two of my direct reports have recently resigned. one of them has been with the firm for 12 years, the other 5 years. they recently sent me their bye-bye letters. and i am touched by the way they look at me as their 'best boss' ever.
honestly, i dont think of myself much of a 'boss'. though in the closet, i behave as naturally as i could. and that means some slip-ups from time to time LOL (that's another post!). seriously, though, i am proud that i have helped the firm achieve leadership in certain categories. and i've been asked quite a number of times "how do you do it?"
in the hope that some of you may actually pick up a thing or two, here are some random thoughts on leadership and management:
- you have to love developing people, seeing them grow, mature and take on more responsibility. be secure enough about your own abilities to let people shine on their own. proudly proclaim their achievements. give them credit where credit is due.
- learn to think big picture first. though situations and problems are complex, most could be reduced to a few critical variables. I have asked all my team members to give me summary first before diving into the details. Zoom out then zoom in.
- you could be a leader without the position. leadership is influencing, motivating people to achieve positive communal goals.
- if you have the position, earn the respect. don't assume that the position will automatically grant you the respect from your peers and your people. work for it. reach out, understand, listen, decide...
- follow through, always. once projects are started, follow through. implement, monitor, adjust if necessary. this is where a lot of managers fail.
- be kind but firm. compassionate but decisive.
hmmm. enough for now...
5 comments:
Interesting post. I guess this is where "corporate" in corporate closet comes in.
You sure must be one hot and cool boss. :)
This particular entry reminded me once again why I like reading your blog - - - it's "More Than The Usual" gay blog which talks basically about hot guys, sexcapades, vanities, etc..
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those stuff as much as the next guy.. But somehow . . . nakakaumay... sometimes, I just want to reach out for an "achara" para matangal lang ang suya at umay. Haayyyy....
I guess, kanya-kanyang niche at style lang talaga yan... and I'm glad I discovered your blog...just right for me.
Keep it up.
DC
You sound like you are such a guru. Let am ask you for some advice.
I am such a micro-manager. Whether it is inherent in me or if it has something to do with the size of the organisation, I do not know. For a business with a turnover like ours, it will probably require twice as much or more staff if it was in the Philippines. But wages are high here. Consequently, lean and efficient is my mantra. I, therefore, tend to expect highly from my staff. How do I keep myself from having to deal with frustrations -- lower the bar or reduce efficiency?
thanks, people, for the comments
i aint no guru. but my take:
efficiency reduction - no way, dude. i always aim to be more efficient, always challenging people - there must be a better way. if your team is still producing, output's still there, then you're probably optimizing. if what you mean by micro managing is looking over everybody's shoulder, man, you are going to burn yourself out. my impression of micro managing - you're actually doing the stuff yourself almost, too process-oriented. i like balance - i focus on deliverables, results. i really believe in reductionism - there are just a few key things you really pay attention to. as long as you know what these gauges are, you still feel on top.
did i make sense?
aj - i can be cool, i can be hot and i can be hot-tempered, too (ask my secretary)... but i work on it. :-)
dc - again, my heartfelt thanks. i dont mind the sexcapades myself but dude, i just have other things on my mind! and that's what i put in here.
Yup! d CORPORATE SIDE of CC! :)
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