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Leadership
1. Leadership at All Levels
Leadership - whoever is doing it - is about creating positive change to achieve long-term objectives.
1.1 Leadership involves setting goals (see 6), then moving the business towards them.
- Making the best use of resources, including people's potential, is the key skill.
1.2 Leaders have to earn the authority to lead.
- For example, in a new job you should usually start by asking questions. You need a sound knowledge base before you start making decisions on technical issues.
- People need to be convinced of a leader's expertise and determination.
1.3 Leading a team means developing and motivating individuals and groups (see 7).
- This includes helping people find meaning and purpose in what they are doing, so that it is seen to be worthwhile.
- Leaders create more leaders. By setting a positive example and allowing people to learn and develop on the job, you encourage them to take a more proactive role.
1.4 Leaders must often press ahead where managers see problems and back off.
- For example, every new product idea will face a series of obstacles. A leader will find a way around each of them.
Where Do the Ideas Come From?
Most leaders have their best ideas almost anywhere other than in the office.
Many experts believe that leaders (even in hectic smaller businesses) should spend half their time away from their desks.
At work, there are too many distractions and you become immersed in everyday detail. Ideas come when people have time to think.
Time spent doing anything that brings you into contact with other people's thinking may spark new ideas.
- Talking to business people and friends.
- Reading books (many leaders get inspiration from biographies).
- Paying attention to magazines, newspapers, radio, and TV.
- Using web streams and Google Alerts to keep informed.
Ideas can also come to you during time you usually think of as unproductive, from a business point of view:
- At home - in the garden or the bath.
- On trains and planes or stuck in traffic jams.
- While walking, cycling or exercising.
- While unconscious, when you decide to 'sleep on it'.
This is not coincidence. To focus intently on a problem and then let your brain chew it over while you are occupied with something else is often the best way to solve it.
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Business Advice