Leadership Rules To Remember: Part 2 of 3

Here is part 2 of Leadership Rules to Remember! If you missed part 1, click the link below to get caught up!
https://tmhbusinesscoaching.com/leadership-rules-to-remember-part-1-of-3/

These lessons were learned by yours truly, over an 18-year leadership career, in which I was WAY LESS THAN PERFECT! So don’t feel bad if you feel like you have a lot to learn – we all do! In fact, the fact that you’re willing to learn makes you a great leader already!!!

As a leader, we are always kind, supportive, and there for our people. Let your tools (job desc, KPIs, procedures, policies) do the heavy lifting. You should never be anyone but who you are: kind, caring, supportive and there for your team! When you need to coach/discipline your team, use your job descriptions, KPIs, procedures, policies, culture statements, or mission statement as the tool that does the “dirty work” or heavy lifting, and STAY KIND during the conversations.

The conversation is the relationship

Remember that your last conversation with anyone indicates the state of that relationship! Good conversations = good relationships! Good conversations are kind, positive, intentional and enjoyable. If you have a “bad” conversation, ask for a do-over, because a bad conversation = a bad state of that relationship!

Questions are your superpower!

Having your team member come up with the answer is 1000 times more powerful than you suggesting it! Coach through curiosity and constructive questions. Morale, engagement, and performance will all improve because people are much more bought in when they create or help create something! Instead of telling your employee what to do, try this next time! You’ll be pleasantly surprised! PS sometimes they know even BETTER answers than we do!!

Make sure they know their roles & goals

You cannot have a successful team without clear roles & goals. This means their job description (role) and their KPIs (goals) must be very clear, and consistently tracked. Clarifying roles and goals solves a lot of problems, in every area of your business.

Don’t say BUT after a compliment! Separate the conversations!

I recommend complimenting your team often, and authentically. And, if you need to coach someone, do it SEPARATE from the compliment conversation! Compliment sandwiches are for kids!

Trust buckets

Stephen Covey’s concept of trust buckets is a powerful and visual way to think of the amount of trust/goodwill you have built up between you and every other person you work with/have relationship with. Positive interactions such as kindness, honesty and keeping your word fill up the bucket, the opposite behaviours kick it over. It takes a long time to fill your trust buckets, and only a second to kick it over. Empty trust buckets = no one will do anything for you. Full trust buckets = your staff will do anything for you!

Keep your word or honor it

You can’t ALWAYS keep your word, but you can always honour it. If you have agreed to do something, either DO IT, or HONOUR IT by making another agreement that works for both of you.

These may seem like small/insignificant changes but they will add up to BIG results if you heed them all, and do it consistently! Trust me, I’ve learned all of these the long way!

If you feel you need some help increasing your profits, contact TMH Business Coaching and Consulting today for a confidential, free, no obligation consultation to propel you forward. Also, please feel free to add yourself to our weekly coaching tips email!