If you are seeking the simplest strategy to improve your leadership skills, then be sure to treat yourself to a bit of dedicated time to find it.
Once committed, you are on your way towards a stronger, faster you.
Typically, thirty days is a good period of time to realize results and reach a substantial milestone in your development. Take the thirty day challenge.
Why not four weeks? The reason is that it is best to take a day at a time and not a week at a time to develop and grow as a professional.
Days 1-7: To start, let's go over several facilitating habits.
First, be patient with yourself and commit to studying various leaders and their approaches with an open mind. There are many sources of short and informative articles on leadership. Select two or three articles of interest per day.
Second, consider accepting differing perspectives and third, focus on the big picture. Combined these habits with a firm assessment of what success looks like at the end of thirty days and you will form a strong core for your leadership development goal. Gain new Knowledge.
Days 8-14: Now focus your energy on consistently evaluating performance from varying points of view. Involve the team. Understand the issues at hand and focus your efforts on self and team improvement.
Days 15-21: With the gaps in hand, ask for help from your team to close them. Collaborate. The gaps you identified initially may or may not be the ones that will drive enhanced performance. Validate. Purposefully implement and encourage a culture of inclusiveness. Create a common cause and a culture of buy-in. Offer your team a target, a goal, something to shoot for in this short period of time. Be the energy delivery device they expect. Lead a culture of diversity and inclusion.
Days 21-28: Make decisions and explain your rational for the decision to your team. Be decisive. Your team will reward the sense of stability and vision. Paint the future as you see it with their help. They are the diverse pallet of paint and the paint brushes. Your company is the canvas. You are the artist. Your clients/customers are the art collectors. Adapt this line of thinking. Your team will follow.
Days 29 & 30: Evaluate. Encourage. Prepare for what is next. Reflect, regroup, recharge, and grow.
Day 31: Mission accomplished.
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EHS Today is an NED companion site with Penton's Manufacturing and Supply Chain Group.