Monthly Archive for May, 2009

Professionals are more likely to devote the right amount of time and energy to the leadership job if it is clearly valued. In your firm, is there a belief, widely shared, that good leadership helps to produce first-class results? Is this notion rooted deeply in the culture of the organization? If the answers to these [...]

Leaders of professionals are more likely to give the right amount of time to do the job if the financial rewards are based on the performance of their teams rather than on their own individual professional or technical competence. The old adage, ‘Tell me how I am going to be rewarded and I will tell [...]

Sometimes for senior leaders the job is full time. For managing partners in a large firm that is a sensible idea. However, I believe strongly that leaders of teams should normally continue to undertake work directly for clients. Leadership by example in professional work cannot be overestimated. To be able to demonstrate good practice provides [...]

I am a leader by default, only because nature does not allow a vacuum. — (Archbishop Desmond Tutu) It is far from being a universal problem but many leaders of teams of professionals are reluctant to devote enough time and attention to the responsibilities involved. According to John Stapleton, Managing Partner of Thomas Eggar, a [...]

Many successful team leaders find it helpful to vary their styles by reference to the situation that they find themselves in. Hersey and Blanchard (1993) have developed a useful framework. The idea is for leaders to vary the amount of personal encouragement, support and recognition ( relationship behaviour) and the amount of direction and structure [...]

If you know your own preferences then you will understand yourself better and that is likely to enhance your relationships with others. Also, if you know your own preferences you will be more aware of your own biases and that will help you to avoid stereotyping others in a negative fashion. Avery helpful thing for [...]

Have you ever stopped to think about the very different ways that people tackle their assignments and relate to their clients and colleagues? If so, then you have probably noticed that some people seem to wear their personalities on their sleeves and others keep their real concerns to themselves. With some people, what you see [...]

In the box ‘Leadership activities and behaviour’, there is a list of activities and ways of behaving commonly associated with the leadership role. It is not an exhaustive list and nor is every factor necessarily relevant to leaders of all professional teams. However, it is quite likely that you do, or are expected to, undertake [...]

The essence of the relationship between professionals and their clients is one of integrity and trust. Whenever I ask professionals and their support colleagues what they expect of their team leaders it is no surprise to me to find that they express similar sentiments. They want to be able to trust their team leaders’ motives. [...]

The What And The How Of Leadership Be clear about the ends – the what The leader’s task is to provide clear, persistent statements of the direction, goals and values of the firm and the team. Allow discretion about the means – the how The leader’s task is to empower professionals and support people in [...]

The real leader has no need to lead – he is content to point the way. — (Henry Miller) The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. — (Max DePree) Although Henry Miller’s words are an oversimplification, there is [...]

Everybody who works in Gillian Beresford’s team agrees that she is a fine leader. ‘She is not perfect but then nobody is,’ says one colleague, ‘but she is always willing to learn.’ Her team members talk in glowing terms about her enthusiasm for the job and for her colleagues. Whether she is greeting somebody for [...]

For many people a lot of the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills come naturally. Good leaders build on their strengths. However, there are usually some forms of behaviour that need to be changed and others that may need to be engaged in more often. Changing behaviour provides a simple checklist of action points that might be [...]

Social skill Am I proficient in building relationships? Am I at ease socially? Am I self-assured? Do I respond with warmth to others? Am I able to build trust? Do I communicate orally with ease? Empathy Am I able to see, and demonstrate that I see, the world from the perspective of others? Am I [...]

Self-awareness Am I aware of the effects of my behaviour on others? Am I realistic in my assessment of my abilities? Am I realistic in my assessment of my moods and emotions? Do I recognize feelings as being valuable? Is my self-confidence well judged? Emotional self-control Am I able to control my emotions? Am I [...]

The more common management and leadership activities that leaders of professional teams undertake. It will be evident that both leading and managing are important for continuing success. Good leaders cope effectively with the management basics. They also have the skills to enthuse others to change, get a team to work together, secure agreement on key [...]

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. — (Aristotle) When professionals such as lawyers, architects, engineers, accountants, advertising specialists, designers, teachers and research scientists become team leaders they invariably have to continue with their technical work. They have to combine the roles of team leader and team [...]