Great Leader - Part 1

A leader manages people, improves processes and builds customer relationship.

Leader Roles

1. Coach: Delivers high-impact feedback and coaching to improve individual performance in a clear, honest, and collaborative manner

2. Talent Champion: Identifies, develops, and promotes the best talent using objective processes, developmental assignments, and individual and team recognition.

3. Performance Manager: Sets goals, establishes expectations, and monitors performance of the team.

4. Results Leader: Organizes and deploys talent, balancing skill and workload to achieve objectives based on well-defined work plans.

Core Capabilities

1. Communicating with Influence: Informs and influences key stakeholders to gain buy-in on key issues and changes and sell ideas to others.

2. Analyzing for Improvement: Analyzes and improves work processes, removing barriers

3. Deciding for Impact: Makes sound results-based decisions with speed and focus.

Situations a People Leader Often Handle

1. When you get a deliverable back and it's not quite right
2. When a team member makes a mistake
3. When you have to communicate with your leader about competing priorities
4. When you are new to role and meeting your team for the first time
5. When your team is solving a problem and gets stuck
6. When connecting team members to strategy/When you communicate changes to the team
7. When you notice dysfunctional team or cross functional dynamics
8. When you need to delegate work or stretch challenges
9. When a team member has a new idea that you doubt will work
10. When you have to deal with a low performer

How To Get Better With Leadership Roles

1. Coach

   1. Get team members' input on how to improve their own performance (Ask open-ended questions, paraphrase their thoughts back, get agreement and integrate input into development plan)
   2. Observe team members' performance and provide constructive feedback
   3. Help team members understand impact of their behavior
   4. Adapt coaching approach to team member's needs and preferences
   5. Deliver difficult performance messages in a clear and honest manner
   6. Offer alternative ideas on how to handle work situations

2. Talent Champion

   1. Engage in performance improvement discussions with team members on a regular basis
   2. Recognize individual and team member success in private and public settings
   3. Identify high-potential employees and create appropriate developmental assignments for them
   4. Co-create individual development plans with team members and monitor their completion

3. Performance Manager

   1. Cascade department goals down to team member work objectives such as inheriting your manager's V2MOM and tailoring to your own
   2. Establish clear performance expectations by specifying team members’ work objectives, deliverables, and timelines
   3. Meet regularly with team members to review progress toward achieving their objectives
   4. Remove obstacles that impede the team's ability to deliver results
   5. Encourage team members to help and support the success of all colleagues

4. Results Leader

   1. Delegate authority of large project activities to capable team members
   2. Develop and implement proper work monitoring processes
   3. Review unit work objectives and determine the best approach to complete them
   4. Assign work tasks by balancing individual skill levels and the current workload of team members
   5. Develop work plans that include steps, resources, milestones, and final deliverables
   6. Identify the final deliverable. Work backward to determine what must be done to achieve that deliverable by making a list of each step and the resources necessary to achieve your objectives. Create milestones so you can track your success along the way and revise as necessary to keep your sights set on the final deliverables.

How To Get Better With Leadership Capabilities

1. Communicating with Influence

   1. Explain the rationale for unpopular policies to the team
   2. Communicate work status and other information to relevant stakeholders
   3. Keep team members informed on issues that impact them. It builds trust and rapport, and improves morale.
   4. Seek buy-in from team members on key issues and changes
   5. Sell ideas to stakeholders through personal influence

2. Analyzing for Improvement

   1. Identify barriers and bottlenecks in current processes and remove them
   2. Review relevant work metrics to understand how well processes are operating
   3. Seek team member input on improving work processes
   4. Recommend process enhancements to relevant stakeholders

3. Deciding for Impact

   1. Identify the root of work problems encountered
   2. Make decisions in a timely manner
   3. Develop and weigh alternative approaches to solve problems
   4. Prioritize issues to solve most critical problems first
   5. Escalate issues to a leader or colleague when a problem cannot be resolved