Uncertainties in the economy always seem to result in more work with fewer resources.  There is less hiring and sometimes even personnel cutbacks, as well as fewer financial resources to do the same work that needs to be completed.  How do leaders and managers deal with these facts most effectively while maintaining and even increasing business and reputation, all while keeping staff motivated and performing at their peak?

Before you can identify the specific solutions in how to effectively manage more with less, it’s important to take some time to assess your situation.  This may involve getting team members or peers together to discuss in order to determine where the biggest needs are occurring.  Enlisting feedback from your team and/or peers communicates that you are aware of the problem and that you are serious about taking the best actions to improve the situation.  It also helps motivate your team by keeping them actively involved in identifying the issues and later knowing that they will be part of identifying the solutions. 

Typically, the most common high level areas that need addressed in effectively managing with fewer human and financial resources are:

1. Managing time and priorities efficiently
2. Managing human capital needs
3. Managing client/Board of Director/Board of Trustee expectations

Over the next few weeks I’ll be looking at each of these categories more closely and sharing ideas that you can use that may help you and your team keep on top of the day-to-day needs within the organization and with your clients.

In the meantime, be proactive and get your team and/or peers together to assess the situation by identifying the greatest and most pressing issues. 

We’ve all been getting feedback since we were youngsters and usually it’s given for us to be our best; however, it seems it still doesn’t get any easier to receive feedback.  Wouldn’t you think that as a skilled professional, maybe even at the height of your career, you wouldn’t need feedback anymore in how to improve, especially when it seems you are doing just fine, everything’s under control, profits are rising, and employees are fairly happy?

In my experience, those at the top of their game know how to not only ask for feedback, but they receive feedback well and make visible improvements based on sound feedback.  You would be surprised at how much you can learn about yourself when you solicit feedback on the state of your performance, the state of the organization, and anything else under the sun for that matter!

Typically, as a seasoned manager, your technical skills are mastered.  The difficult part comes when working with others in a team environment, running a department or business unit, navigating the corporate environment, and a variety of other operational and employee and customer-facing issues that inundate us.  These areas are typically more difficult for leaders than the technical aspects of the job and if we are in any management capacity at all, it is crucial to have exceptional ability in these and other leadership areas.  This is where feedback can be very valuable to us and our success.

I know I’ve only skimmed the surface on receiving feedback, so stay tuned for Part 2 on the best ways to receive feedback.

Most leaders deal with time management issues.  There is much to do and limited time to accomplish everything.  Here are four recommendations that may help you get a grip on the limited time you have to do your work.

Set aside 20 to 30 minutes of quiet time in the beginning of the week to review your schedule and prioritize your tasks.

1. Focus on the most important tasks.  Resist the urge to do the easy tasks to get them out of the way.  Often, when we do this we get to the important and more difficult tasks too late and the time pressure affects the quality of the work.
2. Build time into your schedule to plan ahead, catch up on research or projects that are pending, and take care of yourself.
3. Have an agenda for meetings and stick to it.  Just because you have allotted an hour for a meeting does not mean that you must fill the hour. Identify decisions that need to be made and ensure that they are made during the meeting. 

There are many characteristics that make up an authentic leader.  Two are perhaps the most critical to attaining maximum effectiveness: leading through relationship and leading by example.  Any clever individual can manipulate circumstances and people to accomplish tasks for a time.  However, we can all think of leaders who have a reputation for being shallow, conniving, and untrustworthy.  These individuals have severely damaged their capacity to influence and motivate others.

Consider leaders who have a natural magnetism; those who are admired and followed because of the respect that they have earned.  A renowned military leader and the first U.S. president, George Washington, immediately comes to mind.  This is a man who literally changed the course of a war, and a nation. More...

Leaders occasionally struggle alone at the top or with a few close peers, sometimes feeling distanced from those down line.  This struggle is due in part to the nature of being a leader and being at the helm of the business.  Leadership also requires a level of distance because of sensitive information that may not be appropriate for direct reports and others in the organization at certain times.  Because of your unique position in the organization, how do you balance the privacy need and at the same time develop a team environment for your department and organization to succeed?

First of all you have to realize that to be a successful leader you need to have unity with your team because you cannot lead a business without them.  With this realized it then takes planning to incorporate strategic parts of your time to devote to your team.  This time can come in the form of developing individuals, providing direction, giving encouragement and motivation, and reinforcing the vision and direction of the business. 

Most of all, however, it takes modeling and communicating the behaviors that you want your team to embrace and since leaders set the tone of the organization, that tone will be what is followed by others. 

Finally, be genuine with your team and others in the organization because followers can always "smell" when something isn't right.  If you cannot disclose certain facts that your team inquires about, be honest and let them know you are not in a position at this time to discuss but will as soon as possible.  Then, stay connected!  After all, it is a cohesive team led by a competent and authentic leader that will help the organization succeed.

Sometimes events occur that bring life and it's challenges into perspective.  Two weeks ago I was prepared to cancel a much-needed vacation to visit a client instead.  The day before I planned to cancel I had a minor "cardiac event" and had to spend some time at our local hospital.  I was telling the cardiologist about my plan to cancel the vacation and she warned me not to do that - the vacation was much more important than the client visit. 

I've given a lot of thought to my "event" over the past two weeks and it struck me that most leaders do not take care of their own needs, especially their health needs.  I looked at it this way, if I were to die or become incapacitated, my clients would go on (yes, they would miss my sage advice!).  But, my children would not have a father to share their special events with or to give them guidance and advice as they struggled with their own challenges.  My wife would not have her companion and best friend to enjoy life with.  My friends would also have a big hole in their life as well.  And, who would pay the bills!

Seriously, leaders need to take the time (and it is all about time!) to take care of their health, their family, and their own mental and spiritual needs.  Leaders who are well rested, centered, and enjoying life are much more effective than overworked and stressed leaders.  There is a lot of validity to the statement, "stop and smell the roses."  Whatever your rose is, stop and smell it - you will be renewed.

Loyalty is a key attribute of an effective leader.  When we normally think of a leader's loyalty we think of the leader's allegiance to the organization and its mission.  But, loyalty is more complex for the effective leader.

An effective leader is loyal to his or her staff.  The leader demonstrates loyalty by empowering their staff, taking the time to get to know them individually, and trusting them.  A leader also represents the interests of the team when working with other leaders or senior management. 

This doesn't mean that an effective leader is always nice or always believes the staff member.  Sometimes leaders must take developmental or disciplinary steps.  In some ways, even these acts are a demonstration of loyalty.  When discipline is administered effectively the staff member's performance will typically improve and the leader should acknowledge this and give the person a "fresh start."  Of course, discipline does not always turn out good and the person continues their poor behavior.  In that case, the leader must be prepared to take further steps.

Loyalty also includes knowing when staff members need coaching or conversations regarding their performance.  Leaders also should "walk the floor" to know what each staff member's job is, what problems they face, and how the leader can help them do a better job.

An hour a week simply talking with staff members goes a long way toward developing an effective staff and also toward developing staff loyalty to the leader and the organization.

To begin this blog I want to focus on a series exploring components that constitute effective leadership. 

I was talking with someone this morning about leadership and I made the comment, "Effective leadership is when someone is being led and they don't know or feel that they are being led." In other words, an effective leader leads others toward a goal without forcing them to follow, coercing them to follow, or even rewarding them to follow.  People follow an effective leader because they WANT to follow that person.

In thinking this a bit further, I do believe that the principle is situational.  Sometimes, when a goal is vague or nebulous to people a leader must use some coercion or reward tactics.  Sometimes, such as in battle, there are negative consequences for not following the leader and the leader may not be able to be specific about the goal and its benefits (for security reasons).

But, for the most part, I still feel that an effective leader uses personal magnetism, honesty and motivation to instill in others the desire to follow.  Have you ever heard anyone say, "I would follow (name) anywhere?" 

That is the case with effective leaders; people would follow them anywhere.