Good Leadership

I've thought this for years now - just because your an influential leader, doesn't always mean you are a good leader, or in other words, a leader that is treating your followers rightly or directing them in the right paths.

You may have incredible charisma and draw crowds of people to your leadership and your cause everywhere you go, but are they leaving you with a negative experience later? 

Many leaders are like a tornado - they suck people in with their incredible personality and passion, only to spit those same people out later after wreaking havoc in their lives.

I'm wouldn't consider myself a leadership guru, but I have read plenty of wonderful leadership books from leadership gurus (including just about every book that John Maxwell has written :).

There are Two Types of Leaders

One management book I read shared that there are two types of leaders - type x and type y. Type x leaders feel that they need to drive people to succeed (ie - sweat shops) to get the highest "production value."

Type y leaders know that they need to get their employees in the right job positions (clifton strengths), give them the information and boundaries they need to success, and work on placing them in a corporate atmosphere or work environment and surround them with a community of people they care about in order to get the highest "production value."

All of us (including type x leaders) would rather work in the latter of the two work environments.

Set People Up for Success and Reward them for it

Use praise as a tool to foster success in those you lead. Reward people when they do well. Make the work environment fun and flexible.

Put people in their strengths and give them the perimeters they need to excel. And instead of constantly correcting people when they fail (which is the easy thing to do), try to catch them when they are succeeding and doing well. Catch them doing good and praise them for it and they will do it even more.

Most of all, have grace on people. You are not perfect yourself, and the last thing you want is for your workers to be too afraid of failing you, and making mistakes at their job that they don't step out and accomplish greatness: for themselves, for your company and for you.

Your job is to keep them motivated, and nothing demotivates more than criticism, lack of respect and fear of making the boss angry. Hand out praise liberally, reserve correction only for critical moments.