Everyone has the stories and the war wounds maybe even the therapy bills. There is even a movie! We’ve all had a bad boss (if you have one now check out our post on how to deal with a bad boss) whose behaviour has taught us how not to be and we have promised to never be “that boss” but have you ever truly worked on your leadership skills and identified the traits you want to develop to help you be a better boss?
Understanding more about yourself will help you be a better leader.
My first recommendation is a quick read “Managing from the Heart” by Hyler Bracey, Jack Rosenblum, Aubrey Sanford and Roy Trueblood. Recommended to me by a mentor early in my career it shaped the way I work with teammates and those who report to me. The lessons are told in an easy to read story about a boss named Harry who as the head of a oil refinery uses the same philosophy to lead as he did as a fullback in college: put your head down and run through the hole in the line: keep driving toward the goal until somebody stronger than you stops you; and never let go of the ball. Know any bosses using this philosophy?
Another great resource is Strength Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. Several years ago I employed the services of a career coach and the first thing she had me do was go out, buy this book and do the quiz. The results of the online survey floored me but also gave me insight in to my self that I had never had before. It tells you the five traits that you have had with you since childhood and how you can use them to your advantage when they may have been limiting you. Understanding more about yourself will help you be a better leader. Reading this book and understanding the different traits will help you better understand others. This book, I recommend to anyone I mentor. It is a great exercise in self-discovery.
I’ve mentioned Coursera.org in earlier posts but there is one course specifically that can help you become a better leader; “Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence”. This course is done online for 8 weeks. It is about 3-4 hours of work a week and free unless you want the verified certificate and even then it is a bargain. Emotional connects is how great leaders motivate us. Think about the last great leader you had and what they did that had you motivated, invigorated and inspired.
I am always trying to improve my leadership skills – what tools can you recommend that have shaped you