Leadership in business often uses the same principles we apply in everyday life. Consider the following life situations:
Puppy training: Our family has just acquired a puppy, and our training program has interesting parallels to my past days of supervising in the office.
- Maintain Consistent Rules – Remain firm and apply the same rules to all members, all the time. This ensures expectations remain clear
- Accomplish Big Goals in Smaller Steps – just as teaching a puppy tricks is done in tiny steps, developing your employee’s skills or completing a large project can also be broken down into smaller steps
- Spend Time Monitoring Progress – potty or crate training for a puppy is just like the office and new employees; it takes time, patience and constant monitoring of progress to ensure good long-term results
Teenagers: Parenting comes with its own unique set of challenges; I believe that parents are often the best equipped to take on new supervision duties in an office environment
- Apply the Same Rules to Everyone – Fairness to competing siblings is just the same as fairness to employees working in the same environment
- Use Meaningful Rewards and Natural Consequences – celebrate successes, and explain impact of mistakes or failures. Where possible, learning happens best when children (or employees) can experience the consequences of their actions.
- Stick to Facts, Eliminate Emotions – particularly in sensitive or disciplinary situations, children or employees can take criticism or negative situations personally. Shifting the focus to a “behavior”, not a personal judgement can reduce the hurt and speed closure of a problem
Neighbours: Living peacefully in a neighbourhood takes the same skills as working in groups and teams.
- Consider the Impact of Your Actions on Others – Every behavior has a perceived impression on others. Using your yard for a junk repository or holding loud, noisy parties can annoy your residential neighbours just as a messy desk area or playing music during office hours/holding loud personal conversations in a business area can annoy your workmates.
- Use MRI (Most Respectful Interpretation) – When disputes or differences arise, communication can become difficult. Take the high road and use the most respectful interpretation of whatever is being said, this can save battles, whether with family members or work colleagues.
- Plan Ahead and Manage Expectations – if you are planning a party or renovating your home, let your neighbours know what will be happening ahead of time as a courtesy. This same principle applies dealing with business groups or departments; set up expectations of what will be happening and when. This will alleviate anxiety and reduce gossip or resistance to your plans from other group members.
In summary, use courtesy and common sense in all situations – these are appreciated by family, friends, neighbours and coworkers. They are the underpinnings of basic leadership, at work and in life.