Watching TV the other night Newt Gingrich was describing something he remembered when he was in the military. When I was in intel school many years ago, I remember an instructor telling us about the exact same thing Newt was describing. Must be a military thing but believe it really applies to leadership and how we should look at leadership in general.
LISTEN
The first "L" and is what I call the first step. Listening includes observing, paying attention to your surroundings, keeping your ear to the ground related to feedback, and of course paying attention to your subliminal messages in your operation. Observe before making changes and know what impact decisions may have on an operation. Understanding through observation can provide direction for needed training, for insight into efficiency, and for how the human factor plays a part in reaching goals and objectives. Listening with your eyes includes your surroundings which can include more than just the immediate operational area. As an example in property management we also need to be aware of the competitive market as well as the tertiary market.
Listen to feedback from your team. Some of the greatest leaders in time would have never made successful decisions without consulting others or at least asking for their input. Maybe the right decision is yours, but components of input from others makes it a better solution. Who knows, maybe yours was not the best at all and someone did actually have a better solution. Leaders should never be afraid to accept critique or the possibility someone else actually had a better answer.
Subliminal messages can include issues related to morale within a team, higher than normal costs, excessive call out's, or increased turnover. Sometimes listening with your eyes can be just as important as listening with your ears.
LEARN
All is for naught if we do not learn from the first "L" and from our mistakes. Don't forget we can also learn from our successes and we should always be asking "How can we do it better next time." Learning can also be related to us constantly learning or expanding our knowledge base. As an example I am a sponge when it comes to articles or books on leadership and enhancing productivity within a team environment. When we stop learning, we stop growing as leaders. Learning also means evaluating throughout a process of operational change to see if adjustments, corrections, or sometimes even new directions are needed. Sharing what is learned with your team and those leaders working with you is equally important as a part of open communication and development of from an educational standpoint.
HELP
This step is critical and involves more than what you might think. Help can be in the form of training and education. It can mean providing the tools or knowledge so that others want to and have the ability to exceed and excel. Sometimes help can come from outside sources such as consultants and teachers. I remember one time doing a consulting job where the company said they knew what needed to be implemented, just needed direction as to the best course to take. When I asked the Director of Property Management why she felt it was the best solution she responded by saying she thought a new approach from someone outside of the organization might be better received. We can observe and learn, however, if we don't implement a plan into action that will be received by those needing the direction it will become more difficult to achieve the intended result. Part of my plan was also doing team meetings to ascertain what they perceived the problems were and asking for their input. I found this went a long way and they felt more involved and not just the receiver of a directive.
LEAD
So what is the true definition of leadership? After all, leading means you get others to follow you. With leadership comes great responsibility. Leadership is being decisive, is developing others, allowing empowerment, is not being afraid to admit when they are wrong, and so many other qualities you have seem me write about before. It is also the Listening, Learning, and Helping that develops others to be the best they can be. If your operation runs as successfully when you are absent as when you are there, that my friends is when you know you have been an effective leader.
Now go lead!
