Lesson 2 - Being A Good Leader
It is rather pompous of me to give lessons on good leadership, seeing how I'm a rookie myself at this game of being employed. However, the few things that I share, I share it with supporting experiences.
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Be A Positive Example. In my line of work, it is very easy for one to slip into a "don't ask, don't care" attitude. Afterall solving a problem today does not mean you will have none tomorrow, it would simply mean you have one less, one of the many many problems one would face everyday. Nevertheless, I try my very best to tackle every one that crosses my path. I do not force any of my subordinates to do what I do, I just show them that it can be done, they just got to raise their standards to meet the challenge.
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Do Not Lie. Part of my responsibilities - as I see it - is to take care of a group of people that is under my charge. I want to protect their interests and chart a course for their career advancement. At times, they would request for certain things, and I tell them the truth of the matter. I would be direct and tell them 'This cannot be done' or 'Your request is not reasonable, I won't accept it.' When I do promise them things, I will make things happen. This builds a level of trust. They know that I don't pay them lip service. I gain their trust.
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Lead the Way. My crew is beginning to get a feel of my management style. They know that with me, they have to use their brains. I will reject anything and everything that I feel is inefficient. I pay attention to every detail, to the point that,once, I actually told them to change all the fonts in their spreadsheet because it does not scream professionalism. I told them to redo the whole document because the layout and color scheme gives the readers a migraine. But this really pays off, because I set a standard, they struggle but eventually meet it, then I raise it a little higher just a little out of reach, they struggle a bit more but their capacity grows with them.
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Sweat with them. When they are overwhelmed with the task that is set before them, I get my hands dirty and work alongside them. The milestone must be met, work overtime must be endured for the sake of productivity, so I dive in, upper management or not, my hands are as good as any. This builds relationships, they know that if there is work to be done, I too can roll up my sleeves.
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Force them to be Thinkers. I have always had a genuine open door policy. I tell them to feel free to tell me if anything I've done is inefficient due to my lack of experience. I encourage them to step up and pro-actively suggest and implement new ways to work smart. Whenever they ask me certain things, I tell them 'You go find out.' Don't know this or that? I tell them 'Go buy that book, read it and find out, pass me the receipt, and I'll help you claim from the company.' If you have a question, don't simply ask the person next to you, think first! The last thing I want is for them to become a bunch of mindless conformist.
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Today, I felt a real sense of fulfillment. I gathered the group and gave them the bad news "Sorry guys, your work load is going to increase tremendously but I'm not allowed to hire anymore help." They replied "It's okay, we can take it, you lead the way."
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I feel so blessed to be working with a group of people with such good attitudes. I'm so baking them a cheese cake on Sunday.
