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Mastering LeadershipFundamentals:HOWMastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right StuffT OG E TT H ERIGH TS T U F F1/14
Leadership advice is everywhere, but thelatest trends in executive management areuseless unless you have solid fundamental skills.In this guide, learn how to masterfour essential – yet frequently overlooked –building blocks for successful leadership.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff2/14
“Trends in executive management”Type this into any search engine, and you’ll beinundated with advice.But how much of it can you put to use withoutsolid fundamental leadership skills?The answer: Very little. Trends come and go,but the building blocks of a great leader remain.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff3/14
Why LeadershipFundamentals MatterLeaders are under more pressure than ever. Emerging trends, developingbest practices, new technologies, generational sea changes: The world todaymoves faster than it ever has.But while some things change, others remain the same. A strong leadershipfoundation allows leaders to tackle constant change by giving them ananchor. They can ride the waves of innovation and trend without beingwashed out to sea – or washing out their team.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff4/14
elegationconflictmanagementTo maintain their own stability andtheir team’s confidence, leadersneed these four primary skills.These skills haven’t changedsince ancient times, indicatingthey’re hard-wired into the humanunderstanding of both leadershipand following. Generals likeAlexander the Great and Attilathe Hun used them to great effect.And Julius Caesar’s demise can betraced directly to his failure to listenand manage conflict effectively.Here’s a “deep dive” into thefour fundamentals and how toimprove them.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff5/14
#1: ListeningWhat happens when you get better at listening to your team? Your employees know you care – and become more engaged,productive, and loyal. You know more, so you make fewer mistakes. You build an atmosphere of mutual trust.But don’t mistake “hearing” for “listening.” Picking up your team’s words isn’tthe same as processing them – or as expressing that process.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff6/14
HOW TOIMPROVE YOURLISTENING SKILLSTo get better at listening,make these skills a daily habit:Be here now.Put your phone away, take a deep breath, and focuson being present in the moment as others speak.Pay attention to their words, ask questions, andencourage them to elaborate. When you readmessages from your team, do the same thing.Listen actively.“Being present” for others’ words requires you toput your own away for a while. Avoid formulatinga response while someone else is speaking (whichincreases the urge to interrupt). Instead, start yourreply by summarizing what the other person said,then give your perspective.Don’t be afraid to return to a conversation.Listening actively spurs deeper thinking, whichmeans you may come to a realization or conclusionafter the conversation has ended. Don’t hesitateto restart that conversation when needed: “I wasthinking about what you said, and I realized .”Doing so shows the other person’s words matter.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff7/14
#2: Strategic Thinking“Be more strategic.”Every leader gets this advice at some point – and every leader finds itfrustrating. What does it mean? More importantly, how are you supposedto do it when you’re already facing a mountain of work?Strategic thinking benefits you and your team by: Keeping you focused on the big picture. Helping you spot potential problems before they become actual problems. Showing you ways to “get ahead” by implementing a solution that worksin both the short and the long term.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff8/14
HOW TOIMPROVESTRATEGICTHINKINGSKILLSTo get better at strategic thinking:Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right StuffPractice pattern recognition.What problems come up again and again?When have you talked about an obstacle, onlyto have someone from another department say,“We have the same problem!” Identifying patternscan help you identify ways to address them.Reach out.Make time to talk to leaders in other parts of theorganization and within the industry. Their addedperspectives will help you see the “bigger picture,”and their advice will help you address it.Know your worth.What do you contribute to the organization that noone else does? Why does your role – and the roleof your team – matter to the company as a whole?Focus on your team’s unique contribution to findways to improve it.9/14
#3: DelegationNo leader can do it all. Without strong delegation skills, however, you’ll findyourself in a position where you’re forced to – again and again.New leaders in particular have trouble delegating because they findthemselves unable to let go of their own work. Their name goes on theteam’s efforts, so they feel they need to control those results.But when you delegate: Engagement improves because your team does work that matters. Productivity improves because tasks are given to those best suited todo them efficiently. Skills improve because you and your team have the opportunity to work onwhat you most need to know.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff10/14
HOW TOIMPROVEDELEGATIONSKILLSTo get better at delegating:Start small.If letting go is hard for you, start by delegating smalltasks. Choose tasks in which the “how” doesn’tmatter, as long as completion is achieved. As yourteam adapts to the new tasks, work your way up bydelegating larger and larger responsibilities.Focus on priorities.Prioritize tasks into three tiers. The highest-skilledtasks stay on your own plate, the second-highestgo to skilled senior team members, and thelowest-skilled go to less-experienced teammembers. High-effort, low-skill tasks are especiallyripe for delegation.Give and get feedback.Once you delegate, walk away – but not beforeletting your staff know how they can reach you forquestions. When the task is completed, review it.Provide any feedback you think staff need toimprove their work, and ask them for their perspective.The information will help you delegate and yourstaff work more effectively on the next task.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff11/14
#4: Conflict ManagementConflict is common, inevitable – and even desirable. A well-managedconflict can point the way to a long-term resolution that solves not only the“flashpoint” issue, but related problems as well.Leaders who excel at conflict management benefit themselves and theirteams by: Creating an atmosphere of communication and trust. Empowering staff to address conflicts themselves with good resolution skills. Identifying solutions to both short- and long-term problems.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff12/14
HOW TOIMPROVECONFLICTMANAGEMENTSKILLSTo get better at addressingteam conflict:Give people space to tell their story.Many conflicts end once each participant feelsheard and understood. Often, asking “So whathappened?” and then listening carefully to theanswer provides all the information and support aleader needs to find a solution.Deliver a reality check.In a workplace conflict, the “last straw” is oftenno bigger than an actual straw. It’s a minute pointthat isn’t actually related to the big picture. Goodleaders maintain that larger perspective in order tohelp feuding co-workers focus on fixing the issue,not fighting one another.Get to the root.While listening to each side of a conflict, ask: Whatis keeping this person from agreeing to a solution?Resolving the root of the problem resolves theproblem – and keeps it from flowering again.Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff13/14
Where toTurn for HelpA strong mentor is a natural first choice fordeveloping leaders. But did you know yourstaffing partner can help you build yourleadership skills as well?Staffing firms support growing leaders by: Partnering with you to think strategicallyabout hiring. Recommending candidates to whom youcan delegate with confidence. Improving candidates’ cultural “fit” for betterconflict management. Helping you find time to devote toprofessional development.But don’t take our word for it.Contact your staffing partner today!Mastering Leadership Fundamentals:How to Get the Right Stuff14/14
STRATEGIC THINKING SKILLS To get better at strategic thinking: Mastering Leadership Fundamentals: 10/14 How to et the Right Stuff No leader can do it all. Without strong delegation skills, however, you’ll find yoursel
