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Think Great! What Gets You There?

22447503_sThe other day I was interviewing for a position and we were talking about my thoughts on, “what makes a good leader?” For me, I changed the question to, “what makes a great leader?” Good to me is just average. Would you want to be just a good leader? I know I don’t. I really want to be better than average. I have some basic beliefs that make being a great leader a reality.

  • Our company should be a community!     How many times have you heard employees are an important cog? I know when I hear that, I automatically think of a wheel or machine. You can visualize people pulling levers or steering the ship. For me, I want the company to be like a community. Working together for the greater good. Taking their individual talents and help make the company success. When you think of a truly successful team, they all work for each other which translate to the company.
  • I’m here to serve!    Has anyone heard of micro-manager? Do as I say… The work environment has very low morale. You hear stuff like, “wait and see what the boss says.” As the team leader, I am there to set a general direction and then help get resources for my team to get their job done. Decision making should go to the lowest possible level. I have to make sure that everything is set, ready and working in order for great work to be accomplished.
  • We are in this together!      Have you ever heard water cooler discussions that bring up we vs them? Management vs employees? We are a team. Success is measured by the overall team exceeding their deliverables. I will treat everyone like I want to be treated. Excellence is expected everywhere by everyone.
  • Vision is the true motivator!     I used to laugh at my peers that used to use fear as a motivator. Fear of getting fired or written up don’t motivate anyone for any length of time. Fear just paralyzes the organization and decision making becomes very difficult. It is much better to show how each person is a critical part of the organizations goals. We all want a better tomorrow.
  • Work should be FUN!    Many would think work is a necessary evil. Well, I guess it can be if you let it. I find that I do my best work when I am happy. I want to try my best to insure that my team is happy as well. We all have ownership of our feelings. Fun is an important part of being happy. Smiling and laughing while you work, makes the day go by so much better. I have seen teams that have fun accomplish great things. The unhappy teams, well they make accomplish their goals but nothing great will ever come from unhappy teams.

What are your basic beliefs about being a great team leader? Did I miss anything?

Image Copyright: chainat / 123RF Stock Photo

Published inLeadership

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