| |
| |
|
Leadership Information |
|
|
|
Leadership and Followership in a Team Setting
Many solopreneurs work in a team environment either with their client's staff, or with subcontractors. Having spent over 20 years in a teaming environment before becoming a solopreneur 13 years ago, I know that during the course of any highly functioning team effort, the leadership and followership roles flow back and forth between the members. An observer of such a team would see that at any moment, the person on the team who has either information, wisdom, or creativity to offer steps quietly forward to assume the leadership position. After she has delivered her knowledge to the group, she then steps quietly back into the role of a follower, as the next person slips into the leadership position. This ebb and flow of leadership and followership is one of the hallmarks of a highly-functioning and productive team. "So you did this just because all your friends did it? If all your friends laid down on the tracks in front of a train, I suppose you would too? Do you want to be a follower all your life?" Your Mother You Mother was right. To be effective in today's teams, you can't be a follower all your life. You need to step out into the glare of the lights and assume the leadership mantle, contributing your unique specialness, knowledge, and creativity to the group. In this way, the work product of the team is strengthened. This leadership role is not granted you by title or position. Instead, you take on the role voluntarily. And your team members grant you the role because of your expertise, credibility, reputation, or influence. In other words, it is a temporary role on the team that you earn over time. To be effective in this type of leadership role, you must first secure the respect of your team members in at least one of the following three areas: 1. Knowledge. You must have respected expertise and proven judgement in areas relevant to the team's goals. 2. People Skills. You must care about your team members and value the team's goals. 3. Performance. You must show that you are willing to take on tasks and activities that actually help the team meet their goals. To build respect and credibility in either of these three areas, you must first be a terrific follower. Not the type of follower your Mother railed against. But the type of follower who is committed to helping the team reach their goals. A follower who contributes focus and influence to getting the work product delivered to the required standards of quality and timing. A follower with a courageous conscience and controlled ego. A follower with the ability to think creatively and critically, who is self-motivated, proactive and self-disciplined. This week, monitor your role on the team's of which you are a member. Are you shifting smoothly in and out of the roles of leadership and follwership as appropriate to you and the team? Or are you failing to step into the leadership role when appropriate? Or failing to step back and contribute in the role of a follower? What could you change about how you shift between these roles to better contribute to the team? Copyright 2004, Rose Hill, Inc ____________________________________________ Rose Hill, Founder and Owner,of Biz Whiz Expert (http://www.SoloBizVille.com) and Team Member of Solo-E.Com (http://www.Solo-E.Com) has been self-employed since 1990. Knowing how to run corporate departments and how to market corporate entities, products, and services did nothing to prepare her for successfully running and marketing a one-person business. That is why Rose created the SoloBizVille and SoloBizU community - to specifically to help solo entrepreneurs jumpstart their business success without all the trial-and-error learning. ____________________________________________ *********** Find more articles like this at http://www.Solo-E.com - Keeping Solo Entrepreneurs Juiced in Business and in Life. Our team of Solo Entrepreneurs are comprised of small business experts who support others in finding business success with the flexibility and freedom to have a life, too. Network with other freelancers, self-employed and Solo Entrepreneurs in our forums, enjoy our articles and newsletter, and find other online training opportunities. *****
MORE RESOURCES:
Leadership - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Leader Within Each and every one of you has hidden deep inside a different person a person that is robust insightful originative, a person that you have forgotten that it ever existed. No matter what you believe that person lies within you, waiting for its awakening call. Elements of Timeless Leadership Great leadership is timeless, always in vogue. The world has been hungry for great leaders from time immemorial. F2 Leadership People don't leave jobs; they leave bosses. -- AnonymousCongratulations. The Power of the Leader Within - The Keys to Martial Arts Life Mastery, Key#1 "What do you want to be when you grow up?"Remember that question from your younger days? Adults seem almost programmed to ask it, don't they? Maybe you remember asking that same question to your own or another's child recently. Remember?I do. Leaders ARE; Are you? Identity CrisisIt's not only the knowledge you carry around in your head. More important to your effectiveness as a leader is your character - who you ARE. The Leadership Strategy: An Unmined Comstock Lode of Results During the Second World War, Winston Churchill had a framed inscription on his desk that said, "It's not enough to say we are doing our best. We must succeed in doing what is necessary. Using Your Intuition "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. The Tao of Leadership There can be no doubt that the ancient author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu, was a man of unique wisdom whose writings continue to influence people of different backgrounds and faiths.Many leaders then and now get wrapped up in selfish ambition. Leadership and Followership in a Team Setting Many solopreneurs work in a team environment either with their client's staff, or with subcontractors. Having spent over 20 years in a teaming environment before becoming a solopreneur 13 years ago, I know that during the course of any highly functioning team effort, the leadership and followership roles flow back and forth between the members. Helping Others Develop Their Potential Most of us find ourselves in a position to help others achieve more of their potential than we realize. Sure, as leaders, supervisors, and parents we can see ourselves in that position; but the fact is that all of us are uniquely qualified to help at least one other person in our lives reach their potential. Listening Like a Leader Our studies of the most effective people in corporate America show that the top 2 percent are effective not because they executed best practices well. They did not make the most phone calls or have the best processes. The Six Essential Leadership Attributes Leadership is the foundation for all organizations, whether corporate, nonprofit or government. Leadership is a high calling and responsibility, upon which all else the organization is or does rests. Being Other Focused In the Wall Street Journal, Franklin Lavin, U.S. Teen View of Leadership From Around the World It has been stated that the world of tomorrow will be shaped by the leaders of today. This is certainly true when you stop to think that the great leaders of the past, Columbus, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, King, and Reagan did not get to see the lasting impact their leadership had on the future. Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 4, Quiet Participants There are many reasons why someone would decline to participate during a meeting. For example, the person may feel reluctant to speak out, may disagree with the approach endorsed by others in the meeting, or may just be tired. Asking for Help For many of us, asking for help is a difficult concept. It can require a certain amount of vulnerability. Are You a Leader or a Manager? President Ike Eisenhower once demonstrated the difference between leadership and management to his cabinet by putting a piece of string in a straight line on the conference table. He then asked one of the attendees to put his finger on one end of the string and push it. Seven Personal Characteristics Of A Good Leader How often have you heard the comment, "He or she is a born leader?" There are certain characteristics found in some people that seem to naturally put them in a position where they're looked up to as a leader.Whether in fact a person is born a leader or develops skills and abilities to become a leader is open for debate. Celebrating Successes: The Power Of Compliments Years ago, when I was new in management circles, a veteran administrator decided to share his self-described secret of success. He said: You have to be careful, Bill. Would Socrates Be A Celebrity Today? Last week, as I was standing in the checkout line of my local grocery store, I found myself staring at the dozen or so magazines on display. As I gazed upon the various photos and headlines praising or trashing the celebrity du jour, I got to thinking.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
