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My name's Terry Irwin and this is one of TCii's best business practice videos.
And the topic is
How to be a courageous leader
in uncertain times.
Today's employees need a calm,
candid and focused leader -
a leader with strong communication skills,
selfless, self-confident commitment to people,
and the ability to take courageous decisions
in an atmosphere of uncertainty.
These are the real leadership qualities. The basic essential of leadership is to get
things done, through people.
Firstly, then, you need to communicate, frequently and candidly, with your people,
because fear of the unknown is a powerful emotion.
Be honest.
Tell your people what you know - and what you don't.
Ask them for their feedback and opinion.
Ask them what they know. Listen, and make time for those who need to communicate with you,
and focus on what's important for them, not for you.
Don't evade issues. Use all available channels of communication:
informal discussions, employee newsletters, and so on.
You must also be prepared to make imperfect decisions, because
speed is of the essence.
In any case, the perfect decision doesn't exist,
so you need to
make the decision and manage the consequences. You need to move forward
rather than waste time
striving for perfect planning.
Encourage people who have got the drive to move things forward.
Back their decisions, even if they make mistakes,
and support and encourage momentum.
Next, you should maintain high visibility if you want to energise, inspire and
excite your people, rather than depressing and controlling them.
So, be among your people at every level. Use your presence as an opportunity to
communicate.
Be approachable, and set up impromptu discussions - whether in the office or on
the factory floor.
And in addition,
don't be afraid to be seen to be learning new things.
Manage less - you can't do everything yourself!
So empower and delegate, and then get out of the way.
Make time for people. Smile!
Seek their feedback. Be available. Be personal: take an interest in other people's
challenges.
And apportion credit, and take the blame.
Learn and relearn.
Make sure you're informed. Show you're up to speed with all the latest news and data
concerning your industry, your people and your environment.
Be a source of external knowledge, and use information that will support your
position
as a force for optimism in the long run. Meet and communicate with other
CEOs and leaders,
and be current
and relevant.
In today's economic climate,
when there are few reasons for corporate celebrations, the watchword of leaders is
courage.
Courage is what will define the successful leaders of today and tomorrow.
So, to be a true leader, be a beacon for change, and energise others to excel.
Harness the power of your people.
Articulate your vision and spark others to execute it.
To summarise: Employees today
need a leader who's got the courage to communicate honestly
and openly,
and make imperfect decisions; to be visible, to be approachable, and to set an
example for learning
and adapting.
From now on, courage will be one of the key leadership qualities
in good times and bad.
if you're interested in finding out more,
call me, Terry Irwin, on 020 7099 2621.
Or you can download our white paper on this topic from our website
at tcii.co.uk.