What You Need to Know about People/ And what They need to know about You

Successful leadership is about 90% people knowledge and 10%

product knowledge.  Henry Ford once said, "You can take my

factories, burn up my buildings, but give me my people and I'll

build the business right back again."



You can have strong people skills and not be a good leader, but

you cannot be a good leader without people skills.  In my thirty

plus years of leadership, I've discovered that many people in

leadership positions fail to ever gain a proper understanding of

the people they lead.  As a result, neither they nor their people

ever reach their potential.



But successful leaders are able to discern the needs of their

people instinctively, then take action to meet them.  The

following is a list of the most common needs of people and how to

meet them effectively.  Though every item may not be true of the

people you lead, take the time to determine what items do

describe them.  Then commit to take the proper action to put you

and your people on the road to success.



1.  PEOPLE LIKE TO FEEL SPECIAL... COMPLIMENT THEM.



The highest compliment a person can receive is one given by his

or her leader.  Mark Twain said, "One compliment can keep me

going for a whole month."  Take the time to notice your people's

work and don't hesitate to tell them when they've done a good

job.  Make a habit of being generous and sincere with your

compliments.



2.  PEOPLE LOOK FOR A BETTER TOMORROW... GIVE THEM HOPE.



Jean Kerr said, "Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we

have isn't permanent."  In other words, when your people are

having trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, remind

them of the purpose of their work and help them envision what

their work will accomplish.  With hope your people will work

harder and longer to see a task through to completion.



3.  PEOPLE NEED TO BE UNDERSTOOD... LISTEN TO THEM.



Every leader would be wise to heed the Cherokee saying: "Listen

to the whispers and you won't have to hear the screams."  Don't

judge what your people want to tell you before they've told you.

Take time to understand their point of view and listen to their

suggestions.  It's the best way to ensure that they've been

listening to you and it opens the door to innovative ideas for

improvement.



4.  PEOPLE LACK DIRECTION... NAVIGATE FOR THEM.



Don Herald said, "Unhappiness is not knowing what we want and

killing ourselves to get it."  Part of your job as a leader is to

help your people figure out what they're most passionate about,

then help them pursue it.  Sometimes that may involve a position

change within your organization or even allowing a person to

pursue another opportunity.  But when you understand that

effectiveness comes as a result of surrounding yourself with

people who love what they do, it's not difficult to let a person

go who doesn't enjoy their work.  Spend your best time developing

and giving direction to those who are passionate about the work

your organization is accomplishing.



Tom Peters said, "Techniques don't produce quality products or

pick up the garbage on time; people do, people who care, people

who are treated as creatively contributing adults."  Before you

ask anything of your people, make sure you've taken the time to

understand and meet their needs.  In doing so, you will give

yourself a decided edge in maintaining their continued support.



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What Your People Need to Know About You

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



What do followers need from leaders before they start following?

There are certain bridges that must be built before a leader can

take a follower into the land of new discoveries.  Those bridges

are the same for every leader regardless of profession or

position.  Without them, a leader will accomplish very little for

his or her organization; with them, an organization's potential

is unleashed.



Below I've listed four key ingredients to gaining and keeping

your people's support.  Read through the list once and see how

you measure up.  Then keep the list nearby and refer to it on a

regular basis to ensure that you are continually living up to

your people's expectations as their leader.



1.  FOLLOWERS WANT TO SEE CHARACTER IN THEIR LEADER.



More than anything else, followers want to believe that their

leaders are ethical and honest.  They want to say, "Someday I

want to be like him or her."  Unfortunately, in today's world, it

is becoming more and more difficult to uphold your integrity.



Texas Business Editor-in-Chief Brux Austin said, "We have been

programmed to acquire at the expense of both our personal

integrity and our personal fulfillment."  The good news is that

those with proven and sustained character stand out all the more.

And that is the best way to ensure that the followers you attract

are of the same cloth.



2.  FOLLOWERS WANT TO SENSE COMPETENCE IN THEIR LEADER.



According to a study conducted by USA Today, sixty percent of the

executives polled said that the most important skill to get to

the top in any organization is competence.



The dictionary defines being competent as "rightfully belonging,

qualified, or capable."  When your people see that you are not

only well-qualified to lead the organization but also have a

track record of successes, they will have confidence in following

you, even when they don't understand all the details.



3.  FOLLOWERS WANT TO BE CHALLENGED BY THEIR LEADER.



By creating a clear and compelling vision, you will give others a

reason to contribute to the cause.  John Patterson, Founder of the

National Cash Register, said, "I have been trying all my life,

first to see for myself, and then to get other people to see with

me.  To succeed in business, it is necessary to make the other

man see things as you see them...  In the broadest possible sense,

I am a visualizer."



As a leader, it's your job to get your people excited about what

their work will accomplish.  When they have a sense of purpose

that they're challenged to fulfill, you will rarely have problems

motivating them to contribute.



4.  FOLLOWERS WANT TO FEEL CONVICTION FROM THEIR LEADER.



J. F. Clarke said, "Let him who would move and convince others be

moved and convinced himself.  Strong convictions precede great

actions."  If you don't believe in a vision that you are trying

to advance, the people will sense that something is missing, and

be very reluctant to follow.  On the other hand, when your people

sense that you are so confident of moving in a certain direction

that you'd make personal sacrifices to do so, they are more

willing to dig deep within themselves to give an extra effort as

well.



Whether you're a new leader who's just taken on a position or a

veteran leader with a large following, you must have the

continual support of your people to accomplish anything of

lasting value.  Before you hold your next meeting or cast your

next vision, determine at least one way you can improve in the

areas listed above.  Then pass your "improvements" list to a

trustworthy friend who will keep you accountable on a regular

basis.  And remember that the more serious you take your growth,

the more serious your people will take you.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quotes of the Month

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Character is the most effective means of persuasion."

- Aristotle



"The glory of friendship is not in the outstretched hand, nor the

kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is in the

spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that

someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson



"People are a firm's greatest asset.  If you have an excellent

product but only mediocre people, the results will be only

mediocre."

- Richard Sloma



"There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist

another human being--to help someone succeed."

- Alan Loy McGinnis



_________________________________________________________________



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