I’ve always tried to have an inspirational approach to leadership and the most common style is “charismatic leadership”.  Maybe because I employ this style I also respond very well to managers who have always tried to motivate me in this way.  Charismatic leaders always develop good communication with their associates. All of them work with the team so that they actively contribute and develop the vision; the vision then becomes a part of not only the leader but of their team. I’ve always been given buy-in from my teams with a charismatic approach to leadership; my teammates are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to achieve the vision. I feel like the most important part of a charismatic leader is the ability to inspire extraordinary performance from the team.

With this style I always have the opportunity to turn members of my team who normally aren’t involved into active participants.

So when you’re applying it to your everyday work life, remember that a charismatic leader should arouse trust, faith and belief in their leadership ability.  If we move forward and grow as leaders, we should also move our associates to become leaders in their own right. But most of all, charismatic leaders inspire a deep devotion in their team. The effect these types of leaders have on their associates seems to be their greatest achievement.  This is of course the most important way to be effective and achieve your own personal and corporate goals

That is why if you are a manager you should possess the trait of being confident as well as being quick in finding solutions that require urgent solutions. Bad leadership is connected with lack of ability in making decisions that touches the soul of any organization.

There are some common mistakes that people make when it comes to decisions. Here are some of the mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Indecisiveness: My English dictionary tells me that indecisiveness is the state of being unable to make a choice. You should avoid being in this state because it will worsen the problem. Good managers should not only be able to decide quickly but also smartly.

Postponing: Don’t postpone making a decision when you have the opportunity to do so up to the last minute. Postponing of finding a solution arises especially where a person is under pressure and eliminates his possibility of analyzing the problem, of course which is time consuming. A time limit for information gathering, analyzing and selection of the course of action must be formulated in order for this mistake to be avoided.

Failure of Reliable Information: If you don’t have access to reliable source of information regarding the problem, then making decisions may result to wrong rulings which in turn create more problems. Don’t take it for granted that other people opinions are correct by not checking the accuracy of their source of information. You should find reliable sources of information in order to avoid making bad decisions.

Failure to isolate the root cause: You should differentiate the symptoms of the problem and its causes. If you do this then you will be in a better position of finding better solutions.

Bad method of analyzing the problem: Avoid this mistake by coming up with the proper procedure of identifying, isolating and selecting the useful information that is sound and dependable. Build a model that incorporates and handles many variables in order to aid you in decision making process. It is also desirable for you to define the objectives criteria and constraints as early as possible.

Not implementing and following: After you have made the decision you should not conclude that you are done with it instead it’s the beginning of solving it. Implementation of the decision is the true beginning of solving the whole problem. You should follow it in order to monitor how it’s being executed by your employees. Have the deadlines for the end of the problem.

One of the challenges in family business is working together in teams. It is a fact that team work offers huge rewards but some frustrations are likely. Working within teams needs improvement in the power of creativity. The team leader needs to encourage this creative power, harness it, and channelize the creative fuel.

Andrew Carnegie
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

It is vitally important that the team leader unleash the power of team members with a collaborative leadership style to fuel the creative fire within the team.

Below are our top ten tips for channelizing the creative fire of Family Business Teams.

1. BE CLEAR ABOUT THE EXPECTATIONS – Only after the team members know what is expected of them can they deliver the perfect output. So understanding the difference between expected and derived results is necessary for both the team leader as well as the team members.

2. Faith in the Team Members – Being optimistic and challenging helps when you have total faith in the members of your team. As the leader, you need to expect the best from your team, keeping your expectations high and realistic. This is a challenging balancing act, but people need to be inspired to perform at their best. Instilled faith helps the group to perform better and come up with creative innovative ideas and solutions. Like Mike Litman says Improve at 1% each day and thus raise the bar for top performance one step at a time.

3. Encouragement accompanied with respect goes a long way in generating new thoughts. Fresh perspectives and courage too make up for new ideas easily. the leader needs to master the art of creative mindset.

4. Avoid making judgment while generating new ideas. If you are open to new solutions then the process of idea generation is not suppressed and sometimes best ideas are generated.

5. Brainstorming sessions are a great way to get numerous ideas. While brainstorming avoid judgment, look for quality, make notes to capture the idea and moreover combine two good ideas.

6. Communication is the keyword again, which helps to build strong relationships. Communication with open channels helps to trust the team members and know each other better.

7. Employees need to be given responsibility to bring out the best in them, give them the power to decide on a solution to a problem and watch the creativity grow by leaps and bounds.

8. Praise works like reward for the individuals and team alike. Acknowledgment in the form of encouragement is another word for praising the team members. Making sure that the team is cared for and recognized for its hard work is a reward in it self.

9. Be daring and build a brave team. Accept that mistakes are made at times and it is challenge to build on failures and see them as opportunities to learn and succeed further.

10. Unity in Diversity is the final mantra – build a strong team with diverse people, diverse backgrounds and combine the experience, culture, creativity and align them for the success of our family Business.

Adding humor as a fuel to creativity is the last but not least step to see the team working happily together and productivity of business soaring to great levels.

A leader is someone who assumes that role. Sometimes we have leadership thrust upon us, but nevertheless, that role has to be accepted. How many times have you heard “be the leader people are looking for”? I am sure many times. But how does one become the leader people are looking for? What steps do we take to get to that point?

We have discussed several of those steps this week, but in a nutshell let’s recap. Leadership is not a role that is favored by many in the corporate world or otherwise, because it comes with responsibility and expectations. It comes with being there when it is expected for you to be there. But in as much the role of a leader maybe somewhat big to fill, it has the sweetness of all the rewards that we seek. Financial & spiritual as well as many other aspects of our life.

So having said that. And knowing that as networkers and business folks we want to be the leader people are looking for…let’s simplify and implement step by step…it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or intimidating… just embrace each step one at a time…

TOP 10 DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF A LEADER
(1) A leader is mentally prepared to move forward steadily
(2) A leader has a game plan laid out to follow
(3) A leader understands that the plan is not set in stone, but will need fine tuning
(4) A leader believes with all his/her heart and soul in the himself
(5) A leader believes with all his heart in the mission
(6) A leader believes with all his heart in his/ her team
(7) A leader knows that failure is not an option even though he/she may fail forward
(8) A leader is prepared to be in the front line of battle, doing it first
(9) A leader knows that there are many challenges ahead
(10) A leader knows that there is no prize without the price & so begins with the end in mind…

Teamsters, go forward boldly and become the leader that’s in you…it’s there, just believe and follow with action…

You only have so many hours in a day to grow your business and lead your people. How wisely are you using this time? If you are like most business leaders, you struggle with doing all that you need to – and doing them well. This article will help you ensure that you are using your leadership time in a manner that will best benefit your business and your people. It is set up in practical format that explains the differences between mentoring and discipling and the purpose of each. First we will look at definitions of mentorship and discipling. Second, we will explore their purpose and application.

Definitions of Mentoring and Discipling

In order to utilize your leadership time effectively, it is important to understand the different approaches in leading and development. Generally, there are two formats that one may use to lead and develop followers: mentoring and discipling.

Mentoring

Basically put, mentoring is ‘the act of helping another learn’[1]. The goal of the activity is to help the mentee grow in a way that is organic to him or her. The mentor is eliciting the personal outgrowth of the mentee’s nature talents and abilities. Through the act of mentoring, the mentor acts as a sounding board for the mentee. The single most important aspect of mentoring is facilitating unrestricted growth of the follower. In contrast is the act of discipling, which has a completely different approach and outcome.

Discipling

The act of discipling is the act of conforming the disciple to the ways of instruction of the leader. The word disciple is derived from the Old English noun discipul and the late Latin discipulus[2]. Discipulus simply means pupil or apprentice[3] and shares its Latin stem with the word discipline or disciplina[4], which is to instruct or convey a body of knowledge. The purpose of discipling then, is to transfer the knowledge and contents of the leader into the follower or disciple.

As we compare and contrast the acts of mentoring and discipling we can see that there are minor similarities. With both there is a relationship established, with the leader assisting the follower in growth. The divergence lies in the purpose and outcome. In the case of mentoring, the mentor assists the follower in developing his or her natural talents and abilities and acts as a resource. Discipling on the other hand, is used to preserve and transfer accumulated knowledge to a sequential generation of follower. With the differences of both approaches, it is clear that a purposeful and strategic application must be pursued for the best results.

Purposeful Application

In considering the divergent purposes of each leadership approach we must consider what purpose we hope to achieve through our leadership. This next section will explore the purposeful application of each and how leading in the various formats can impact your organization.

Discipling for Preservation

In the book Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras explore the habits and concepts that make organizations successful. One of the main concepts in their book is ‘preserve the core’ and ‘stimulate progress’[5]. The counterbalanced elements represent the importance of maintaining what made your organization successful and changing enough to stay successful in the future. In leadership terms, the concept of discipling is equivalent to ‘preserving the core’.

As an organizational leader you have formed a foundation that has made your organization successful. The hard work that you have put into finding a ‘formula for success’ should be preserved and carried on. This is where discipling comes into play. In developing this effort as a leader, one must be a model for others to follow. In the book The Leadership Challenge, this concept is called ‘Listen to the Masters’[6]. In the book, the authors cite that every one of the leaders they interviewed was influenced in a major way by one of more key ‘masters’[7]. They conformed who they were to model and reflect the leader whom they admired and had an affinity.

One of the greatest examples of a leader who created a discipling organization is Billy Graham. As a leader, he created an organization and a team that has ‘perpetuity’[8]. This longevity and replicable nature of his followers is not an accident. It is a distinct and fruitful byproduct of discipling. One of his first followers, Cliff Barrows said, that the Lord told him, “Do the music for Billy and whatever has to be done…”[9]. Cliff was moved to subordinate his own needs in this case and follow in a manner of discipleship.

As you consider discipling within your organization, think about who readily resembles the ‘core’ of your organization. Who are the future leaders that will carry on the traditions, culture, and practices that have brought your organization to this point? Now consider the other group – your thought leaders and progressives.

Mentoring for Progress

No matter how good an operation is or its market dominance, the pressure to generate progress is omnipresent. An organization’s ability to maintain its core while growing the outer fringes of future markets is critical to its future. Consider the dominance and decline of Microsoft as an example. The firm once held an unprecedented and seemingly insurmountable monopoly on end user computing. However, their over reliance on the ‘core’ blinded them to the market threats brought to bear by the internet. As a result, the Microsoft stock dove from an all time high of $57.63 in 1999 to its present state at $25.86[10]. Furthermore, the firm is struggling to buy its way into the market it missed through tendered acquisitions of Yahoo!. With the Microsoft’s leadership failing to generate progress, it lost considerable opportunity to beat Google to the internet market space (see Table 1).

Table 1[11]

As you consider your organization’s future, who do you see as the ‘thought leaders’ or ‘visionaries’? These are the individuals who should be targeted for mentorship. They possess qualities and thoughts that will help invite change within your organization. Consider the example of Bill Hybels, who is arguably one of the greatest organizational development practitioners. The church he founded, Willow Creak Association, includes an astounding 12,000 member churches[12]. As senior pastor for the association, he dedicates ten full days a year mentoring[13]. During this mentorship he keeps the format lose for exploration and acts as resource to his follower[14]. While his time investment may seem rather low, the use is strategic to developing the individual attributes of certain followers.

What Now?

As you consider your organization and your followers, set a vision for the future. Where do you want your organization to be in one year, five years, or ten? Identify your followers that will best preserve the ‘core’ of those ideas and the foundation of your organization. These are your organizational ‘anchors’ and your candidates for discipleship. Next, look for the ‘thought leaders’; those followers that generate new ideas and challenge the status quo. They are your ‘visionaries’ and the people that will move your organization where it needs to be for growth.

Since discipling is rather time intensive, consider employing ‘Pareto’s Principal’. Pareto advocated that nearly everything in the world can be split into a 20/80 format. For example, 20% of sales people in a sales force create 80% of the results. Since our main goal is to preserve a successful core, select 20% of your followers for discipleship and spend 80% of your development time discipling. Likewise, spend the other 20% of your development time mentoring the mentoring group. This will allow them to develop independently, yet with assistance when needed. As a word of caution, you must be sure to properly set the expectations of everyone involved. Not doing so may lead to hurt feelings and indictments of ‘favoritism’ from the mentoring group. Likewise, an improper fit into the discipling group may be viewed as ‘oppressive’ to others. Know your people and where they fit. Remember, the key is to mentor broad and disciple deep!