstances create an environment in which some people achieve and others do not? Does motivation come from within or does it come from others - from leaders or managers? Can you motivate the un-motivated? Does it have to involve money? Why is it that some work teams achieve and others do not? Is it that the better work unit has better people? If this is so, then does that mean that the better work unit would succeed whether they were led or not? Is leadership the same as management or is leadership a part of management? Are managers and leaders the same?When I was researching the subject of success in the middle eighties I proposed the question 'What makes this sales team perform better than that one'? I was met with 'The difference is the manager'. It should not have been a surprise. Leadership Like Water-Water Canoeing Although world business is undergoing historic changes, the prevailing view of what constitutes business leadership is stuck in the past. Generally, business leaders view leadership as an order-giving process. Cub Scout Leader Outdoor Experience Recently I attended Cub Scout Leader Outdoor Experience training. This was a 24 hour course starting Friday evening. 7 Core Elements Of Your Vivid Vision! What you are about to read may be found in the Bible butit also applies to your professional life.Most leaders neglect to provide a statement of vision to thepeople they lead and when a vision is presented it usuallylacks any vitality or inspirational value. Get Angry And Then Get Results Leadership is not about winning a popularity contest, it's about getting great results. To do so, leaders must challenge people not to do what they want to do but what they don't want to do. Two Leadership Traps: How To Get Out Of Them and How To Avoid Them (Part 1) You've heard of the Peter Principle: "People are promoted to their level of ultimate incompetence". But what the Peter Principle doesn't tell you is the nature of the incompetence. Sometimes Leaders Need to Get the Boot Today I stood up to a guy right in front of his boss. I challenged him, the former leader, to change his position and give up his position of power. Mentors and Coaches: How to Be A Great Mentor Though out your career you may be asked to become someone's mentor. Mentoring is a rewarding activity for both you and the mentee - it is a great way to give back while sharing your experiences and wisdom. Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1 Great Leaders are optimists first and foremost. Their tendency is to interact according to Henry Ford's observation, "whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right. |
|
© 2016 Definition Of Leadership & Career Consulting Limited |