How Do I Get Better As a Leader?

Posted in: Leadership Organizational Plan Posted on

In This Episode

One of the Dirty Secrets of business ownership is that whether you like it or not, one of your primary roles is to be a Leader for your organization.  You may think, “Hey I didn’t sign up for this Leadership stuff, I just want to run my own business.”  What exactly does it mean to be a good Leader?

There are lots of books, seminars/webinars, videos, and coaching resources offering to help you improve your Leadership skills.  But how do you know what to focus on first?  As you know, we like to keep things simple.  We suggest you start with the following two things:

  • Know Your Job Description: 3 words, Plan Direct Control
  • Know Yourself: your natural behavior style with DISC

 When it comes to your job description, we focus on the three words of Plan Direct Control.  Ask yourself a few questions:

  • Plan: what’s the Plan? For today, this week, month, and year?  At every level of your Organization.
  • Direct: visualize yourself as the conductor of an orchestra. What are you Directing your team to do to make the Plan a reality?
  • Control: how do you know everything is getting done? Regular structured meetings and standard reports are the best way to keep your fingers on the pulse.

We contend that this 3-word job description of Plan Direct Control should be used as a guide no matter what type of Organization you are Leading.  So whether it be a group at your local church or synagogue, your school PTA, a service organization like Rotary, or anything else you are involved in, this Plan Direct Control model will help you Lead in a way that is both effective and fulfilling.  Plus it won’t wear you out from feeling like you have to do everything yourself!

Now, the reason we say Know Yourself is a key for being a good Leader is that you have to Lead in a way that is natural for you.  It’s OK to “fake it until you make it” with some things, but when you’re in that Leadership spotlight you can’t fake it for long.  In fact, what often happens is that the worst of our our true selves comes out.  When we are under pressure it tends to take our natural style, including our natural strengths, and it stretches those characteristics to the point where they can become a weakness or liability for us.

Everyone’s Leadership style is unique.  So instead of avoiding your true self, let’s embrace it and try to Lead in the best way possible for your style.  Since there’s only one of you, no one will Lead exactly the way you do it.  So embrace you inner Frank Sinatra and be sure to do it your way!

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

 

Join Us Next Time

Join us next week when we chat about some of your worst customers.  More specifically we will talk about How Do I Know It’s Time To Fire A Customer.

 

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