Application #1 to Creating Champions – Inspiring Excellence in the Workplace

Be A Leader - The Power of ExamplernThis is the first application for Creating Champions, part of a series of blog articles with the overall theme of “When your staff succeeds, so do you.” I’ve searched the learned halls of the internet and the depths of my brain for a good, short definition of leadership. I came to one conclusion. It’s impossible to define leadership in any short, concise way. It’s too complex. The closest I have come is: "Managers shuffle paper, Leaders inspire people." The term “Leader” applies to anyone who manages people, directly or indirectly. A Leader knows that by creating champions of people, he/she will also succeed. They don’t have to be good at everything, but good leaders know that by selling an example, by exhibiting excellent people skills, chances are your organization will run more smoothly. Leaders inspire their employees to become champions at their jobs. A Leader is 12 people in one. No wonder it’s a tough job! Let me briefly explain the first 6 of the 12 roles. 1) An AdministratorrnA Leader has to be good at shuffling paper, each page no more than twice. Not once. Not three times. Twice. Once to read and once to follow-up, if required. You spend as little time as possible shuffling paper. Because you are needed to help make decisions in meetings. The same applies to each email, handle each email a maximum of two times. 2) A MarketerrnA Leader needs to know the business - He or she has to understand the market place, the competition, the customers and the product. Knowing how to make the customer buy is all-important. Be creative. Be service-oriented. Remember to differentiate yourself from the competition. 3) A ManagerrnA Leader is a manager of people and time — a mover and a shaker! Invest in a good time-management system that should contain the following: - Daily record of appointments and projects. - Month at a glance. - Year at a glance. - A page for recurring tasks and events. - A section to list what needs to be done. - A follow-up process. - A database where the coordinates of prospects are easily accessible. - A section for expenses. With advanced software, our role as a ‘Manager’ is much easier. 4) A SalespersonrnA Leader needs to be a sales person. For example, the 10 applications to Creating Champions must be sold to the managers of your organization. After all, they are the ones who will sell it to their people and make it work. 5) A MotivatorrnA Leader is a motivator. Attitudes from above affect the entire organization. It gets a little tough when you hit the l000th employee but I’ve seen people do it! John Myser, former President of 3M Canada Inc., had an enormous capacity for remembering names. During his reign, 3M Canada had over 2,000 employees. Yet, you could hear him calling people by name as he walked the halls of the corporate head office. Treat your people well, care for them and they will reward you with success. 6) A BuilderrnA Leader is a builder. With the strength of a motivated staff, you will build the organization that you want. Expose your employees to a myriad of different ideas and philosophies by taking their minds outside of the workplace and they will repay you by being more creative on the inside. For example, Mr. Myser implemented “lunch meets” to which employees would bring their lunch and listen to a topic for an hour. At some of those lunch meets, he would talk about performance and how no one should be afraid to fail. “Failure is Success if we learn from it.” – Malcolm S. Forbes He brought in a brain surgeon one day to speak about his job. That was incredibly fascinating! On another occasion he invited us to have lunch while listening to a classical orchestra. Be a leader of example because to succeed, we must all be riding in the same boat in the right direction - heading for the company’s goals. Next article we’ll explore the remaining 6 roles of a Leader and an important chart on The Many Facets of a Leader including interpersonal skills and major assets.