You Can be Great If You Really Want To

How strong is your organisation on leadership? Do your managers have what it takes to become the leaders of the future or are you facing a leadership famine?

There has always been a need for leaders in every industry, in every organisation, and in every business.

In recent times, the spotlight has fallen dramatically on leadership and everywhere we look there is a call for more leaders, better skills and greater leadership capacity. The need for leadership just got sharper and is being more keenly felt. So what’s the problem?

Business is changing. Competition is fierce, customers are demanding and choice abounds as organisations jostle for market position. E-commerce and the relentless march of technology have created an unprecedented challenge for many organisations in an environment of constant change.

Without vision, commitment and leaders with the ability to inspire, drive and influence, many businesses will struggle to succeed.

There is much concern about the shortage of skills in the UK (for example, the Leitch Review of Skills), the lack of leadership capacity and the warnings of a performance crisis looming for British business.

And what are the reasons? Ineffective managers, poor performance going unchecked, low capacity to influence, lack of vision and sense of direction, senior people too far removed from the front line, failing to understand the needs of customers and employees. Does this sound like your organisation?

To achieve success, cope with change and survive difficult times it’s vital to have leadership at all levels in your organisation. How can people follow if there is no leader in every part of your organisation?

Some people have what it takes at one level but not at another. All of your managers need to be given the scope and opportunity to learn how to lead, to develop leadership capacity and to ensure that your organisation has strong leadership capability for the future.

Take this simple test and find out how your leaders shape up. Give your leaders marks out of 10 for each of the following statements. In my organisation, leaders at all levels:

1. have a clear sense of direction

2. know exactly where the organisation is going

3. communicate openly and often

4. are great listeners

5. earn trust in all that they do

6. promote innovation and creativity

7. motivate people to develop

8. influence and inspire people to do their best

9. give away control

10. encourage ownership and responsibility

Total out of 100 =

If you scored your leaders between 80 and 100

Well done – you certainly are in good leadership shape and ready to face whatever lies ahead.

If you scored your leaders between 60 and 80

Not bad – but there is still room for improvement.

If you scored your leaders between 40 and 60

Oh dear – you are really going to struggle unless you take action NOW to assess your managers and develop their leadership capacity

If you scored your leaders less than 40

Start to panic! You are facing LEADERSHIP FAMINE unless you act IMMEDIATELY and come up with a leadership strategy!

Now is the time to groom, nurture and prepare your junior and middle managers for their leadership roles in the organisation. Take stock of who you’ve got, what they are capable of and what they currently can’t do. Find out who to develop and how to develop them.

Who has fantastic potential? Who is unlikely to make it as a leader? Use individual assessments results to create a development plan for your managers and future leaders. You must start now if you want to survive in business!

5 steps to great leadership

Step 1

Create clarity about what good management and excellent leadership look like for your organisation.

Step 2

Define the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviour that managers and leaders need.

Step 3

Find out if they have what it takes to through individual assessment.

Step 4

Put in place a leadership development plan, shaped by the needs of individuals and their assessment outcomes.

Step 5

Run a coaching programme for your key leaders to build and strengthen their leadership capacity.

Wouldn’t you like to see improved performance, increased productivity, higher standards, better quality products or services, meeting all of your strategic and operational objectives? How are you going to do all of that without well trained, effective, skilled and talented managers with the right attitudes and behaviours?

Leadership development should form an essential part of management training and begin early in a manager’s career – as soon as they are given responsibility for people and performance. What’s the point of waiting until they are about to step into a senior position only to discover that they don’t have what it takes?

Do your managers act as leaders, thinking about the future, imagining how the business will look and doing “back from the future” planning to make sure it happens?

What do you have right now that tells you that there is leadership potential for the years ahead in your business?

We believe that every person who is expected to lead should be coached, trained and prepared for the task of leadership.

We don’t believe that leaders are born and not made.

We know that leadership capacity can be created through personal assessment,

coaching and training.

Start your leadership development efforts now and make sure that your organisation will not suffer from leadership famine!

If you don’t handle stress it can make you feel tired, drained and depressed – it can also kill you. Here are some simple stress management tips to help you combat stress and preserve your health.

Stress management is the active and constant correction to your body and mind to the forces of stress and pressure.

The worst form of stress is the daily, repetitive and constant stress from any source.

It makes your body constantly react, release hormones and enzymes into your circulatory system, and in the end, destroys your immune system altogether.

Learn to manage stress now, and you can avoid that heart attack and stroke, just waiting to happen.

How Does Someone Know They are Stressed

Many people do not know they are suffering from stress and the effects of stress.

A few simple self-tests, and you can see if you are both stressed and suffering from stress. During any time of the day, do a body survey.

Are you hands clenched? Do you have “nervous leg” (leg moving up and down with the ball of the foot as a pivot)? Is your face tense?

Is there some pains in your shoulders or arms that should not be there? Test you pulse? Is it over 80 beats per minute when you are at rest?

Do you have high blood pressure? If any of these answers are a yes, you can be sure you are being stressed and suffering from stress.

Identify the Stressors

It is very crucial, both for your health, and well-being, to be able to identify the stressors in your life. It is not really difficult. Start now.

Make of list of all those people, situations, and factors that cause you stress.

Make the list first in any order.

Then when you finish all the items that are stressors, you must grade them form 1 to 5, 1 being the worst, and 5 the least.

With the stressors identified and graded, you now can create a system to manage the stress.

Grade 1 Stressors and Actions Required

For all grade 1 stressors, you must find a way to either eliminate or extricate yourself from the stressor source.

If the grade 1 stressor is your boss, you may need a new job.

If it’s a mother-in-law interfering in your happy home life, you may need affirmative action.

Take the list of grade 1 stressors, and put a workable solution next to each item.

Re-read the list, and consider the alternative of not acting on removal of the stressor.

If you get a heart attack or stroke, your life may be over. Acting now can save your life.

Grade 2 to 5 Stressors

For the lesser graded stressors, do exactly as you have done for the grade 1 stressors, but you do not

have to be so critical as you were for the very negative stressors.

If a grade 2 stressor happens to be a neighbor’s annoying cat, you might counter the stress by listening to music you enjoy (and not removing the cat, which you might find impossible to do anyway).

Be less critical, but nevertheless, even in grade 5 stressors, find a workable solution.

Stress First Aid

If you find your hands clinched, or your face tensioned, take one minute “time out”. Sit quietly and relax the tensed and stress reacted areas.

Consciously relax the part of you that is stressed.

This minute is for you. If you can’t find a quiet place to go, use the bathroom.

Put some cold water on your face and wrists. Sit for a moment till you are calm. Do this any time you see yourself stress and tense.

It could save your life.