Leadership, Motivation, Storytelling

LEADERSHIP: It’s Not About You.

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One of the greatest things about leadership is that we all bring something different to the table. If you were to read articles on good leadership qualities, you would usually see factors like integrity, effective communication and influence. These are all wonderful qualities of a leader, but I am going to share something I believe has made me stand out as a leader by putting my people ahead of myself.

I must admit, in my early days as a leader I was all about myself. I had a title and I thought that was all I needed. I thought because of my title everyone would follow me and respect me. I didn’t think leadership was something I needed to work hard at. I had already arrived.

I was wrong!

Lucky for me, I had a few great leaders, who also brothers to me, who cared about me enough to confront me about my selfish attitude. As leaders, we need to be able to recognize people who are not performing at their greatest level and provide support and feedback to them. I had no idea I was failing as a leader and hurting my people because of my pompous attitude.

I do believe that some people are born leaders and learn throughout life to become better leaders. One of the best lessons I learned was that it is not about me. When I made the transition from valuing myself to valuing my people, I was transformed as a leader. My mentor Irfan Khairi, in his book “Nota Jutawan, Nota Motivasi” writes, “When we learn to turn our focus from ourselves to others, the whole world opens up to us.” When you understand this and take the focus away from you, it will change who you are as a leader.

I’d like to share some ways you can work toward valuing your people more:

  • View your people as your biggest success. A good leader supports those around them. Your focus should be on developing them, helping them succeed, and watching them grow into the people they want to become. When your people are successful, it is a reflection on you as a leader. Work hard on your people. They are your biggest asset. Without them, your team can fail.
  • Acknowledge and appreciate people. Everyone wants to be valued. It is critical as a leader to give your people credit and recognition for the incredible things they do. One of the reasons people leave a job is because they feel underappreciated. A leader should never take the credit for the work that their people do. A good leader is a generous leader who recognizes people. Work recognition into the culture of your team. Make a conscious effort to call out your top producers in a recurring meeting. When others see a coworker being recognized, it infuses motivation into your team. Everyone will work harder to be the next person whose hard work is recognized.
  • Know your people. I mean really know them. Sure, you may know their names and their positions and what they are working on, but do you really know them? Do they have children? Do you know where they came from? Do you know what they have done in their lives before they started working with you? Most importantly, do you know their hopes and dreams? Getting to know them in a more personal way will make them feel valued and increase their respect for you as a leader.
  • Leave your ego at the door. People are going to do better than you. You will have people on your team who have significant achievements. They may get another degree, get a certification, or move on to a new position. One of the biggest compliments you can receive as a leader is to have one of your people move on to a better opportunity. Be proud, not jealous.
  • Empower your people. Everyone wants to be trusted to make decisions. Empower your people to make certain decisions. Do not short change them. Allow them opportunities to shine rather than discounting their abilities and doing it yourself. Do you have a big presentation coming up with your executive team? Allow one of your top performers to give the presentation instead. Being empowered will make them confident and help them strive for larger-than-life goals.

Leadership is both a gift and a privilege. You can erode the cohesion of your team if you fail to value them. Everyone on the team deserves to be valued. Each one of them performs an essential part to keep the engine of your company running. When you can put your people’s needs and interests before your own, you will be a more successful leader.

“Inspiring people to become who they were designed to be.” – Shah Al-Ghazali, Founder of SAZ Diversify Legacy.

 

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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION? If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact our team at +601123827811 (Aiman) or +60169667912 (Louis), to discuss further.

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Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Motivation

10 THINGS That Great Leader Do.

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What does a leader look like? Think of two leaders, famous or not, whom you admire and respect. What do they do that is so different? What traits do they have that help them excel at a high level? Leadership is not a great mystery. Great leaders have specific traits in common. These traits can be learned and developed, by you!

As a leader, you need to understand the specific traits that will help you achieve a high level of leadership success. Here are ten tips to help you identify what you as a leader must do.

Look again at the two leaders you identified. Go through each one of the points listed below and notice how they do each one.

  1. Great leaders lead by example with an overriding guiding vision or purpose. They possess an unquenchable passion for successfully implementing the vision of the company regardless of the disapproval of those individuals who fail to see the bigger picture. They don’t waste time worrying about day to day responsibilities or problems. Instead, they focus on where the organization needs to go.
  2. Great leaders know how to be themselves and are proud of who they are. Because they are comfortable with who they are, they are able to do what they need to do and say what they need to say with conviction — and without caring about what anyone else thinks.
  3. Great leaders have the ability to inspire confidence in others. They can clearly and concisely communicate their message to motivate those around them to greater heights of achievement. People will do more for leaders they respect than they would do for anyone else.
  4. Great leaders are never self-serving. Unlike the star employee, they aren’t focused on proving themselves but are focused unconditionally (and not selfishly) on what is best for the organization. They put their vision for the company above their own interests.
  5. Great leaders rarely question themselves. Instead, they listen to their inner voice and trust it completely, allowing it to be their guide with each step they take, even as they move in directions that no one has gone before. To be a great leader, you must believe in this voice and trust that it will always be there to guide you.
  6. Great leaders know when to take advice. They value support from others and bring others into their circle who can provide the counsel they need. They realize how large their tasks are and find the resources and people they need to generate support, which is vital for success. You can develop your top talent by providing them with coaches and mentors, so that they have support when they need it.
  7. Great leaders possess the foresight to move ahead, even in the most questionable times. They take risks and realize the importance of moving forward—daring themselves and others to venture out in new directions. They realize this is part of their responsibility and not something they can turn their backs on. Once they realize the vision, they rise up to the occasion and take the necessary risks required for implementation.
  8. Great leaders love what they do and communicate their passion to others. They exude a passionate energy that rubs off on others around them. They have a light, effortless, and clear persona that is projected to everyone they meet because they are so in tune with their work. Others feel this and want to be a part of the vision that the leader is bringing forward.
  9. Great leaders learn to lead by following. They trust those who are in authority above them and are loyal to them. They are inspired by the vision that is being passed on to them and may even notice themselves liking and wanting to be more like their leaders and managers.
  10. Great leaders NEVER QUIT! They embrace and overcome any obstacles, personal or otherwise, that stand in their way. Thus, they need to do the necessary work on themselves to prevent anything from holding them and eliminate habits that are keeping from being the best leader possible.

 

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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION? If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact our team at +601123827811 (Aiman) or +60169667912 (Louis), to discuss further.

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Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Motivation, Storytelling

5 ATTITUDES To Lead With A Gratitude.

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One of my clients recently shared something that bears repeating. Years ago, when he was a bank officer in training, a senior vice president walked up to him and said, “I know we don’t get to talk much, but I wanted to thank you for bringing such a creative spirit to he workplace. It’s important to shake things up a bit.”

Until then, my client had been worrying about whether he was going too far, whether he was making suggestions and trying things that made his colleagues uncomfortable. But that bank executive’s expression of gratitude washed away his doubt and set him up for a successful career of innovation and thought leadership.

Expressing gratitude is really the art of noticing, noticing what others do and how it affects you. Yes, our co-workers sometimes cause problems, but the vast majority of what our colleagues do helps us and helps the company. By putting more emphasis on leading with an attitude of gratitude, we can build confidence in others, improve productivity, foster innovation and develop positive relationships at work.

Here are five tips for leading through gratitude.

  • Combine gratitude and feedback. Providing employees with frequent, specific feedback is a critical teaching and management tool. Prefacing feedback with “I want to thank you for…” is even more powerful and builds trust and camaraderie.
  • Be specific and authentic. For gratitude to be believable and effective, it needs to be true. Effective leaders take time to notice the many ways in which employees make sacrifices and contribute to the team. Then, they offer specific thanks. “Thank you for staying late every night this week and making our Friday deadline,” not “Thanks for working hard.”
  • Make gratitude intentional and routine. Some managers are so focused on gratitude that they keep a daily log. Even if it’s not every day, take time regularly to reflect on each team member, list the person’s finest qualities and achievements, and make a note of how that person has positively affected you.
  • Make gratitude either intimate or public (but not casual). If you’re taking time to notice the good work your team is doing, don’t waste that effort with a casual “thank you.” Depending on the situation, either sit down and express your gratitude during a calm, private moment or make your “thank you” a moment of public acknowledge in front of your team.
  • Don’t forget about notes, handwritten, please. While e-mails and texts might be convenient, most are easily brushed aside. But the occasional handwritten note can make a big and lasting impression on employees and superiors.

There’s nothing wrong with pointing out areas in which people can improve, that’s another important part of leadership, but almost everyone prefers managers who lead from a position of gratitude. After all, who likes to have their faults highlighted and strengths ignored?

 

______________________________

DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION? If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact our team at +601123827811 (Aiman) or +60169667912 (Louis), to discuss further.

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Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Motivation

5 EASY Steps To Develop Your Leadership Skill.

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Why are you a leader? Did you seek the position? Was it thrust on you? Is it an expectation? Whatever the reason, understand that few people are born leaders. Most people develop leadership skill one step at a time.

As you work at developing your leadership skill, these five simple processes can speed you to your goal. Soon you will feel confident in your leadership role. You will know how to motivate, communicate, build teams, and help them focus on and achieve their goals.

  1. DESIRE. Start with your desire. While you may have come into leadership through a variety of means, if you want to succeed, you need to passionately want to do a great job of leading people. If you have this key ingredient, you can master all the rest. Because desire is linked to commitment and success.
  2. COMMIT. Commit yourself to a course of action. To be a great leader, you must gain the skills that make people want to follow you. Irfan Khairi said that leadership is getting people to do what you want because THEY want to. So commit to taking the time to learn and train. Be willing to make life changes and skill changes that will make you that kind of leader.
  3. ASSESS. Take stock of who you are right now. What qualities do you have right now that are leadership qualities? Are you excellent with communication or do you sometimes have work undone or done wrong because your directions or expectations were unclear? Are people enthusiastic or reluctant to follow your direction? Can you get your co-workers to agree with you and can you build consensus? Make a list of leadership skills you have and of those you want to develop.
  4. LEARN. Once you know where you want to improve, start learning your new skills one at a time. If you try to learn them all at once you will be fractured and overwhelmed. Don’t rush it. Take time to observe others and how they do it. But don’t try to clone them. You have your own unique strengths and talents you bring to the equation. Learn your personality type and how it helps you become a leader that feels natural to you. You may find books, coaches, and articles useful in learning each leadership skill.
  5. APPLY. Create a “Skill of the Week Club” for yourself and for one week focus on developing that particular leadership skill. Post a note with the skill in a prominent place. Read about that skill each morning before you begin the day. Evaluate your progress each evening. Journal your efforts. Be kind to yourself. Understand that mistakes are a learning opportunity, too. Analyze the error and find ways to fix it and do better next time. Record your thoughts. Your goal is to see improvement through the week. By the end of the week you should be doing a better job of using the skill than you did at the beginning of the week.

When you take it step-by-step you’ll see how easy it is to change. Soon you will find that developing leadership skill comes almost naturally. The process becomes part of your work week and the skills become part of who you are.

 

______________________________

DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION? If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact our team at +601123827811 (Aiman) or +60169667912 (Louis), to discuss further.

Continue Reading