Undocumented Features

Everything I Know About Leadership I Learned From My Dad…

November 14, 2007 – 9:20 pm

There’s an interesting article over on the Ririan Project called The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Fathers.  I think it’s a good article for the dads of the world out there, but it’s also a good article for leaders.

How so?  Let’s reimagine the seven points of their article from a leadership perspective:

1.  Keeping Stress to Yourself

Your team should not be burdened with your problems.  For example, what your budget looks like is not their problem.  The implications of the budget are- how many resources you can afford, what raises will look like this year, how much overtime they have to work, etc.  So too with your project status report- while they may be interested in the results of the report, the fact that you’re late on producing it is not their problem.  Complaining to them about your problems just undermines your own credibility as an effective leader who can deal with whatever problems your team has.  After all, if you can’t solve your problems, why should I believe that you can solve mine?  Or the company’s? 

Manage the implications of your problems- don’t set your problems in their lap.  As with raising kids, keep your time with them about them- how the project is going, what problems they have, what can be done to improve things within the constraints that the team has to work under.

2.  Leading by Example

This one should be obvious.  You cannot expect employees to do as you say if you don’t follow your own advice.  If you’re chronically late to work, don’t expect to see everyone on time and there waiting for you every morning.

A good leader demonstrates accountability, credibility, reliability, and the behaviors that the leader desires to see in each and every team member.

3.  Being Consistent

This goes hand in hand with #2.  If you don’t do as you say and follow your own rules, you cannot expect others to do so.

4.  Staying Involved

Your people face problems that they often do not feel that you (or anyone else) can relate to.  Talk to them.  Get involved.  Often you can bring something to the table that helps them.  Even if you can’t, being involved with them and showing support makes them feel important, that what they do is important, and these things breed confidence and more effective action within your team.

5.  Scheduling Family Recreation

Family Recreation?  How does that apply?  This is where team building activities come into play- doing things from time to time together other than work to help your people socialize, get to know each other, and interact more.  Research has shown that people work better with others at work when they feel a level of friendship.  Do things to promote this among your team- whether its buying everyone pizza and giving them a little downtime to chat, going out for a team activity, or whatever works best for you.  One note of advice:  keep it informal.  Things like company picnics are too large and too formal to truly ‘team-build’.  People are not themselves when you get more than one exec involved in their activities.

6.  Teaching

Mentoring is a key part of leadership.  You got to be the leader because you have learned important lessons along the way.  Share these things with your team.

7.  Creating Family Rituals

Creating Family Rituals?  Rituals?  At work?

No, not rituals- expectations and standards.  Make mantras that reflect the values you want to see in your team, then demonstrate those mantras in your every day actions.  Provide positive examples.  Create processes to make things better and then follow those processes yourself.

The value of a great leader, unlike a great father, is almost never overlooked- companies value leaders.  The right steps to exhibiting leadership in a company, however, are often lost in the shuffle of endless deadlines and commitments of the modern workplace.  A good leader makes everyone around him better.  Don’t lose sight of these principles.

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