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How to be a better team leader and manager

How to be a better team leader and manager

Everyone wants to be better.

Why?

Because, only if YOU are better can you achieve better results for yourself, your customers, your organisation and your family.

So how can you improve your performance as a team leader and manager?

Here are the steps

1. Decide to be better!
The achievement of better performance requires that you engage in some deep thinking and self-discipline.

“Deep thought” to decide what you should and should not do; and “self-discipline” to get yourself to follow through on those decisions.
Most people around you do not give self-development any thought and they don’t have sufficient self-discipline to follow through in action.

So develop a serous intent to increase your abilities every month and have the self-discipline to act on the goals you set for your own development.

2. Develop your English language skills
People will judge you on your use of language.

If your vocabulary is poor and you cuss and swear too often, then you will not be taken as a serious contender for high office.

If you don’t know the meaning of key words that others are using in the meeting, then your credibility will suffer.

If you are unable to express your ideas and opinions in writing then your influence in the organisation will diminish.

1. Work to improve your English
2. Work to improve your working vocabulary
3. Work to improve your powers of expression in the written form

Communication is a vital skill to master because you must be able to accurately transfer your knowledge, ideas and opinions to the minds of others.

And to do that; you must use words.

3. Develop your specific knowledge bank
You live in the information age! You don’t get paid simply for being physically big and strong.

You are valued by what you know and how much you know.

If you learn more; you can earn more.

Ignorance is not bliss.

Knowledge is power.

So work hard to improve your knowledge base.

Learn more about your industry:

1. If you are in sales read books on sales
2. If you are in health industry read books on heath
3. If you are in engineering read books on mechanics
4. Read your industry magazines and journals
5. Attend seminars and courses 

4. Become a problem solver
Most people complain about the system.
They don’t like the way it is.
But identifying problems is easier than finding ways to solve them.

You may be able to tell me that the ship is sinking but can you tell me how to stop it sinking?
Your value to the organisation will treble when you become a solution-focused-individual rather than a complainer.

The majority of people complain but fail to generate meaningful solutions to problems
They say “somebody ought to do something about that!”

Become the person who generates solutions to problems.
Look for answers to problems, not the history of the problem.
Look for the solutions to the problem, not for the person to blame.
Be a problem solver

Louis Pasteur said it like this: 
“It is  surmounting difficulties that makes heroes.”

5. Learn to think logically
The human mind is fallible. We tend to make mistakes.
In fact all the time, we make errors and omissions.
We come to false conclusions, wrong answers and hasty generalisations
But if we get the wrong answer, too often we will fail.
How can we increase the chances of getting the right answer?
Answer: Learn to think logically.
They don’t teach logic in schools any longer!!!

This is a mistake!

Logic is the art of non-contradictory thinking that is intended to ensure that your thinking corresponds to reality I.e. that your conclusions are true.
There are two main branches of logic
Deductive and inductive logic.

Learn the rules for both.

How?

Read the book “element of modern logic” by S. H. Mellone

It is a tough read but worth the effort.

6. Learn to work with people that you don’t necessarily like
You are not at college now.

In school you could hang-out with your friends. In work you have to work with people you may not like. Learn to work cooperatively with people that you don’t like. Don’t let your feelings contaminate your language.

Don’t bad mouth colleagues to others in their absence.
In the canteen, don’t run colleagues down to others.
Keep your negative opinions of your colleagues to yourself.

Be professional

Be intelligent

You may need this person’s cooperation next week and if you have made him your enemy by making disparaging comments in the canteen then you won’t get the help you need. That is:

1. bad for you
2. bad for the customer
3. bad for the organisation

Read the famous book “How to win friends and influence people”  written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide.

Summary
How can you improve your performance as a team leader and manager? Here are the steps:

1 Decide to be better!
2 Develop your English language skills
3 Develop your specific knowledge bank
4 Become a problem solver
5 Learn to think logically
6 Learn to work with people that you don’t necessarily like

For more information about team leader and manager training visit the Corporate Coach Group website

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