Leadership Skills Test

" If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. "
John Quincy Adams

Below are some tips that can help you reach your full potential as a leader.

• Encourage your employees to take more initiative. There is always some risk involved in delegation. At first, your employees may not do the job as well or as fast as you would. They may make some mistakes. Recognize that errors are part of the learning experience, and are a necessary step in the development of employees' potential. Provide encouragement and advice, and reward them if they go the extra mile.

• Show appreciation. Employers should be aware that on a day-to-day basis, all they need to do to keep an employee motivated is offer an emphatic "Thank you!" or "Good job!" when appropriate.

• Take the time to figure out what is really important to the organization. Pursuing something that doesn't lead to organizational goals is generally a waste of time. Why spend precious energy working towards something if it doesn't help you and the rest of the team achieve your objectives? Define what it is that needs to be accomplished, along with the smaller steps that will need to be carried out along the way.

• Provide all the resources employees need for improvement. Ensure access to information, educational resources, and support. In addition, make sure that employees have enough time to fulfill the task. Be available in case they have questions.

• Define the goals of the organization and make sure that everyone keeps them in mind. You may want to post them in strategic places or even send memos. Make sure that the goals are reasonable and that the people who will be responsible for implementing them have had some say in the matter. Keeping people moving towards goals will ensure that the company has a forward momentum.

• Enlist the advice of higher-ups, subordinates and colleagues. Everyone in the department and organization has to live with the company's vision; therefore, it makes sense that a wide variety of people take part in its development.

• Be aware of the benefits of collaborating with employees. It helps establish a rapport with subordinates as well as develops future leaders. Each time you ask for help, you send the message that every person's input is important and valued, not to mention help improve the skill level in your department.

• Don't micro-manage! Give employees guidelines about what you expect from them and let them figure out their own way of getting there. Many employees dislike ambiguity, but they also dislike being told exactly how they are supposed to do their job. There are many ways to get to the same goal. Let the employees own the process. Having a say in how they do their job motivates people. They may also know of alternatives you had never even thought about!

• When an employee makes a mistake, don't rub it in. Clearly and briefly state what happened, why, and the consequences of the mistake. If possible, let them correct it. Give them instructions and advice so that they solve the problem on their own. Instead of analyzing in excruciating detail the failure, try to focus on what they can do to avoid that kind of error in the future.

• Don't try to take on too much at once. Trust that your employees can handle things if you assign more tasks to them. Making sure that your own workload is the right size will be good for everyone because you will have more time for your managerial duties, such as giving feedback and overseeing the big picture.

• When delegating tasks, make sure that you are being reasonable. The task should fit the person, meaning that s/he should be qualified, have room in his/her schedule, and have some say as to whether it is possible to get it done on time without being overloaded.

• Establish a trusting relationship with your employees. You're unlikely to feel comfortable assigning important tasks to your employees if you don't trust that they are going to get them done well. Gradually assign more and more difficult tasks that require increasing responsibility. You should then be able to trust their ability to get things done. If you don't, you should explore the reasons for it. Are you reluctant to relinquish control, or is your employee really not capable?

• When offering negative feedback, be prepared to present some options and solutions. You're unlikely to feel comfortable assigning important tasks to your employees if you don't trust that they are going to get them done well. Gradually assign more and more difficult tasks that require increasing responsibility. You should then be able to trust their ability to get things done. If you don't, you should explore the reasons for it. Are you reluctant to relinquish control, or is your employee really not capable?

• If you have decided to give an employee a reward for hard work, give them a choice whenever possible. If the employee has a family, for instance, s/he may prefer to take paid time off rather than receive a monetary reward.

• Feedback should be immediate and relative to the achievement. The greater the achievement, the larger the reward should be. It won't do to simply say thank you to an employee who single-handedly snagged a million-dollar deal, for instance. Some compensation is in order!

• Visualize your goals. Once you have a clear mental image of what it takes to reach your goals and you can actually imagine yourself carrying out those steps, then it will become much easier to guide others in following through with a plan. Imagining the rewards of achieving those goals can also serve as a powerful motivator.

• Break it down into steps. Any goal can seem overwhelming when you look at the big picture, but once you break it down into smaller, more "digestible" chunks, it suddenly seems doable. A first step towards buying a home, for example, may be establishing a budget and savings plan. Each time you complete one of the concrete, smaller steps, you will see your goal taking shape, and you will then feel more motivated to keep going.

• Offer positive incentives to improve, not negative consequences for lack of improvement. Don't make firing ultimatums unless the employee's performance is sub-standard and has been for a long time. Fear may be a good motivator in the short-term, but it certainly won't create a positive atmosphere in the work place. Promise increased salary, bonuses, or career advancement if the individual lives up to the expectations set forth - and be sure to deliver as promised.

• Let your employees find their own way. You will only de-motivate them and undermine their opinions if you step in when it isn't necessary to do so. Offer guidance rather than telling them what to do.

• Let your employees find their own way. You will only de-motivate them and undermine their opinions if you step in when it isn't necessary to do so. Offer guidance rather than telling them what to do.

• Be there for your people. Encourage their ideas, be there to give suggestions, and don't criticize them when they make a mistake. Be their biggest cheerleader.

• Understand the needs and major motivators of your employees. Adjust your approach accordingly. There is no need to treat all employees exactly the same way, as long as they perceive the treatment to be fair and equitable. For example, Mindy may appreciate flextime to spend more time with her family, while Debra prefers an opportunity for advanced training.

• Make communicating your vision a part of the routine. On all hand outs and memos provided to employees, also print the vision statement. This will ingrain the statement into their minds without pushing it too much. Periodically discuss how different decisions and behaviors will affect the vision of the organization.

• Communicate your own excitement about the vision. Managers tend to set an example that is then modeled by employees. Therefore, if you are excited about the goals and behaviors set forth in the company's vision they may be too. If you find that you cannot really get excited about the vision, perhaps it needs to be reworked into something more enticing.

• Be accepting of employees' ideas. By being open to employees' ideas, they will likely be more open to your own vision.

• If confidence is an issue for you, work on it. Part of being able to convince others of your ideas is self-confidence. If you are not sure of yourself, others will find it difficult to place their trust in you as well.

• Prepare your arguments. To plead your case in court, you wouldn't go in unprepared, would you? Do the same when presenting a new idea to employees. Try to anticipate questions they may have and prepare solid responses.

• Don't be too proud to ask for help. Yes, you are/will be the manager. That does not mean however, that you have all the answers or have no weak areas. Perhaps some of your subordinates possess expertise in areas that you don't. By asking for help you can save time, energy and stress.

• Have regular meetings to ask for input and ideas. By establishing a routine and formal place to receive input from employees, you send the message that their contribution is valued.