Think about a time when you were involved in a voluntary project that did poorly because it was run by a difficult manager or associate.
How Was the Project Managed by the Leader?
Did that project seem to be a lot harder than it needed to be? Did the work feel much more like drudgery, and the time spent on it felt like it went by as fast as cold molasses through a funnel? At any level, the impact of an individual in a leadership or management role is huge. When that impact is bad, its influence seeps beyond just the project at hand into the everyday life of those involved, multiplying the negative impact.
How Do You Maximize Leadership Management Opportunities?
When you take on the role of managing people, you have taken on a significant commitment to do a good job with one of the most valuable resources there is, other people’s time and effort. Here are some ideas you may want to consider making sure your opportunity as a leader is as valuable to the people you lead as it can be:
- Instill a sense of purpose about the task or goal. Everyone wants to feel as though they are a part of something bigger. Purpose drives people to stay committed and engaged, especially when the going gets tough.
- Listen to others to gain their insight. Rely on others for their opinions, advice, and ideas. Not only will you come up with better ideas than you would on your own, but you will have people who are more interested in making the solution happen.
- Walk the talk. Clarify and live the principles of behavior and guiding values that you believe in.
- Give full effort. Rarely do you see an effective leader who is not willing to work as hard as others on a project.
- Have a sense of humility. Realizing what your true limitations are as an individual and understanding that any accomplishment comes on the shoulders of others.
- Share your successes. It means a lot to participants when the leader sincerely diminishes their own contribution and elevates the contribution of others. As the football coach Bear Bryant said, “If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it.”
These six suggestions can help you be sure that you are living up to your responsibility to have a positive influence and impact on the lives of others. That’s the leadership commitment.
