VIP of Positive Leadership
April 1st, 2008 by Susan Kim
How do you find balance amidst all of your responsibilities and duties?
How do you lead effectively without overwhelm?
The answer not only has to do with self care and balance, but in a large part has to do with leadership - a positive style of leadership.
The first step is to learn how to recognize your personal threshold and say “No.”
Think of “Jody.” She owns her own successful business. She is a member of three different business networking organizations, where she is highly involved. She also believes in community, so voluteers her time on a number of different boards and serves as President for a non-profit organization. She wants to do it all, because it is ALL important. She is often late to board meetings, leaves early and tends to check her blackberry during meetings. She has so much going on, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of details. The other board members find her behavior rude, notice that there is little progress on action items and questions her commitment.
Does this scenario sound familiar?
Everyone has a different threshold, but notice when you feel overwhelmed or you are not as effective. Listen to feedback. This is the time to prioritize and start saying “No” and commit to what is most important.
Spreading yourself too thin is a sure way to overwhelm yourself while diluting your ability to lead and build loyalty.
Once you’ve said “No” the next steps are the VIP of Positive Leadership: Vision, Influence and Prototype.
Create a Clear VISION:
The Vision focuses you, as the leader, focuses the team and makes your life easier.
Creating a clear vision enables the leader to stay focused, take ownership of what needs to be done and makes leading easier. It also serves to inspire and energize your team to stay “on purpose” by keeping them organized and on target.
INFLUENCE through Encouragement and Support:
Give more than you expect to get from your team. Listen to what they have to offer. Encourage and support each member as individuals.
A sense of loyalty naturally comes forth when a team is encouraged by their leader, their ideas and feedback are heard and they are supported with sincerity. By being an encouraging and supportive leader, you are able to leverage your time and energy on what is important because your team is “effected” and inspired to move forward.
Be a PROTOTYPE :
When you build a strong foundation upon which to emulate, it empowers your team, who then becomes energized to created the next “model” of success.
When you lead by example, people respect you. When your successors improve upon your foundation, this is the ultimate compliment. Being a prototype means you don’t have to know it all - you can learn and grow through the process with your team. Doesn’t that make life easier - to know that you do not have to know it all? What a relief!
Leadership and self care are intertwined in many ways.
Being a great leader empowers your team.
It also enables you to lead a lot easier with less stress and more confidence.
Wishing you a Life with Joy and Ease,
Susan
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