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A leader should be a boss or facilitator

Though the objective of a leader to lead a team and co-ordinate for a successful execution but the interaction of a leader with team matters most to achieve any goal. The execution of any task successfully depends upon the effectiveness of a leader.

What are the key qualities of effective leaders? The ultimate measure of leader effectiveness is the performance of the leader’s team or organization, particularly vis-à-vis competitors. Leadership is a resource for the group, and effective leaders enable a group to outperform other groups. While the same personality and ability traits described above help leaders become more effective — they are not just advantageous for emergence — the best leaders also show higher levels of integrity, which enables them to create a fair and just culture in their teams and organizations. In addition, effective leaders are generally more emotionally intelligent, which enables them to stay calm under pressure and have better people skills. Conversely, narcissistic leaders are more prone to behaving in unethical ways, which is likely to harm their teams.

Source : HBR

Leadership style is largely dependent on personality. Ambitious, thick-skinned leaders tend to be more entrepreneurial, so they are focused on growth and innovation. Curious, sociable, and sensitive leaders tend to be more charismatic, though charisma often reflects dark side traits, such as narcissism and psychopathy. Studies also highlight gender differences in leadership styles, with men being more transactional and women more transformational. However, gender roles are best understood as a psychological and normally distributed variable, as people differ in masculinity and femininity regardless of their biological sex.

Leadership evolved over millions of years, enabling us to function as group-living animals. It is therefore unlikely that the core foundations of leadership will change. That said, the specific skills and qualities that enable leaders and their groups to adapt to the world are certainly somewhat context dependent. For example, just as physical strength mattered more, and intellectual ability less, in the past, it is conceivable that human differentiators such as curiosity, empathy, and creativity will become more important in a world of ever-growing technological dependence and ubiquitous artificial intelligence.

In short, the science of leadership is well established. There is no real need to advance it in order to improve real-world practices. We should focus instead on applying what we already know, and ignoring what we think we know that isn’t true.

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Why Is Micromanagement So Infectious?

Its truly said that the success/failure of any project depends upon the team with a good leader. However if a team got a boss then whole work environment turns into a virtual war zone, the comfort level of team suffers and ultimately the whole project suffers in quality, delivery and timeline. Here is one article I came across about micromanagement and its worth of reading

When a manager delegates a goal to an employee effectively, she bestows ownership of what we call a “brief,” a set of outcomes subject to deadlines and other constraints. The owner’s job becomes figuring out how to deliver on that brief while operating within the specified constraints, which can range from “stay within this budget” to “follow these policies” to “get my approval on this type of decision.”

The manager, who assumes the role of a sponsor, can change the brief, change the owner, or change the context in which the owner does his work. But if she dictates the tasks to be done or directs how to do the work, she ceases to be a sponsor and becomes a micromanager.

Details : https://hbr.org/2016/08/why-is-micromanagement-so-infectious

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Four qualities of a leader

I came across a post by Marillyn Hewson, about four basic qualities of a leader and that truly reflects a leader.  A leader is somebody who comes first for any failure and last for any success.

In my experience, people thrive when they have leaders who are:

  • Decisive: The moments when leadership matters most are in times of uncertainty and change — times when people crave clarity. Leaders don’t need to have all of the answers and no one expects them to. What is needed, however, is the ability to seek the best counsel, make firm decisions on the path forward, and ensure everyone on the team understands their role in a shared vision.

    Leaders must also keep their eyes on the big picture so that when the environment changes, they can adapt and help their teams change course. They have to be ready to make tough decisions and communicate them clearly to the entire team.

  • Trustworthy: Leaders build a credible reputation and earn the trust of their teams through their everyday actions — by setting high standards, showing energy and enthusiasm, and committing to the development of their people.
    Building trust involves more than just talking about core values — you have to livethose values by demonstrating them in every action you take. As leaders, the example we set for our employees shapes the culture of our teams. When you demonstrate honesty and integrity in your actions, your team members will be compelled to do the right thing, even when you aren’t in the room.
  • Compassionate: Being a compassionate leader involves more than just treating people as you would like to be treated. It’s about treating people as they like to be treated. And compassion isn’t just for tough times — it’s for all times. It can be as simple as having a face-to-face meeting with your team, rather than sending an email. It’s about personally thanking employees for their hard work, recognizing them by name, and explaining why you’re so grateful for their contributions.

    It’s also about being responsive. I make it a priority to read and respond to all correspondence from employees. It ensures I understand what’s on their minds, shows that I genuinely care, and it helps to identify emerging issues in my organization.

  • Innovative: Innovative leaders have the ability to think beyond the status quo and inspire their team members to do the same. Leading a culture of innovation requires courage. You need to be able to step out of your comfort zone and take measured risk. Innovative leaders learn from their mistakes and take every opportunity to get better. They reward creativity and effort as much as success, and build an environment where everyone feels comfortable bringing their best ideas forward.

Source: LinkedIn

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9 Types Of People Who Never Succeed At Work

Work ethics

Experience and knowledge are rapidly losing their relevance to success in the workplace. Harvard economist David Deming studied workplace tasks from 1980 to the present day and found that those that emphasize social skills grew by a whopping 24%, while tasks requiring technical know-how and intelligence experienced little growth. Deming also found that salaries increased the most for jobs that place extra emphasis on social skills.

With the increasing emphasis on social skills, those who lack them stand out like a zebra in a field of horses. We all know the types: the person who won’t stop talking when you’re trying to meet a deadline, the one who blatantly takes credit for your ideas or the one who callously leaves you to pull an all-nighter to fix their mistake.

“Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be” — John Wooden

He is the list of characters that will never make you success in work https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/279913

Source : Enterpreneur

 

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Should you share your ideas?

  1. Ideas get better with feedback, and the only way to get loads of feedback is to tell the idea to others, over and over and over.
  2. You do not have a finite number of ideas, the number is infinite, your subsequent ideas get better and better, so a stolen idea will never be your “best idea ever”.
  3. Don’t be such a narcissist; most ideas were thought of by someone else before, there are very few ideas that are “your” ideas. You may have arrived at them independently, but it infrequently means that you were the first person on the planet to think of them.
  4. People are very emotionally attached to their own ideas, most folks cannot see the brilliance of an idea from someone else, and will prefer to work on their own than steal that of another.
  5. You may be surprised, but most people are decent and do not steal ideas.
  6. Most ideas are crap, but are the crap bricks on a road to a really good idea; so do not assume that “this version” of the idea is so good that it must not be stolen. If someone steals your crappy idea, chances are they will make it better, and you can then build on their version after stealing it back.
  7. Ideas need support, and if you do not share them folks cannot feel “partial ownership” and hence start to support them. Don’t confuse someone who wants partial ownership with someone who is going to steal the entire thing outright. Partial owners are supporters, and you need them.
  8. Execution matters, very few folks execute, stealing an idea and executing on it to make billions is rare, stealing an idea to temporarily feel good about yourself is what happens most of the time.
  9. People who steal ideas, will eventually owe you because the guilt inside will erode at them. And just like that, you will have eventual leverage over and around them.
  10. Have a digital trail of your idea a blog post, a slide share, or something to start with. When you “have something to show” it significantly reduces the likelihood that someone will permanently steal your idea. If you are just “talking” about it and have nothing to show, it more likely to be stolen.

So stop being such an idea hog, the world needs you and your ideas, share them.

Source: inc42

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Mark cuban’s 12 rules for startup

In his book How to Win at the Sport of Business, the billionaire Shark Tank investor shares his top tips for startup founders.

Over the past 30 years, billionaire “Shark Tank” investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has not only built his own companies but invested in over 120 others.

In his book “How to Win at the Sport of Business,” he breaks down a checklist for new entrepreneurs. We explain the “Twelve Cuban Rules for Startups” below.

1. Don’t start a company unless your heart is in it.

Large sums of money and strong connections won’t matter for the success of a business if its founder does not have the desire to crush the competition.

2. Don’t obsess over an exit strategy.

It’s fine if you plan on one day selling your company for a large sum of money, but that goal cannot distort your judgment in scaling the company, Cuban says.

3. Hire people who fit your company’s culture.

When hiring, you should look to build a team with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, but it’s necessary that they share core values so that they can work together for a common purpose.

As Virgin chairman Richard Branson writes in his book “The Virgin Way“: “As important as it is to look at what a candidate has achieved elsewhere, I have always believed that the single most important thing to consider is ‘personality fit.’ By that I mean, is this someone whose way of being, sense of humour, and general demeanour will dovetail easily with your company’s culture?”

4. Understand that “sales cure all.”

Cuban tells Business Insider that the greatest lesson he learned in his 30s is that any company, regardless of management issues, can be made to scale if they’ve developed an audience.”

“If you can generate sales you can have a successful company,” he says.

5. Spend liberally on recruiting employees who will play an essential role.

“Know your core competencies and focus on being great at them,” Cuban writes. “Pay up for people in your core competencies. Get the best. Outside the core competencies, hire people that fit your culture but are cheap.”

6. Don’t worry about perks from the outset.

It’s great that Google provides its employees with high-quality food, massage therapists, and scooters, but your company isn’t Google. When you’re building a business from the ground up, stock some drinks and maybe some coffee and snacks in the office, but spend your dollars on what actually matters.

7. Use open offices.

Don’t cramp your employees into cubicles and shut yourself off from them in a private office.

“Open offices keep everyone in tune with what is going on and keep the energy up,” Cuban writes.

8. Use technology you’re comfortable with.

When it’s just you and a few employees in the trenches, don’t worry about the software and hardware everyone else in your industry is using. Stick with what you know and move onto better products and company-wide standards once you’ve established your footing.

9. Keep the organization flat.

“If you have managers reporting to managers in a startup, you will fail,” Cuban writes.

A nascent company is better off without complicated office politics.

10. Don’t waste money on swag.

If you want to create a few T-shirts with your company’s logo for you and your team, that’s fine, but don’t think anyone else will want one.

“If your people are at shows and in public, it’s okay to buy for your own folks, but if you really think someone is going to wear your YoBaby.com polo when they’re out and about, you are mistaken and have no idea how to spend your money,” Cuban writes.

11. Don’t hire a PR firm.

Cuban is adamant about his belief that a PR firm can’t help a startup in a way that justifies paying them.

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Grig and Trout : Virtues of a leader

Grig is a kind of sweet water fish( in Odia language called “Dandikiri”), a finger size, weight would be around few ounces, generally found in ponds, rivers. These fishes stay near top surface of the pond , keep on jumping with a little disturbance at the surface, to thwart enemy by pretending its much larger and more strength. Trout is a sweet water fish(in Odia language called “Balia”), much bigger than Grig, maximum size it would grow half meter, with weight around of 50 pounds, much stronger. This fish prefers to stay at bottom of the pond or river, dont get disturbed with little disturbances, very difficult to catch.

My mother always gives example of grid and trout, to tell that people with real power, intelligent and rich in qualities don’t boast of their virtues, whereas people with little knowledge always jumps and boasts like grig. One should always follow trout. Dont always boast of your virtues, show your power only when needed at the right time. Now a days its difficult to find a trout, everywhere people keep on jumping, boasting to tell people that they have qualities, virtues to lead but in reality they dont know their strength. With lack of capability, they don’t concentrate on work  and always blame others for failure. A leader is somebody who always credits its team for success. If you talk to a leader you will feel yourself important, worthy whereas if you talk to a manager/boss  then you will feel that manager/boss is important. A leader always leads from the front and a good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit. Beware of such people.