Over the last 2 blogs, I have talked to you about being a leader that is worthy to be followed. I hope that you have found some of the concepts to be effective in making you into a better leader for your team. I first wrote about the importance of Listening to your team and Educating your team. Last month I wrote about Assisting your team and Directing your team. By assisting your team, they respect the fact that you are willing to get your hands dirty and help them when needed. They learn to get you through the “crunch time” without you taking over their task. By directing your team, they learn to resolve things on their own. You instill confidence in their ability and help develop them into a better worker. This month I am going to wrap up my series by talking about the final 2 parts of the word LEADER. Encourage, Respect.

 Encourage – Always remember that a little bit of encouragement goes a long way. I recently posted a tip for the day on our Facebook page that said “Walk around your facility and tell each employee how much you appreciate them, then step back and see how much better they work”. I challenge every one of you to do that on a regular basis. It is okay to let your employees know that you appreciate them and encourage them. A weekly paycheck is a given, not an incentive. You may pay them every Friday, but they can still feel taken for granted or under appreciated. Take the time to encourage them on a regular basis. Lift them up, build them up. Try to refrain from being that leader that they only hear from when they are doing something wrong. They will resent seeing for that. Everyone wants to follow a leader that is uplifting and encouraging.

Respect- Respect is earned, not given. If you think your team respects you and even when you do not show them respect, then you are mistaken. They just want to keep their jobs. To respect you as a boss or a person is different from respecting you as a leader. There are many people that I respect as a person, but would not trust them to lead me across the street. Here is a free tip! “You have to give respect in order to be respected”. If you do not think that is true, then think of the people that have lead you in the past. I am sure that everyone has that one “leader” who demanded respect but used everyone else as a doormat. Did you really respect that person? I would bet not. You show respect to them as a team AND as individuals, they will follow you wherever you need them to go.

In closing, remember the word LEADER:  Listen, Educate, Assist, Direct, Encourage, Respect. If you lead by these principles, you will become the leader that anyone would like to follow. You will be effective and you will see the result in your bottom line. Never forget that team members are students of your behavior. A leader is only as good as the team that he/she leads, and the team is only as good as their leader.  Placing the word TEAM on a group of people does not make them a cohesive unit. The chemistry starts with YOU. I challenge you to be the LEADER! Best of luck to you all!