One trait all businesses share in common – whether they sell a product or service – is the drive for growth. The potential a business has to grow is not only tied to market demand, but also to how the company manages and develops the strengths of its employees, an issue I discussed in an earlier piece.

Of course, as a company grows, so does the need to assign greater responsibilities to their employees, including roles or functions associated with positions of leadership. However, what most companies overlook in this process is the need to offer guidance and support to their newly minted leaders on how to function successfully in their new roles within the organization.

With this in mind, here are some key points businesses need to encourage their new managers to adopt so that they can become the kind of leaders companies will need to ensure their continued growth and development:

1. Don’t micromanage your team

This is probably one of the most common complaints employees have about their manager – dealing with a boss who insists on overseeing every detail. While there’s the obvious problem of reduced productivity for both the new manager and those in their team, the bigger issue with this behaviour is Click here to continue reading »”Preparing For Tomorrow’s Leaders Today”

If you’ve watched the science fiction series “Star Trek”, you’re no doubt familiar with the character Scotty, the ever-dependable chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise. In several episodes, we see Scotty pulling off what appears to be almost impossible engineering feats, earning him the reputation among his crew mates of being a “miracle worker”.

While it’s unlikely that any of us would ever be considered a “miracle worker” by our peers, there are still some practical approaches to leadership that we can glean from Scotty which can certainly help us to be as effective as this character, both in how we lead our team or organization, as well as obtaining the results we’re aiming to reach -

1. Set out clear expectations from the start

In several episodes of this series, Scotty had the responsibility of repairing some mechanical problem which his superior, Captain Kirk, would stress needed to be fixed immediately in order to protect the ship’s crew from harm. In each of these situations, Scotty made it clear from the start just how long he and his team would need to resolve the situation, regardless of when Kirk wanted the problem to be fixed.

What Scotty demonstrates in these situations is the importance of Click here to continue reading »”Leadership Lessons From a ‘Miracle Worker’”

Unfortunately, the piece John Haydon wrote for my blog won’t be available until sometime next week. As such, I’m using this opportunity to share one of my earlier posts on interactions in business.

A couple of years ago, my parents bought a new dishwasher from a major electronics chain along with an extended warranty plan offered by the retailer. A few years later, that extra coverage appeared to be a wise move as they started having problems with their dishwasher after it was no longer covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

However, when my parents called the electronics chain to make their claim through the retailer’s extended warranty plan, the company refused to honour their contract, insisting that the problems my parents were having with their dishwasher were not covered by the extended warranty. After several more phone calls and written letters, the electronics chain grudgingly acquiesced to respecting the terms of the warranty plan they had sold to my parents. Although the problem was ultimately resolved, the fact that my parents had to fight for something they paid for left a lasting impression as to this day, they refuse to buy anything from this major retail chain.

What this story shows is that this company failed to appreciate the importance of integrity in their dealings with their customers. Sure, the retailer had succeeded in Click here to continue reading »”Why Integrity Still Matters”