A new day has dawned. 2019 is here, we’re over a week into it already. Soon, we’ll be discussing how fast January flew by, then Q1.
Have you made plans? Personal goals are great. Business objectives are super. But do you have specific plans to “do” leadership better in 2019? No? Why not?
Many of us create detailed plans for the new year. We spreadsheet various categories like personal, family, business, spiritual, health, etc. But we need to add one: Leadership. What can you do differently this year to improve your leadership impact? “Get better at it” sounds great but is woefully unactionable.
How about I suggest a few things for you to consider?
- Address a specific people problem. Take that toxic employee or the just-barely performer into a private office and have that tough conversation. Advise them, coach them, counsel them. But it’s get better or take a hike. Trust me, those around that person will sing your praises.
- Mentor someone. I mean really mentor them. Take them under your wing and help them grow.
- Be present, and pay attention. Listen closely, make sure you hear what that mentee means, not just what they say. Take notes so you can follow up when appropriate.
- Deliver genuine feedback. Tell them what’s working, and what isn’t. You need to be the truth-teller in their life, don’t let them down. Direct feedback is essential to effective mentoring.
- Inspire and motivate. Mentoring is not coaching, and it’s not therapy. You need also to advise based on your experience. That’s the real value of mentoring, answering WWYD… What Would YOU Do?
- One-on-ones. Start having them if you don’t and make them better if you do. Some things to consider:
- Regular, consistent scheduling with all of your direct reports. Weekly is great, but consistent, recurring biweekly is better than often-cancelled weekly.
- If you schedule it, be there. No exceptions. Reread that sentence. 30 minutes is the right duration, though many have been successful with an hour.
- Employee drives the agenda, not you. This is their one-on-one, for their Start with, “So, how are things going?” and let it develop from there (I have a more thorough checklist with sample questions available—just ask and I’ll send it).
- End with, “What can I do to help you?” Prepare to be surprised.
- Get some feedback from others. We’ve been doing a lot of 360 surveys lately, with pretty astonishing results. You can somewhat DIY with our Start-Stop-Continue worksheet.
But that’s just me…
