What do you Expect?

John C. Maxwell, author of "Developing the Leader within You" says, "A Leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." Knowing the way is the first step; translating the big-picture objectives to the individual goals of each employee is the key to creating high-performing teams and exceeding the overall objectives of your business.

As a leader, you should wake up every morning remembering Maxwell's quote and take specific steps to follow these three tenets: Knowing the way, Going the way, and Showing the way.

Knowing the way means you have a thorough understanding of the result of contributions to the overall goals and success of your business. Once you see how your work team fits into the big picture, this information should be shared freely with your employees. When they come to work every day, they should be clear on how what they do helps your company succeed.

Setting expectations for your employees begins with letting people know what you are working on and what your boss expects of you. Communicating your organization's targets and your business unit's goals begins the dialogue of providing the information your own team members need to trust you and respect your business.

Going the way is also known as 'walking the walk'. If you do not exemplify everything your organization expects, why would you think your employees will? You are a leader because you have found ways to influence, guide and mentor your employees. You are their role model, and you should be the person they expect of you; someone who creates enthusiasm and excitement around the organization's vision of the future.

Showing the way means you lead, not manage. Ross Perot once said "Inventory must be managed, people should be led." Your job is to show your employees the way by developing their skills, understanding what motivates each of your individuals and allowing them to grow in the areas where they are most motivated and qualified.

In the book, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman imply that our patterns of behavior never change. The way we understand information or start a new task is what makes each of us unique, and rarely can anyone, especially a manager, make us fundamentally different than we are now. The best leaders, then, find ways to fit each individual employee's behaviors to jobs, rather than trying to develop what they perceive to be "weak areas".

Knowing the way, going the way and showing the way - sounds pretty easy, right? Well, leadership requires a lot of time and energy, but you are in the role you are in because you have proven yourself to others as one who is a leader; a person who guides and inspires others.go for it!


                                                                         Sincerely,
 

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