10 Tips for Winning the Respect of Your Followers
Francie Dalton, CMC, is president of Dalton Alliances, Inc., a Maryland-based business consultancy specializing in the communication, management, and behavioral sciences.
Today, Friday, Oct. 16 is National Boss’s Day. Here are 10 ways to increase your effectiveness as a leader and win the love and respect of your followers:
1. Whenever an idea comes to mind, assign it to someone else immediately. Don’t be concerned about whether it should be done. You can always abandon it later.
2. Never put things in writing. Someone else can keep track of important things for you.
3. Always assign the same task to multiple people. This will help you leverage the risk of missed deadlines.
4. Don’t inform staff of your calendar. Your staff will come to love that sense of the unexpected and will be happy to see you when you do drop by.
5. Change your mind often. Particularly on major projects. This demonstrates flexibility.
6. Don’t hesitate to switch up people’s responsibilies – and don’t worry about remembering to let appropriate staff know about such decisions. Remember: They’re smart and will figure it out.
7. Don’t have agendas for meetings. After all, staff should just enjoy being together, and an agenda would probably constrain innovative thinking.
8. Whenever staff are handling a particularly difficult situation, call them every five minutes or so to offer assistance and to provide feedback on the actions they’re taking. They’ll be grateful for your input.
9. As you meet competent people during networking events, instantly retain them as subcontractors for…something. Your direct reports are sure to appreciate the extra help.
10. Remind your subordinates that today is Bosses’ Day. They’ll be thrilled for the opportunity to express their respect for your leadership style.
Photo Credit: The “World’s Best Boss” photo is reprinted here courtesy of Matt Pendergraff of PDG+creative
By Francie Dalton
| October 16, 2009; 10:29 AM ET |
Category:
#Humor
