In 2011, I empowered our team at Evantage, Inc. to put an emphasis on personal development. I believe that the best companies have the best employees, and to become the best, we must all continue to learn and become better. The challenge is to read a book about self development, become a better husband, wife, son, daughter, parent, leader, co-worker or to learn a new skill. The fist book I read was "The Mentor Leader", but Tony Dungy.
I always respected much of what he accomplished as a coach, and he always seemed to like a great life as an example to others. I also learned some specific principles that made him great. Here is a few things that I learned that may help others.
Our job as leaders is to develop others. It can be hard for us to see others take the credit, but at the end of the day, by helping others succeed, you succeed. Some basic principles to keep in mind are to have an open door policy, which will engage others around you to have open communication. Follow that by being a teacher. I grew up in a family of teachers (both parents as well as 2 uncles) and as a leader, if we are going to help others succeed we must educate them on what they need to learn in order to succeed. After that we must give them the tools they need to use the knowledge to be confident and successful.
Another big factor is to encourage and praise others when you catch them doing something right. We all like to be recognized, and it makes us feel good, which leads to confidence. Other steps are to empower and energize your team. Turn them loose and inspire them to be the best they can be. If you can do all these steps right you should be seeing people around you hitting the goals they set forth.
If you want to be a great leader to others, keep in mind that you need to practice what you preach. Get in the trenches and don't expect others to do what you aren't willing to do yourself.
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