That is not fair! You may very well be right, but then again who says life is fair? The truth is when a person don’t know-like-trust you well enough, they take shortcuts to forming an opinion of you as a leader. And the most visible of aspect of one-on-one communication is body language. Like it or hate it, you will have to start being mindful of what you normally do automatically without thinking – your posture, your gestures that accompany words and articulation, the nuances of your facial expression.


If you still have doubts in your mind about the impact of body language, here’s a little mental exercise you can try:

1. Think of the top 5 people in your organization whom you admire, respect or took the time to know more about.
2. Think of the things you approve of them – Is body language one of them?
3. Now think of 5 least favorite people in your organization.
4. Think of the things you disapprove about them.
5. Finally think of their body language when communicating with you or the rest of the staff, does it improve or worsen your impression of them?

When the relationship is not yet rock-solid or worse still, a co-worker is not able to find a reason to like you or trust you; body language may be the tipping point that push their opinion of you to the ugly side.

Compare Obama’s body language with that of Senator McCain’s (see the video @ 00:42sec) and you immediately know what I mean. It’s a split second inference as your mind start sizing-up the two gentlemen.

Now that you are starting to gain awareness of your own body language, what should you do?

Start working at perfecting your Power Pose or posture , for a start at least.

Speaking of which, I found the video below – of a presentation by Ms. Amy Cuddy from Harvard Business School – very insightful.  Good visual pics. Many good takeaways here folks. You don’t want to miss watching this video.

Enjoy!

Every team member that steps up to a role where he needs to assume responsibility over people and projects, goals and tasks, money and accountability; will be forced to take actions that will inevitably define whether he is (for the most parts anyway) a Leader or a Manager.

There has been so many debates regarding this topic. This video brings a lot of clarity and useful insights on the subject matter. I hope you will benefit from this one.

So, what has been your biggest challenge as you make the transition from a manager to a leader?

Share with us, and leave your comments.

Benefits of Using Testing Methods

Organizations in both the public and private sectors have used these leadership testing tools and methods for good reasons. Although the tests and methods will vary from one organization to the next, the most common benefits of their usage include but are not limited to the following:

• Better fit between the individual and the position. Effective tests provide for an objective determination of the applicant’s personality traits, working style and temperament vis-a-vis the leadership position being applied for in particular and the company culture in general. The right credentials are good, yes, but the right leadership skills for the job are excellent.
• Higher efficiency levels for the team. Leaders must lead teams so his leadership qualities must be in tune with the members of his team, thus, the needs for said tests. With good leaders, we can expect good results.
• Better business opportunities and outcomes. Leadership tests have significant impact on identifying and choosing the supervisors, managers and executives with the right leadership styles to find the best opportunities and deliver the best outcomes for the business.

So, if your company has yet to implement leadership skills tests and methods, we suggest that you do so now for the abovementioned reasons.

Choices in Testing Methods

The questions then are: What are these tests and methods to determine an individual’s leadership qualities? What are the most suitable types for your company? Let’s answer these questions.

The choice of tests and methods will depend entirely on your corporate culture so it pays to know the pros and cons of each one before implementation. In most organizations, however, the testing system used combine two or more of the following:

• Personality tests are popular tools in the assessment of leadership skills mainly because of the ease with which these can be administered and then the results can be evaluated. These tests usually come in multiple choice formats that reveal the individual’s strengths and weaknesses. The most common personality tests are:

1.  Briggs-Myers personality test assesses the individual’s temperament in terms of how he reacts to other people and to his environment; a scale of 1 to 4 to determine intensity of reaction. Basically, it determines how introverted or extroverted an individual is.
2. Fundamental interpersonal relations orientation (FIRO-B) test consists of 6 scales of 9-item questions. It measures three aspects of an individual’s interpersonal needs within a group, namely, control, inclusion and openness.

•  Essay assignments are designed to allow the individual to express himself in terms of his leadership style, career direction and other pertinent topics.
• Questionnaires are designed to gather inputs from other people particularly the individual’s subordinates and superiors with the main aim being to develop a well-rounded perspective of said individual.
• Consultant review is also a great albeit expensive method to determine an individual’s leadership style.

In the end, you can only observe an individual’s leadership skills in action once he is placed in the position but these testing methods are excellent in achieving a better fit.

Useful Resources :

Wikipedia :
More on testing for leadership skills using FIRO tool
 About testing using DISC Assessment 

What Leadership Qualities Do Organizations Value Most?

Leadership is a personal characteristic that enables an individual to get others to willingly follow. Some individuals are born with leadership skills, while others can learn and implement the skills. There are certain qualities that define a truly strong leader. Developing leadership skills takes effort, time and commitment. The following are some of the most current and sought-after leadership skills that you need to cultivate if you want to become an effective leader in your organization. By possessing these leadership skills, you can become the kind of leader who empowers others to do what they do best.

1. Strong sense of purpose. Effective leaders have a clear focus and direction as well as the ability to articulate their purpose to others. A successful leader operates with a vision of where he or she is going, and use this vision to inspire and motivate other people. This sense of purpose enables a leader to utilize available resources to achieve desired results in the organization.
2. Business literacy. Leaders have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the business they are involved in. Leaders must be able to handle or manage large quantities of conflicting information and know how to stay ahead of the competition by determining what must be done in a particular situation. The leader must know how to monitor or track the company’s core financial matters and convey their importance to others.
3. Sincerity and honesty. Leaders sincerely and honestly express themselves even if their point of view varies with conventional wisdom. Effective leaders speak up even if they don’t agree with boss’s point of view. A leader must cultivate firm-minded subordinates or co-workers who have the wisdom and courage to speak their mind.
4. Judgment. A leader must know how to make quick decisions without waiting for perfect data. He or she needs to objectively and realistically assess a situation, which is very important in making sound decisions.
   
5. Select, train, and develop others. One of the most essential roles of leaders is to help others within the organization develop their leadership skills. And so, a leader must be able to select the right people, and coach them so they can make up for his or her deficiencies.
6. Encourage and embrace change. Businesses stagnate if they don’t welcome new technologies, introduce new business opportunities, respond to employee needs, and meet market demands. Effective leaders look for, initiate, and support needed change. They envision opportunities for improvement and encourage their staff to implement productive changes.
7. Inspire and motivate people. A leader has the ability to articulate his or her vision and ideals to other people, and convince them of the value of the ideas. He or she can inspire others to work toward common goals. A leader recognizes that the same needs don’t motivate everyone, and so he or she listens carefully to others to determine what motivates them. An effective leader makes sure others understand how their work contributes to the success of the business no matter what official job title they have.
8. Good communication skills. Effective leaders are great communicators, both personally and in business. They are good at listening to others, and so embrace ideas rather than just paying “lip service”. Being a great listener enables you to ask questions, understand issues and provide positive feedback, and thereby get to the main issue with any business situation.
9. Proper organization. Being organized is an essential aspect of leadership. Effective leaders ensure proper organization of their workload, team and paperwork, and assigned tasks, which makes their team more productive. They are able to find whatever they need for a task without hassle. A good leader should organize tasks before leaving the office, so he or she will have a fresh start the next day without struggling to find needed items.
10. Accept responsibility. A strong leader is always prepared to take full responsibility when things don’t work out as expected or planned. It is the leader’s responsibility to steer his or her group in the proper direction and make sure that each person in the organization is doing his or her fair share. Leaders always admit where they went wrong as a leader.

Acquiring these leadership skills will enable you to become an effective leader, the kind of leader who instills confidence and trust in followers, and encouraging them to become their best.

Pros of Being a Leader

Leaders have fewer responsibilities to worry about than managers. Any good leader has to stay honest and confident that any visions or goals that are set are attainable. They should also be open for advice by their subordinates so they can improve even further. But managers have to handle situations on their own for the most part.

Cons of Being a Leader

Because leaders do not have as much responsibilities as managers, leaders do not have full control of a business or business decision if there is a manager present. This can be unsettling for some people that may have the necessary leadership skills but cannot make a good influence if the manager has other plans to take care of. Leaders may have to answer to managers when necessary.

Pros of Being a Manager

This leads to the pros of being a manager which is good for people that really want to be a major factor in deciding the company’s future. If you are willing to take more responsibilities, you are rewarded with credibility for doing your part in improving company. You will most certainly get a higher pay for doing things that create a better outlook for the company if the leadership skills remain present. Your chances of succeeding are higher as long as you have good creative ideas. You are in a better position in executing these ideas and you can choose what style of manager you like to be.

Cons of Being a Manager

If you are willing to be a manager, you have to do critical thinking for your team and you need some mediation skills to move forward. There are also autocratic managers that do not consult anyone else anymore when making a decision and are not open to feedback. If you commit any errors, the blame mainly goes towards you and it is usually because of lack of leadership skills.

To summarize things, good managers should start being good leaders since managers always have to have the leadership skills present along with a handful of other skills. Being a leader is a good way to evaluate yourself if you can later handle the responsibilities of a manager. Because of the cons of being a manager, being a manager isn’t for everyone even if the effective leadership is present. If you really want to become a manager, brush up your skills and gain more experience as a leader so you become better.

If you ever wonder what is leadership, you can do some research and find out that there are several definitions made by different viewpoints of different leaders. This is because the people many years back had different principals compared to today’s leaders. Some of the people that serve as leaders today view other leaders in the past as inspirations where they would adapt their styles and mix it with their own personalities in hopes of leading better. After all, one cannot be a leader forever so it is important for one or more members to develop leadership skills so they can replace their leaders one day. Understanding the evolution of leadership can give you the push that you need to secure a leadership position in your company one day and prove that you can make a difference.

If you look at the top businesses in various industries, you will notice that practically every company has its ups and downs. When a company isn’t doing so well suddenly, some top executives would consider finding a new CEO or president because they need a better leader that can set things right or add competitive pressure.

Back in the 19th century, some researchers tried to figure out what is leadership came to the conclusion that leaders are born and not developed. This was based on the qualities of people that belonged to powerful families. Any second degree relatives did not really have the same leadership skills as the first degree relatives.

But that didn’t stop researchers from finding other answers because it doesn’t really answer what qualities make a great leader. This is when these researchers started getting into trait analyses. This involves more focus on some individual traits like intelligence, adjustment, extraversion, self-efficacy and conscientiousness. These studies not only gained more popularity, but it has also convinced other researches to look deeper into these points of views and come up with their own theories.

One of the popular theories that emerged involved the way behaviors affected the style of leadership. According to their views, to find out what is leadership, the term had to be broken down to three styles which are authoritarian, laissez-faire and democratic.

The authoritarian style of leadership involves the leader being the only person to make the decisions. Dictators have this type of leadership and it can be effective for certain occasions. If it is difficult for the entire group to agree, a democratic or participative style of leadership might be better since the leader needs to consult the group before making a decision. Finally, leaders with the laissez-faire style do not actually lead. Instead, they give full freedom to the members so they can come up with their own approaches. This method may actually help craft members into leaders someday.

When these styles were laid out, more people started to get interested in becoming a leader since they are aware that one style may be more suitable than another. These styles are still applied today by modern leaders of the corporate world.

All the people in the group or organization should work collectively to attain that common goal. Group leaders have to ensure that the teamwork amongst the members remains intact so the group moves forward. But being a leader isn’t all that easy especially if you never led a group before. Some people are more comfortable following instructions from a leader rather than issuing them to other people. But if you brush up your leadership skills, you might be able to make a difference for the team and that will cause more people to look up to you when serious work needs to be done.

Self-discipline

There will be a time when emotions get in the way when making a key decision. Leaders that give in to these emotions need to develop their self-discipline a bit further. Basically, you need to strengthen your personality and leadership skills and always focus on the goals that need to be accomplished. If you can discipline yourself, you should be able to discipline others so everyone is on the same wavelength.

Creative

Leaders should not be considered as “know-it-alls” because people that think they know everything won’t be able to see if there isn’t any room for improvement. The better leaders are open-minded and more creative. If they see a fresh new approach in achieving an objective, they will work towards that avenue and see how things will improve from there. Leadership skills can be developed even further if you have that drive in improving existing leadership approaches even if they work.

Adaptive

In every team or group, there are leaders and there are followers. But since all of the people in the group are on the same team, you can consider all of the people as team players and are on the same level in that perspective. This should give you a bold reason to be a good listener as well. Even if you think you make the best decisions in the group, you should always show some courtesy by giving your followers a voice. Some feedbacks and suggestions might not be important but what matters is that everyone is toning up their communication skills and even leadership skills. The more you keep the conversations open, the more your group members will see you as a fine leader that cares about the group’s well-being. Good leaders should take advice from subordinates and if necessary, mold those ideas into something everyone can agree with.

Inspirational

There are a lot of great leaders throughout the course of history and many of the modern leaders today continue to do wonderful and innovative things. While you do not have to necessarily emulate them in every respect, you should learn about how these individuals became great leaders and use their success as an inspiration to improve your leadership skills. Good ways to learn more about these fine leaders is to read autobiographies, read articles on the Internet or watch documentaries. Watching movies can inspire you a lot too. Even if a lot of the movies are not based on true stories, plenty of these movies have lead characters and protagonists that are or turn out to be great leaders that viewers can learn from. Combined what you have learned and incorporate your creativity and you may serve as an inspiration for people in your group that want to develop leadership skills and be leaders themselves one day.

Introspective

Although it is really important to have good communication with your subordinates, you may need some solitude to recharge mentally. There is no doubt that most of the pressure to deliver the team’s objective falls on the leader. In order to mitigate that frustration and keep the leadership skills intact, you need to give yourself some time and space for self-reflection. Take a break, set some time by yourself so you can better analyze the situation and break complicated problems into chunks that are easier to take in. If you really can’t take a vacation on your own, then, at least, take your team on a retreat – teambuilding trips have been known to bring good results for companies when executed properly.  Focus on the solutions to problems; prioritize the issues that need to be tackled head on. Work with a consultant or teambuilding experts if you have the budget, leaving you free to let go of the leader’s hat for a while to join your team as an equal player. Once you have a clear view of the solutions and a vision of what your team accomplish in the next one or two years, float them across your group for further refinement. You’ll be surprised how rejuvenating it can be when everyone subscribes to and desires the same goals.

Whenever you have the opportunity to be a leader, you should seize them – that is the quickest way to develop those leadership skills and gain on the job experience at the same time. Better still, lead alongside a more experienced leader so that you can figure out which skills need fine-tuning. Extract these traits from the leaders that inspire you the most and share your leadership knowledge with others in the team who are on the same journey as you. Remember, you cannot be a leader of the team forever. Succession planning should be part of a team’s leadership strategy. All the accomplishment chalked up by the team can be quickly undone if the next leader is ill-equipped to continue the winning streak. Remember it far more challenging to keep nurturing, motivating and steering a high-performance team that it is to overhaul and build an under-achieving team. They would have clocked a lot of leadership miles themselves and may not take too kindly to criticisms or changing course when needed to. That is where you as a leader need to be at the help always having an eye on the horizons to ensure the teams do not get inflicted with complacency.

There are some companies and organizations that do better than others simply because all of the individual team members work together and have better skillsets than other teams. Although a team may consist of highly capable and talented members, they still have to make sure their actions are aligned with the leader’s vision. This means that things can have a negative or positive outcome depending on the person’s management and leadership capabilities. Effective leadership is necessary in making sure that the skills of every team member are utilized correctly. If you are wondering if your leadership is heading the right direction, look for these signs of effective leadership.

Leading by Example

If you are leading a new group, you can get a loyal following quick if you show to the group that you have the necessary leadership skills to overcome challenges. If you were assigned to lead the right group, those members should have those skills as well. You just have to make them feel more confident in executing. Once they see that your actions lead to better results, you can bet that your team members will try to emulate you and that is a good thing if you want to encourage these members to be leaders themselves one day.

Good Communication

Consistency is very important for effective leadership. Your members need to see that you are always around when assistance is needed. As long as you continuously keep in touch with your members, these people will see that you are really serious in fulfilling the group’s objective. It will also keep them more motivated in overcoming more difficult obstacles.

If you observe other successful companies, they are showing similar signs of effective leadership. You do not have to copy the same approaches since your business model could be different but you should keep the team building intact combined with good decision making.

Leadership styles refer to the methods and strategies used by managers, for example, in order to get the desired results for the organization or company. Many managers take courses dealing with leadership in order to learn how to make their businesses more efficient and successful. Many different leadership styles are used in the corporate setting, including democratic leadership, autocratic leadership, transformational leadership, and laissez-faire leadership.

Leadership styles have a big impact on the performance of an organization. The choice or application of a certain leadership style depends on the current condition of the organization. In order words, certain leadership styles are best suited to particular situations.

Democratic Style

This is an effective leadership style that is employed in many successful organizations. This type of leadership typically seeks the team’s opinions and input before making decisions. Because team members are encouraged to participate, this type of leadership style works to motivate employees and is often very effective. Leaders or managers act more like coaches, and this improves subordinates’ morale. This results to increased performance and productivity.

Autocratic Style

Autocratic leaders focus on specific tasks, and they find a way to get them done. Autocrats tend to act like dictators by directing other people to follow their instructions. They do not typically seek others’ input or suggestions. They decide on the solutions, and then get their subordinates to follow these solutions. This can be an effective leadership style during a crisis, but can negatively impact normal situations.

Transformational Style

This style of leadership is powerful and is present in many organizations that achieve or desire success. The transformational leader influences subordinates by showing an example. This type of leader can inspire other people not only to contribute to the success of the organization, but to grow individually. Transformational leadership style encourages innovation and creativity. This style of leadership can get employees to come together and work toward a common goal.

Authoritative Style

This style of leadership is another method that may be seen during a crisis. An authoritative leader can influence subordinates by sharing his vision and encouraging them toward that vision. He does not force them to comply. The authoritative style is an effective leadership style that works well in organizations that need new direction.

Laissez-Faire Style

Laissez-faire leaders tend to be hands-off leaders. The leader or manager works to motivate subordinates from a distance and does not engage in micromanaging. This works well where the employees or subordinates are self-disciplined, knowledgeable about their positions and efficient at their duties. But it can have a negative impact on the workplace if employees cannot work independently or if they need regular feedback. This type of leadership can be very effective if the leader or manager has scheduled weekly meetings with his subordinates or employees and resolve or prevent small issues before they get out of control.

Leadership styles vary among leaders. Each leader uses what he perceives as effective leadership to persuade and lead his subordinates. But effectiveness of leadership style depends on the situation. Each style is effective in certain situations.

Individuals with excellent leadership skills have always been in demand in all types of organizations in the private and public sectors for obvious reasons. However, good leaders are not born despite popular opinion on the matter. Like all other human skills, becoming a good leader can be learned and one of the best ways is through a leadership skills training program.

For organizations involved in training their present and future crop of leaders including supervisors, manager and executives, the choice between in-house training and outsourced training programs is a crucial decision. Both have their pros and cons that must be carefully considered.

In-House Programs

Let’s first discuss in-house leadership skills training programs. The benefits derived from in-house training development include:

• Build, maintain and strengthen knowledge and skills in leadership within the organization, which means that such an intangible asset becomes its sole property.

• Maintenance costs are usually lower in the long-term period because the people involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of the leadership skills training program are already salaried employees. Third-party consultants usually charge higher fees aside from the travel and incidental expenses involved.

However, in-house programs also have their share of demerits including:

• Development time can be longer especially when the employees involved have little experience in the matter. Other factors affecting completion include unavailability of staff dedicated to the project, inexistence of previous deliverables for leverage purposes and underestimation of the project’s complexity.

• Learning curves can be lengthy, too. Keep in mind that leadership skills training programs are not the core business of most organizations.

Outsourcing Training Programs

Let’s then take a look at the pros and cons of outsourcing leadership skills training programs. On one hand, the organization has an excellent degree of assurance that the training program will be developed, implemented and evaluated until successful completion by a team of high-caliber experts. Clients are provided with opportunities to work closely with these experts to develop the best training program for their companies

On the other hand, the risks for the knowledge acquired by the third-party consultants can leave with them while the organization may be left holding nothing more than the bill for services rendered. And speaking of bills, the total costs may be higher, too.

So, which of these two leadership skills training programs is most suitable for your organization? There is no iron-clad guarantee, no fool-proof answer, and no one-size-fits all training program. The present circumstances will make the ball roll more in one direction than in another so it is always best to perform an in-depth analysis before choosing one over the other.

For example, your organization may require leadership training in coping with the global workplace, which will require third-party intervention. But when the demand calls for leadership training related to your industry, in-house managers are the better option.

Best of Both Worlds

Better yet, you can combine the benefits of both approaches. You can hire a team of third-party consultants to work with an in-house team in the development of specific leadership training programs. In the end, the latter will own the system, so to speak, and their inputs are invaluable in its development.

Your organization has plenty of leadership skills training programs to choose from. To mention a few, there are the leader development programs by the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness; the Corporate Learning Institute; and the popular Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.