Building on our recent post highlighting our Executive Board, we bring you these thoughts from
Forbes and Dan Rockwell's
Leadership Freak:
What we want to cultivate in all our Alpha Chi Omega members:
What does a perfect teammate look like?
Perfect teammates:
- Give more than they take. Bloodsuckers are burdens.
- Acknowledge your smartness and ask what you think. Perfect teammates consider your thoughts before quickly dismissing them. It feels good to be asked even if you don’t know.
- Smile at you. My wife has a perfect smile. We joke that I only need one thing from her, a smile. I look at her and wait. In takes a moment, then she smiles. Life is better. A smile is admiration.
- Want you to have more success than you currently enjoy. They aren’t threatened when you get ahead.
- Enjoy your point of view and have their own.
- Say, “I like it when you _______,” frequently. (A note to my sarcastic friends. You’re supposed to fill in the blank.)
- Share things that make you better, not just theories or complaints. “You should focus on the future more,” doesn’t help.
What we want to cultivate in our Executive Board Leaders:
When money
is tight, stress levels are high, and the visions of instant success don’t
happen like you thought, it’s easy to let those emotions get to you, and
thereby your team. Take a breath, calm yourself down, and remind yourself of
the leader you are and would like to become. Here are some key qualities that
every good leader should possess, and learn to emphasize.
Honesty
Whatever ethical plane you hold yourself to, when you are
responsible for a team of people, it’s important to raise the bar even higher.
Your business and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you make
honest and ethical behavior a key value, your team will follow suit.
Ability to Delegate
It’s important to remember that trusting your team with your idea is a sign of
strength, not weakness. The key to delegation is identifying the strengths of
your team, and capitalizing on them. Find out what each team member enjoys
doing most. Chances are if they find that task more enjoyable, they will likely
put more thought and effort behind it. This will not only prove to your team
that you trust and believe in them, but will also free up your time to focus on
the higher level tasks, that should not be delegated. It’s a fine balance, but
one that will have a huge impact on the productivity of your business.
Communication
Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want done
is extremely important. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t
all be working towards the same goal. Training new members and creating a
productive work environment all depend on healthy lines of communication.
Whether that stems from an open door policy to your office, or making it a point
to talk to your staff on a daily basis, making yourself available to discuss
interoffice issues is vital. Your team will learn to trust and depend on you,
and will be less hesitant to work harder.
Sense of Humor
If your website crashes, you lose that major client, or your
funding dries up, guiding your team through the process without panicking is as
challenging as it is important. Morale is linked to productivity, and it’s your
job as the team leader to instill a positive energy. That’s where your sense of
humor will finally pay off. Encourage your team to laugh at the mistakes
instead of crying. If you are constantly learning to find the humor in the
struggles, your work environment will become a happy and healthy space, where
your employees look forward to working in, rather than dreading it. Make it a
point to crack jokes with your team and encourage personal discussions of
weekend plans and trips. It’s these short breaks from the task at hand that
help keep productivity levels high and morale even higher.
Confidence
There may be days where the future of your brand is worrisome and things aren’t
going according to plan. Part of your job as a leader is to put out fires and
maintain the team morale. Keep up your confidence level, and assure everyone
that setbacks are natural and the important thing is to focus on the larger
goal. As the leader, by staying calm and confident, you will help keep the team
feeling the same. Remember, your team will take cues from you, so if you exude
a level of calm damage control, your team will pick up on that feeling. The key
objective is to keep everyone working and moving ahead.
Commitment
If you
expect your team to work hard and produce quality content, you’re going to need
to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in
the trenches working alongside everyone else, showing that hard work is being
done on every level. By proving your commitment to the brand and your role, you
will not only earn the respect of your team, but will also instill that same
hardworking energy among your staff. It’s important to show your commitment not
only to the work at hand, but also to your promises. If you pledged to host a
holiday party, or uphold summer Fridays, keep your word. You want to create a
reputation for not just working hard, but also be known as a fair leader. Once
you have gained the respect of your team, they are more likely to deliver the
peak amount of quality work possible.
Positive Attitude
You want to keep your team motivated towards the continued success
of the company, and keep the energy levels up. Whether that means providing
snacks, coffee, relationship advice, or even just an occasional beer in the
office, remember that everyone on your team is a person. Keep the office mood a
fine balance between productivity and playfulness.
Creativity
Some decisions will not always be so clear-cut. You may be forced
at times to deviate from your set course and make an on the fly decision. This
is where your creativity will prove to be vital. It is during these critical
situations that your team will look to you for guidance and you may be forced
to make a quick decision. As a leader, it’s important to learn to think outside
the box and to choose which of two bad choices is the best option. Don’t
immediately choose the first or easiest possibility; sometimes it’s best to give
these issues some thought, and even turn to your team for guidance. By
utilizing all possible options before making a rash decision, you can typically
reach the end conclusion you were aiming for.
Intuition
When leading a team through uncharted waters, there is no roadmap on what to
do. Everything is uncertain, and the higher the risk, the higher the pressure.
That is where your natural intuition has to kick in. When something unexpected
occurs, or you are thrown into a new scenario, your team will look to you for
guidance. Drawing on past experience is a good reflex, as is reaching out to
your mentors for support. Eventually though, the tough decisions will be up to
you to decide and you will need to depend on your gut instinct for answers.
Learning to trust yourself is as important as your team learning to trust you.
Ability to Inspire
Make your team feel invested in the accomplishments of the
company. Whether everyone owns a piece of equity, or you operate on a bonus
system, generating enthusiasm for the hard work you are all putting in is so
important. Being able to inspire your team is great for focusing on the future
goals, but it is also important for the current issues. When you are all mired
deep in work, morale is low, and energy levels are fading, recognize that
everyone needs a break now and then. Acknowledge the work that everyone has
dedicated and commend the team on each of their efforts. It is your job to keep
spirits up, and that begins with an appreciation for the hard work.
