Roadmap to Leadership Success Checklist

By Natalie

Leadership success is the foundation of High Performance organizations. Being a successful leader is crucial to the success of your company. Being a successful leader is not just leading and delegating jobs to people. There is much more involved in leading a team successfully. It requires a desire to be a leader and to participate in continuous learning. Do you want to be a successful leader? Listed below is a leadership success checklist for you to consider when contemplating this question.

A checklist for successful leaders:

• Recognizes that building a solid team is critical to a successful business. Developing a solid team enables people to collaborate more effectively, more creatively and more productively with the guidance of a leader.

• Gets to truly know the team members. Makes an effort to learn who they are and what their beliefs are.

• Communicates clearly and effectively. Communication is not only about talking! In fact, communication has a lot to do with "not talking." Listening is the key to effective communication. When you take the time to listen, you will not only learn what is happening, but why things are happening. In order to handle a situation effectively, you need to understand the entire situation. If you just make demands, without fully comprehending the circumstances, this could have a detrimental impact on your company. Take the time to listen to your employees, vendors or customers. You never know what amazingly profitable idea can come from one of your team members. So, close your mouth and open up your ears to the many possibilities of successfully listening.

• Considers resources when making decisions. When making any type of decision, it is imperative to consider your resources. Not only should you be able to understand the finances, you should be able to consider the resources of your team members. Knowing your team and their strengths and weaknesses will allow you to effectively make knowledgeable, efficient decisions for your team and the company.

• Creates a positive environment and recognizes accomplishments. People are more motivated to do their best for a company that they feel truly cares about their needs. Positive morale among team members will ensure increased productivity. Recognizing people for their accomplishments, no matter how big or small, will go a long way in creating a positive environment.

• Leads by example. People are more willing to work hard for someone they respect. Show respect for your team, consideration for their feelings and opinions and be knowledgeable in what you teach.

• Helps people grow. Helping people grow and develop skills and capabilities is an asset to your company. Consider expanding their skills by offering classes or on-the-job learning. A knowledgeable person will only add to the success of your company.

Make the commitment to continually work on and improve your leadership and communication skills. Evaluate how you portray yourself as a leader. See yourself through your team's eyes. Be a leader that people want to follow. After all, you can't be a leader unless you have followers. You won't have followers unless you can gain the respect of others. Apply these checklist tips, watch your leadership skills grow and reap the benefits for your roadmap to success in your career and life.

© Copyright 2008 by Natalie Manor. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Natalie R. Manor, CEO, author, speaker and executive coach, creator of The Roadmap to Your Extraordinary Success series, The Roadmap, Natalie Manor & Associates is your ultimate resource for leadership and communication development success for managers, emerging leaders and executives to maximize your potential and increase your productivity. Success@The-Roadmap.com, (800) 666-2230, http://www.NatalieManor.com

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