Thursday, October 28, 2010

How To Be A Leader At Work

I found this article online highlighting a good differentiation of being a leader and a boss. :0)

being a good leader
Whether you are a new manager or a master there is one rule you can't disregard. You can not motivate someone. There is nothing you can do to motivate your associates. Either they are motivated or not. It is a stereotype but it’s true.

Motivation comes from inside, not outside. People are motivated as you. We all need food, clothes, benefits, good health care and security. Although you can’t do many things about benefits, you can provide to your employees performance standards clearly and honestly.

You can also give them freedom on how to do their job well and succeed at their work goals. Do not forget but it’s not only money people want in their job. They also want to feel appreciated, learn and master new skills and feeling that they contribute to the organization.

Your workers need some basic requirements in order to be effective and produce results. They need proper equipment and tools, appropriate training and regular updates.

Be very clear about your expectations and objectives. Listen to your workers opinion and discuss every decision has been made that affects their position and work. You must provide all the information to your workers and not hide anything.

Another extremely important issue is that you should fight, if necessary, with your seniors for your workers. Don’t let them on their own and fail. You will fail too as a result. Rewarding for their efforts is another way to gain their commitment and appreciation.

Actions are more effective than words. You should be the paradigm to your workers. Your behavior is that counts most, not what you say. Whatever you give to them the same you will get in your environment.

Be a Leader instead of Boss. Leaders don’t push they pull. They don’t force, they persuade. The leader wins or loses with the team. The success of the leader is tied to the success of the team.

Your authority will not come from your job title. It will come from people following you in the process by your example. You can’t claim yourself as a leader and ask to follow you. They decide to follow you because they want to go in the same direction you're going.

Your goal is to create commitment not Obedience. Obedient workers follow the rules work hard in front of you , do Only what it’s required to do and that’s it. When you leave, they stop working or do just the neccesary tasks and nothing more. Fear of yelling and rebuking is what leads their actions. You don't want compliant subordinates. You want committed workers, who identify their self-interest with yours and with excellent job performance. They'll work just as hard and just as well when you're not watching because they're not working for you, they're working with you.

You don't want to control "subordinates." You want to lead workers. Subordinates require superiors. Workers require commitment and effort to achieve shared goals which leaders
inspire.

Finally, You don't give up your authority when you treat workers as equals and seek their commitment. You're still in charge. You can't evade your responsibilities as a manager even if you want to.

by Christos Varsamis

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