Leadership is the issue that most divides opinion amongst golf business experts, warfare tacticians and anybody who has to direct a group of people towards a goal of any sort. They will argue that leaders are born and not made and that it is impossible for someone to lead unless they are fortunate enough to have been born with the “holy grail” of leadership talent.
Well, it probably is true that some of history’s famous leaders were born with in built talents such as charisma and a magnetic charm to which people warm quickly. However, there are lots of very successful, not so famous leaders who inspire their people to great achievements every day, and although they all have their own character traits that make them unique there are a handful of simple things that they do automatically that make them great leaders; and fortunately for all of us these can be easily learned and applied by anyone:
At Hole18 we break down leadership skills development into 7 main steps:
Step 1. Managing Versus Leading; understanding the difference
Step 2. Your Leadership Strategy; your route map to success
Step 3. Decision Making; all eyes are on you, so do it well
Step 4. Coaching; growing talent in your team
Step 5. Delegation; a key component in great leadership
Step 6. Performance Feedback; how to do it well, consistently
Step 7. Motivation; sharing success and communicating well
Here are Hole18’s top 5 tips on becoming a great leader:
1. Talk, don’t write.
Break the habit of writing memos, emails and notes when a quick face to face would do the job. Always talk when you can. If you’re afraid you won’t get your full point across by all means follow up in writing, but get face to face with your people as often as you can and see the difference it can make.
2. Follow up relentlessly.
When you meet with members of your team always make a note of the main points agreed, actions to be taken and confirm who is responsible for execution. Copy this to the team member in question and follow up with them on each point. fail to follow up and you will quickly lose the respect of your team, as they will assume you don’t care about their results.
3. Walk Around
Get a feel for the mood, aspirations and abilities of your team members by frequently bumping in to them during their normal business. There is no need to remember their kids birthdays etc (this can be counter productive, as one slip can give you away as a phony), just get a feel for their key role in the business and let them know you are supporting their success.
4. Discipline Consistently
Take action on each and every breach of company rules and make no apology for it. Take the culprit aside and make sure they understand what they did wrong, why it’s unacceptable and how you feel about it. Afterwards, make it clear that its over and move on.
5. Catch Them Doing Things Well
Frequently “catch” team members doing things well and praise them publicly. Make it clear that you are here to drive and support success.