Leadership Article
Leadership Starts with Tough
Decisions: Five Leadership Skills for Outstanding Team Building
By Ed Sykes
Leadership
starts with tough decisions. Let me share with you my recent leadership
challenge and the leadership secrets you can use in any team building situation
for great leadership results.
I have the
honor and pleasure of volunteering for many groups and causes. In many
situations, I am called upon to lead as chairperson or co-chairperson.
Recently, I had the honor of co-chairing an event that involved leading and
motivating a team of volunteers to work together for a successful result.
Overall, the team volunteers are leaders in health care, education, business,
media, the arts, and faith-based organizations, etc. In other words, this team
of volunteers consisted of very motivated and accomplished people who wanted to
make a difference.
One
committee member became increasingly negative in her communication and actions
at the expense of the other committee members. She behaved in a manner that was
not in line with our overall mission. After a coaching session agreeing on what
was expected from her in relationship to our mission, her behavior became
increasingly worse. The final straw was a very negative e-mail that stated she
was the only committee member who was doing anything and personally attacked the
other committee members.
After
consulting with the event organizers to gain agreement on a plan of action, I
called this person to let her know that this was not acceptable behavior and
invited her to meet with me to discuss how we could bring her behavior more in
line with the mission of our project. She rejected my invite, and I let her
know that by not excepting my invite, she was no longer a participant in our
event. I followed up with an e-mail and letter reiterating my verbal
statement. She made the choice to “fire herself.”
As leader of
the event, I made telephone calls to committee members to explain the committee
change, let each committee member know the wonderful job they were doing, and
shared with them where we were in relationship to our mission and goals. While
making these calls, I soon found out that some committee members were not as
involved in the project because of the one negative committee member. Some
members had stopped attending meetings, stopped communicating, and weren’t
giving 100% for the event. After assuring them that they were valuable team
members of the project and that this “negative member” would not be involved in
the project’s going forward, we experienced a new level of motivation and
participation that took our event to a new level of success and broke a record
for attendance.
You may be
in a similar leadership position whereby the success of the organization,
project, or team depends on how well and how fast you make decisions when faced
with challenging situations. The following five leadership skills will keep you
on the leadership track during challenging situations, no matter whether your
organization is for profit or non-profit, so that you can achieve your goals:
-
Live the Mission When
Making Leadership Decisions
Live the
mission by constantly communicating the mission so that everyone of the team
understands the mission and acts to live the mission. Ask team members the
following question, “What did you do today to live the mission and achieve the
goals of the mission?” Develop clear and concise team member descriptions so
that everyone understands how they make a difference. Motivate and reward team
members based on how well they lived the mission.
-
Maintain Standards
When Making Leadership Decisions
Once you and
your team understand the mission, it is easier to create and live up to the
standards of the mission. In the above story, when a team member began to act
in negative way, I coached her on what the standard was for acceptable team
behavior. I let her know both the consequences for continuing to exhibit
negative behavior and rewards for being a positive team member. In this way,
the choice becomes that of the team members, and you can make the leadership
decision based on their future actions.
Remember,
you must, as a leader, maintain a consistent standard level when interacting
with all team members.
-
Seek Consensus When
Making Leadership Decisions
When in a
leadership position, we sometimes feel we are all alone when making tough
leadership decisions. You should never feel that way because in most cases you
can rely on other leaders in your organization that can share with you the
information, experience, and tools to making a successful leadership choice. In
the story, I consulted with the event organizers, board members, and my co-chair
before communicating with the problem team member. By consulting with the other
leaders in your organization, you gain a group understanding of the challenge,
discuss a plan of action with the rewards and consequences, and develop a
follow-up plan if needed. In other words, you are all in step when it is time
for any action to be taken.
-
Quickly Take Action
When Making Leadership Decisions
Now that you
have gained consensus, quickly take action. The quicker you can take action,
the sooner you can eliminate any further potential challenges. The faster you
can make your leadership decision, the faster you can set a positive course for
the behavior you want to correct. Also, when you make decisions quickly, your
employees will see you as a strong, decisive leader they can trust and want to
follow.
Note:
Once you make the leadership decision, never regret taking action.
-
Communicate to Your
Team When Making Leadership Decisions
Communicate
to your team why you are making a leadership decision. This will allow your
team members to be involved in the decision. Eliminate any concerns they may
have while communicating how important your team members are in accomplishing
the mission. You will gain valuable insight from your team members on how and
why to proceed with your leadership decision.
Remember, as
a leader, you will need to make tough decisions. Follow these five leadership
secrets for making your leadership decisions much easier and for gaining
outstanding team results.
Suggested leadership reading:
Seven Secrets to
Being the Leader Everyone Wants to Follow
Five Secrets to Becoming the Perfect Employee
That Everyone Wants – Part One
Have You Appreciated Someone Today?
Nine Ways Johnny Carson Can
Help You Run Outstanding Meetings
You Mean I Need to
Promote Myself to Get a Promotion? 5 Promotion Secrets to Get the Job You Want!
Five Secrets to
Gaining Credibility with Your Team for Outstanding
Results
How Appetizing Is
Your Feedback? (5 Steps to Giving Effective Feedback)
Ten Techniques for
Motivating Others Through Chaos
10
Action Steps to Motivate Yourself to Great Accomplishments
Eight Ways to Motivate
Part-Time Employees
Delegate to Accelerate Success
(How to Prepare
Yourself and Others for Success)
Appreciate to Motivate
(The Key to Successful Team Building)
The
Greatest Gift of All - The Gift of Empowerment
Leadership Secrets for Challenging Times
Ten Quick Tips for Outstanding
Presentations
Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" Will Help You Get
Your Point Across! (Yes you can, here's the plan!)
How to Set Boundaries and Say No
