With the first half of the New Year comes the opportunity to set New Year’s resolutions, new goals for self-improvement. As a leader within your organization (current or future), you can improve your leadership skills and make an even greater impact on the organization’s bottom line as we move forward into the year by taking note of some of the elements discussed below:
Within most organizations there is a management / leadership track – take advantage of this track by further refining and developing the leadership and management skills you already possess.
1. Improve your Peer-Leadership Skills
Build a reputation as a leader among your peers. Actions speak louder than words. At various meetings, listen and speak only when you have something important to say that will help the group to move forward. Do not focus on negative issues. Identifying problems is one of the easiest things to do; there is no great demand for problem identifiers, but there is a great demand for problem solvers. Be Solution Oriented: if you address a problem, be sure that you have a potential solution to discuss as well. Share information and communicate often with your peers. This helps you and others to grow and develop.
2. Improve your Administrative Skills
Develop an administrative competence in every form of communication and logistical follow up you perform in your job. Cultivate a reputation as someone who produces high-quality work no matter what your endeavor, no matter who your audience.
3. Develop your General Leadership Skills
Leadership is a learned skill. Constantly seek to learn from those successful leaders within and outside your organization. What pearl or pearls of wisdom can you pick up and use to help you become a leader? Pick and choose from their leadership styles, yet make it your own as you continue to develop your personal style. Whatever style you choose, keep these “pearls of wisdom” in the forefront of your mind and think about how to apply them as you move forward in two key areas – achieving bottom line results for your organization and developing your people.
Here are some key ideas to consider as you move along this path of continuous leadership improvement during the first half of the New Year:
• Know yourself and seek self-improvement opportunities
• Be technically proficient and know how to apply your knowledge
• Seek out responsibility and take responsibility for your actions
• Make sound and timely decisions
• Set a good example for others
• Know your people and look out for their wellbeing
• Keep your people well informed
• Help your people develop a sense of responsibility
• Ensure that task job tasks you delegate are understood, supervised, and accomplished
• Train your people as a team
• Develop plans of action that are in accordance with your team’s capabilities
However, the act infuriated the blocked car’s driver. With a smirk on drivers face and a “me first” attitude, the driver eased the car forward almost pinning the young girl between the two cars. While people in both cars were too impatient for the situation, the driver’s action was potentially dangerous. Had the driver accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, the girl would have been badly injured if not killed. This driver’s “me first” attitude was noticed by several other drivers. In an unspoken group effort, the errant driver was deliberately boxed in for several extra minutes while others exited.
Just a few weeks ago, I recognized one of those major deficiencies while standing in the checkout line at a home improvement store. The store wasn’t too busy, but I was eager to give my money away and get home to my project list. I watched the three people in line ahead of me with great anticipation. The woman at the front of the line was purchasing various plants and other outdoor home improvement goods. The first problem occurred when the bar codes on the plants didn’t scan correctly. Then, the cash register system started malfunctioning. The checker, who must have been a relatively new employee, quickly became frazzled. Because he didn’t know how to solve the problem on his own, he called for his manager. The manager, looking saintly and important, strolled over to the register and gently nudged the checker out of the way. He pushed a few keys on the register to fix the issue and everything was as good as new. The manager then quietly exited without saying a word. The checker gave a polite thank you and the manager, without turning around, gave a wave of acknowledgment. The checker finished with the first customer and moved to the next man in line. He experienced the same problem with this customer. Sure enough, the register started malfunctioning, and the checker had to call his manager to solve the problem. This time when the manager strolled back, he pushed a few buttons, turned the key on and off, and said “that should solve it.” I watched the manager closely as he went on his merry way. He seemed satisfied with the speed of his performance.
I found this fascinating because during difficult economic times and as businesses are under increased scrutiny, it seems natural that this would be the time for companies to invest in the development of their current leaders and high-potential future leaders. The key word is investment. When the economic pressures are on, 
