Frank Kanu's Books

© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

We’ve all heard it; and we know it only means we are not a priority right now. But followers that feel ignored or passed over lose confidence in their leader.

Are your ears always open for your followers?

Remember: A leader that stops having time stops being a leader.

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being a leader  ears  followers  having time  loose confidence  priority  time stops
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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008




One goal of managing is inspiring your team to be the best it can be. The team members need to know the company’s objectives, and those objectives have to fit with their personal and professional goals. Managers have to set clear directions to avoid confusion and to keep from becoming arbitrary in their demands. Company, professional, and personal goals should be part of the hiring process.

    How often do you see management step into a problem situation, find out what’s going on, and set things in motion to make the team members happy and productive? Certainly not often enough! One CEO decided that firing every employee with a bad attitude would fix the malaise in his company. In fact, he fixed nothing. Instead of taking care of the problem by trying to motivate the employees, he only battled a symptom. If the bad attitude was caused by something within the corporate culture, it’s only a matter of time before other employees develop a bad attitude, too. How long will it take before the problem is back?

How often do you sit together with your team?

Is your team familiar with the company goals?

Does every team member have a plan?

Do you know where your team members want to be in a year, two years from now?

Do they know where management wants them to be?

Tags:

bad attitude  ceo  company goals  confusion  corporate culture  hiring process  malaise  matter of time  personal goals  problem situation  professional goals  scott reed  setting goals  team member  team members  things in motion
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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

It’s been said thousands of time before, but it can’t be stressed enough: good communication is absolutely vital to the success of any organization. And don’t think I’m talking about sending memos or talking on the phone. Communication needs to be active, personal, and ongoing. Communication within the team must be crystal clear; likewise communication between different teams.

Does everyone understand you?

Do the team members know exactly what’s expected of them or have you assumed they know?

Do they communicate well with each other?

Or with you?

    Managing by focusing on solving problems, and only on solving problems, is really nothing more than chaos management; don’t be that short-sighted. You do want to minimize the effects of chaos, but you also have to consider the day-to-day operations that continue on even during the most chaotic conditions. Look around: even when everything seems to be going wrong, there are still things that are getting done, and getting done right. Don’t let temporary chaos blind you to this.

Does chaos scare you?

What—in your opinion—counts as chaos?

Do you have goals?

And a plan and/or a vision?

How often are those reviewed?

Are they shared with the team?

Is team feedback included?

Tags:

chaos  chaos management  chaotic conditions  communication  feedback  goals  memos  phone communication  solving problems  team feedback  team members  vision
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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

Do you think you can speak of leadership if the leader has no vision, no plan?

Teams need a clear and well-defined structure. How managers manage always depends on their management style and their personality. A manager with a strong personality will leave a definitive imprint on the team. Yet even strong managers who know what they want need to make the team members feel that they are needed. One way to do this is to involve them in the management process. Make sure they know how their manager manages. Tell them the goals instead of asking for short-term results without any explanation. If you’re driving somewhere you’ve never been before, you don’t want someone to tell you to just drive north and eventually you’ll get there—you want detailed directions.

Were you given a clear direction?

Can you give one?

Tags:

bernard shaw  george bernard shaw  illusion  leadership  management style  personality  team members
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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

Tags:

deadly sins  igor stravinsky
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