You can learn from leaders you like and don't like
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LEARNING FROM ROLE MODELS
What makes a leader a true leader?
This question really bothers me a lot as I know of people who expect their subordinates to respect them as their leaders but still do not get due respect even when they have been formally given by the organisation.
I am actually referring to my superior whom I do not respect as my leader. There is something about his ways, thinking and actions that make me have an “adverse” feeling towards him. How can I learn from this so that I will not get others to feel the same way?
Leader Aspirant
Actually you already know what will make leaders tick – and not tick. If you care to reflect back on the people you admire – and do not admire – you will be able to build up a list for yourself, which you can use as your leadership benchmarks to base your expectations on what you want them to do – and not to do.
So now, consciously build a list of things you admire about certain handpicked people in your life and put them into four categories and rate them on how they fare in them.
The first one is their level of self-awareness, where they consistently behave in ways that project their authenticity and conviction of what they believe in.
The second one is their ability to self-manage themselves to be consistently positive and focused, as they know what they want exactly.
Third is whether they are a people person who has deep understanding and respect for other people’s cultures and style, as shown by the way they harmonise with them.
Finally, whether they have people-building skills and generosity to build others.
Who are the five people in your life, past or present, whom you admire most? What makes them stand out above the rest? What are some of the qualities that these five people have that have an impact on you? What can you learn for yourself to become a great leader too?
MAKING EVERY LINE MANAGER A HR MANAGER
For almost 10 years now, our human resources department has played a central role in the recruitment and training of our people in all our subsidiaries.
Despite this, we feel that they are not doing a good job at it as we continue to face long delays in getting vacancies filled. Even when they are filled, the new recruits are short of the “quality” we are looking for. The consequences of this are declining workplace effectiveness and productivity, affecting the results we are looking for.
What can be wrong with them and how can we gear up to do a better job?
Frustrated
Like everything in life, total dependence on something or somebody is not healthy. It is even more dismal if everyone is depending on a single soul, and in your case, the HR department. There is a need to restructure it.
The best thing to do is to decentralise the human resource role to the various departments and let them be accountable for their own recruitment of people. HR becomes only the overseer of this activity in terms of coordination and conformance to the company’s policies.
When line managers are made responsible for this role, they will naturally develop a greater sense of ownership of the proper handling of people in their department. This will reduce staff turnover, which will lead to greater stability in the workplace.
Most of all, when we decentralise HR, it will send a strong message that line managers are becoming people managers and not just technical managers. Indeed, it is really high time for everyone to be good in people management, as this changing world requires organisations to zealously protect against their good people leaving for other organisations.
If there were no HR department, what would you expect your line managers to do? What benefits will come out of this? What is your vision of your organisation regarding its human capital? How do you want to move closer to this?
Corporate Coach Academy certifies leaders of all backgrounds to become manager-coaches or professional certified coaches in the Asian region. Log onto www.corporate-coachacademy.com or email [email protected] for details.
