10 Tips for Leaders

So you want to be a leader, eh? As I have said before, it takes more than a title or direct reports to be a leader. I've got 10 tips to offer new leaders.

1. Lead by example. Everyone will be watching a new leader, so don't ask anyone to do anything that you would not do yourself. You should be the model of expected behavior.
2. Be ethical. Always do what is best for your Company. If you don't know what that is, ask another leader for guidance.
3. Be accountable and hold others accountable. People generally like to know what is expected of them and for you to follow up on what is important. Measure performance and make sure that the goals for you and your team are directly aligned with the company's objectives.
4. Encourage open communication, listen to new ideas and confront the brutal facts. You are not leading in a vacuum and you don't always know what is involved. Ask questions and listen to the feedback that you get.
5. Present a united front. You are not going to agree with all decisions that are made, but it is your responsibility to present the company line. Once a decision is made, support it so that your team can support it.
6. Follow and improve processes. Leaders need to follow established processes so that others will too. This is kind of like leading by example, but more tactical. If you expect others to follow rules, guidelines, policies and processes, you had better follow them too. And, you need to be open to improving processes. A business that doesn't change will die, so lead the charge for improvements.
7. Provide timely and constructive feedback to others with the goal of improving performance. Not documeting trouble. Not getting someone in trouble. People want to know when they are doing something wrong so that they can do it right the next time. 99.9% of people do not make mistakes on purpose. Remember that when you approach them. Involve a manager or HR when it is a pattern of behavior that you have not been able to resolve on your own.
8. Confidentiality is a requirement of being a leader. You are going to hear things that you don't want to hear. You will hear things that you are not allowed to share. You have to remain confidential in a leadership role. Obtain clarification as to which leaders that you CAN share information with if you need to discuss a confidential matter.
9. Take an active role in training and developing others. The more that your people develop, the better that your team will learn and perform. It also makes your job easier and makes you look better. Give your people stretch assignments, high profile projects and, most importantly, your time. It will make people want to work with and for you.
10. Support and get involved in company initiatives to create an engaging and productive work environment. If you don't get involved in the company contest or participate in the annual picnic, your people won't either. These activities may seem cheesy or unnecessary to some people, but they are important to others and make coming to work just a little more enjoyable. Offer suggestions if you don't like what is being done, but pitch in to make work fun, engaging and productive.

Did I miss anything? Hit me in the comments section!

Exemplary Client Service - Becky at Chard Snyder

Trish McFarlane has written a few posts recently about Exemplary Client Service on her HR Ringleader blog. She asked her readers to share an example of great customer service, so here goes.

I have extremely high expectations for myself and my vendors. I strive for 100% perfection at all times and am a "get it right the first time" person. Although I do make mistakes, you can count them on one hand. High expectations make me a very challenging client for our outsourced vendors. Within two months of being in my current position, I asked for new account representatives at almost every outsourced vendor because the current rep did not meet my expectations. I'm sure that there was a photo of me with a bulls eye circulating the Greater Cincinnati area.

Now that you know about my extremely high expectations, I'd like to tell you about one of my valued vendors - Becky, our flexible spending account rep at Chard Snyder. Becky and I both start working early in the day and she is super fast to respond to emails, which means that Becky is extremely accessible. I like that. In our post HIPAA world, Becky gives me the information that I need to help our employees with issues and problems while retaining confidentiality. She does it quickly, quietly, correctly and with an email smile. This sounds so simple, but it sure stands out when an insurance provider helps you get quick and accurate information.

Just this week, an employee made it a point to tell me how great it is to work with the Becky and the team at Chard Snyder. He called the customer service number, got a live person and got the information that he needed within three minutes. No phone tree, no HIPAA, no verifications through HR. Just plain customer service at it's best. Way to go, Becky!

5 of My Favorite Interview Questions

I like to interview candidates. I enjoy meeting people, sharing my passion about my Company and learning about past careers, companies and experiences. I'm very conversational and relaxed in my interviews and they usually run a little long because of that. My favorite part of the interview is when it's the candidate's turn to asks me questions. Little do candidates know that I am not only evaluating them based upon their answers to my questions, but I'm also evaluating them based upon the depth and choice of their questions. For example, I am looking for a sales candidate to ask me about the sales support available, CRM, marketing, training and metrics - not about expense accounts. Bonus points if you ask to meet another sales person.

'Tis the season of giving, so I'm giving you a few of my favorite interview questions and what they are intended to explore.

1. Why did you join the Company and why did you stay? (Retention!)

2. Describe your favorite manager. (Culture, Leadership and Management)

3. Tell me about your ideal next position. (Actual vs. Desired Position)

4. Tell me about one of your professional failures. What did you learn? (Overcoming obstacles.)

5. What is your biggest strength? Where would you like to improve? (Focusing on improvements, Self-awareness and Development)


I'd love to hear about your favorite interview questions in the comments below!

What do you do when no one is looking?

I am fortunate to have worked with quite a few outstanding leaders, and unfortunately, I've also worked with a few leaders that sucked big time. I've seen decent managers turn into good leaders and good leaders fall from grace. The recent stories about leaders falling from grace got me thinking about what is a leader. Leadership is defined as the capacity to lead by Merriam Webster. That definition just doesn't work for me, so I've come up with a new and exciting definition of leadership (drum roll please....)

Leadership is what you do when no one is looking.

Leadership is not defined by direct reports or managing people or projects. Leaders are defined by their actions - how they communicate, carry themselves, their output, and their ability to inspire. Even more important, though, are the actions that a leader takes when no one is there to watch, document, justify or notice what you do. HR pros are in the unique position to work with and observe leaders behind closed doors, before the big meeting. We see their values, their heart and if they walk the talk. We see leaders in good times and in bad. We see them push forward, inspire, strategize, question, follow, listen and make very difficult decisions. We also see them run, demand, yell, play favorites, blame and hide.

We all have the ability to be leaders. How do you respond when no one is looking?