People Make the Program: A Lesson in Leadership

Over the last year-and-a-half I have had the privilege to visit several Local INNMUG Chapters to present "People Make the Program," a lesson in leadership. Along with meeting some great people and making new friends, I have been fascinated and encouraged by the response I've received. I have found that many people are hungry to hear my people-centric message in the midst of terrific workshops on present and emerging technologies, deployment of new products, and discussions on how to face the daily challenges of maintaining a phone system. The bottom line is: people are what make the difference. I am convinced that your leadership and people skills are just as important as knowing the components required for a particular job or position. Whether you are a CEO, manager, or supervisor of one, 10, 100 or more, the following principles will make you a better leader.

If you remember any one thing from this article, I hope it will be this: be real. Many times we go to a seminar or hear a motivational speaker and immediately go back to our team and parrot the information before we have evaluated if it will work in our culture, or we've allowed it to become a routine part of our makeup. Usually the season for new ideas implemented in that fashion is short-lived. Being real in leadership means that we are walking the talk or a least striving to make what we say a part of who we are. Leading people is like any relationship: what people are looking for is someone who will be honest - someone who will mean what they say and do it. Sometimes the most basic things have the greatest impact. I believe that what a leader is made of will determine what he or she will be able to do.

Here are two points from my "People Make the Program" workshop that will help improve your leadership skills:

1. Be a good king
2. Fun = Productivity

1. Be a good king
A king is one who rules and leads people. We have the choice each day we lead to be a good king or a bad king. One of my favorite examples is King Solomon. King Solomon was primarily known as a leader with great wisdom. Other accolades include his immense financial achievements. I heard a statistic that even by today's standards, King Solomon would have been one of the wealthiest people in the world. His accomplishments in the construction of splendid and massive architecture were equally as impressive. His reign lasted for 40 years - evidence that he was a great leader.

To quote King Solomon: "Kindness and faithfulness keep a king safe, through kindness his throne is made secure."

Kindness:
I have found that leaders who treat people fairly, are kind, and who care for their team members' well-being always have followers. People follow managers because they have to; people follow leaders because they want to. It is much easier to manage a department or project when you have people who want to get the job done. Mary Powell once said to me that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Faithfulness:
The word faithfulness means truth, which is also related to the words honesty and integrity. President Bush, when addressing business in America, puts it this way: corporate responsibility. To have corporate responsibility you must first have personal responsibility. Be faithful in the little things as well as the bigger things and operate in integrity. Make time to listen to your team, follow up when you say you will, and be consistent when rewarding or disciplining. Don't hold people back; if you have the ability to assist in someone's career path, use that authority. But use your authority, perks, and privileges wisely. Be faithful to those over you and to those who are in your charge, and your throne (position) will be secure.

2. Fun = Productivity

I have heard that medical studies have found that laughter is good for your health - that the movement that laughter creates in your body actually is healthy for your internal organs. So if laughter is good for the body, fun must be great for the workplace.

We are fortunate at A1 Teletronics that fun is encouraged as a part of our corporate culture. I have found that people who are happy about what they do do it better! When sales are down you can browbeat the people to get on the phones or turn up the fun. I choose to turn up the fun.

Here is a list of things you can do at your workplace to make the day more fun, and thus more productive:

• Dress-Up Day
• Hat Day
• Casual Day
• Treats @ 3:00 - i.e. ice cream bars
• Music
• Early-Out Incentives
• Great Resource: 301 More Ways To Have Fun At Work by Dave Hemsath

Many of us spend more hours at work during the week than we do with our families and friends. As leaders, we are doing both the employees and the company a great service by adding fun and laughter to our daily routine. "A merry heart does good, like medicine." - King Solomon