Leadership is tough. We rarely get taught how to do it, or spend enough much time thinking about it before we are in a leadership role.
Before we have realized it, we have often been in post a short time and inadvertently set an undesirable culture and tone, and may consider it too late to change. The good news is, it is rarely too late to make improvements.
As a leader, every small thing you do (or don’t do) counts. Everything you say is scrutinized and every action judged. If this concerns you, good — it should do. Leaders are responsible for the tone they set. That they are permanently being watched provides a level of accountability, but more importantly, it provides an opportunity to deliver positive change.
The leader sets the tone, make sure it’s the right one.
After 14 years as a British Army Officer, and a keen devourer of leadership and personal development material, I have a reasonable idea of what leadership means to me. I am no authority by any stretch of the imagination, but I have come to understand that the little things matter.
Culture in an organization can be framed by strategy papers or carefully worded visions. They are only implemented if the micro-behaviors support it.
The little things you do in leadership matter and can have a cumulative impact on the team. The leader sets the tone, make sure it’s the right one.
The list below is a few things you can do to set a positive, nurturing and productive culture. It is not exhaustive by any means, and in no particular order, but hopefully offers a few ideas to consider:
- Polish Your Shoes. Your appearance is part of your bearing and the professionalism you portray. Make sure the first impression of you is the right one, and maintain it.
- Be on time. Don’t make them wait. Leaders who do either aren’t organized enough to be there when required, or don’t care about their team enough to value their time.
- Ask how people are, and mean it. Make time to talk. If you ask someone a question, take the time to stay and listen to the answer.
- Offer to help. You have probably got to where you are on merit, so find time to develop those beneath you. The more they learn, the better they will be and can support the team.
- Make jokes and take a joke. Try not to take things so seriously, having some light-hearted banter with your people does not undermine your position if done correctly. Never tease.
- Give praise. Positively reinforcing good work when it warrants it generates a feeling of appreciation. But beware, if you do it for everything it loses meaning.
- Learn Names. The people you lead are just that, people. Even knowing their name and using it can make a small difference in how valued they feel. Knowing about them and taking an interest in their lives can be a powerful leadership tool.
- Be positive, but realistic. Always be positive about the challenges the team is facing, but do not overdo it. If something is unreasonable, or just a bad situation, acknowledge it. They will know it is, and you ignoring it with superficial positive platitudes will undermine their trust in you.
- Be transparent. If you can not explain a decision or action and rationalize it against intelligent scrutiny, it may be the wrong thing to do. Invite discussion — it will immediately foster buy-in. Pass confirmed information when you have it.
- Tell the truth. If you lie you lack integrity, lose people’s trust and breed a culture of dishonesty. This is toxic — a hard truth told is far more preferable than dealing with an easy lie being unraveled.
- Do your own filing. This is a broader comment about getting involved in your own business. Make your team coffee, do some of your own administration. It will help you connect with the team and understand the process that supports you. It is also just a nice thing to do.
- Take advice. As a leader, you never know everything or are the authority in every aspect of your business. Every member of the team will have a view, listen to them and heed their advice. They may surprise you.
- Stay calm. Your conduct and approach, particularly in times of crisis, will inform how everyone else responds to challenges. Never lose your temper, it is unbecoming and shows a lack of control or capability.
- Take an interest. Understanding more about the roles and responsibilities of your team, whatever the size, will inform better decision making, and show you care. You cannot lead a team if you don’t know what they do.
- Be consistent. Nothing is worse than a team anxiously waiting to see which way a decision will go or what mood you are in. Be consistent in your handling of anything and everything. People need to know where they stand.
- Use rewards. Where appropriate, incentivize good outputs and reward noteworthy activity. Reward packages should not be used to mitigate inefficiencies, low morale or low productivity, but to complement a well-managed team.
- Take responsibility for failure. You delegate the task, not the responsibility. If something goes wrong, you carry that risk. Do not expose your team if things go wrong, protect them where you can, and collectively learn from it.
- Eat last. A military convention made popular by Simon Sinek. Leaders should always ensure their followers are looked after and supported first. Leaders eat last to ensure all their people have been fed. The sentiment may be transferred to many other situations and should be.
- Speak with, not at. Treat every team member as someone who is valuable and who can contribute. Have a conversation and actually listen to what they say.
- Look down, not up. When leaders are only concerned with pleasing their hierarchy it is all too clear and creates a cut-throat culture. If you focus on your team, the dividend of improved morale, performance, and outputs will assist with onward progression in a positive way.
- Be respectful. Always remember that your team is made up of people just like you. Respect them, what they can do, and what they are about.
- Make decisions. Indecision is often worse than no decision at all. Even a decision with 80% of the information which carries some risk is preferable to a fully informed decision which comes too late. Make a decision and run with it, but be agile and prepared enough to adjust as required.
- Admit when you’re wrong. Nobody is infallible, and you will get things wrong. Accept it, embrace it, learn from it.
- Be polite. Treat people properly at all times, never call people names, never insult them. Please and thank you go a long way. There is never an excuse for being rude.
- Sweat the small stuff. Just because smaller issues in your team may not affect you directly, take an interest. Something that is meaningful for your team or just one person should be meaningful for you. Nothing is below you if it is affecting your people.
- Be available. Make yourself physically available, just saying ‘my door is always open’ doesn’t cut it. You have to actively engage to generate important interactions. You can always find time for someone if you want to.
- Discipline fairly. There will always be issues with staff conduct. When you do have to discipline, be fair and consistent. It should also be developmental rather than punitive. You want people to improve, not to break them.
- Ask why three times. This simple act will reveal the truth and detail of any situation. Be inquiring, if you think you need to understand something more, keep asking why until you do.
- Respond, don’t react. Take the time to process any situation before you react rashly. A considered response can take seconds to formulate, rather than an unrefined reaction.
- Know the detail. You do not, and cannot know everything about everything. However, you need to get into detail where it matters. You must not always rely on your SMEs — this is about knowing your business and your team. If you don’t, how can you make effective decisions?
- Coach. Every interaction with a member of the team is an opportunity to develop them. Do not just tell them things are wrong, explain why and show them how to do it. The compound effect of actively developing every person when the opportunity arises can be transformative.
- Empower. Tolerate risk and empower your team to deliver what you want, but do it their way. Holding the reigns too tight means they will never learn, and you will have no time to think.
- Think about the future. You are leading the team, make sure you understand where you are going, and why.
- Identify and nurture talent. Where you find someone bristling with potential and capability, embrace the opportunity it presents for both you and them.
- Give a little of yourself. You are a real person, you are allowed to talk about it. Revealing a little about your own experience, life, or thoughts makes you real. A soulless suit motivates and connects with nobody.
- Pass understanding, not just information. Just because you say things, it doesn’t mean people understand it. It is your responsibility to make sure people know what to do with what you are telling them.
- Understand what you’re good at. Self-awareness is critical to ensure you do not make unnecessary mistakes. Know what your strengths and weakness are, and amplify/mitigate accordingly.
- Grab a shovel and get in the trench. When the team is working hard, be in there with them. Never just point out the direction and say ‘go there’, stride towards the objective and say ‘follow me’.
- Look After You. You can not lead or perform if you can’t operate. Look after your physical and mental well-being. You, your family, and your team need to you to function. Never neglect yourself.
- Be prepared to apologize. You will get things wrong. When you do, have the maturity and character to apologise.
- Set Priorities. The team needs to know where to apply effort to meet your intent. If everything is made a priority, nothing is.
- Manage Expectations. This concerns your hierarchy and your team. If things aren’t going as planned, in terms of outputs or career management, be honest and ensure people know where they stand. Promising a promotion that never comes is catastrophic. Have the hard conversations when you need to.
- Do the right thing, not the easy thing. You will always be forced to make decisions which affect you and your team. Never choose the easy option over the right decision.
- Lose the Ego. You may have status due to your appointment, but don’t let it go to your head. Ego in leadership is toxic — you are just another person in the organization, do not think you are special.
- Enjoy it! Being a leader is one of the most rewarding, challenging and energizing things you can do. Enjoy the ride, it will be over before you know it.
