Be First

 Set the pace

 Set the standard

 Set the mood

Be First – Set the Pace

Your team is more likely to do what you so, than they are to do what you say. Keep that in mind.

How can we set the pace through our actions?

• Show up on time for work.
• Set the example with hard work.
• Upgrade performance.

Be First – Set the Standard

How can we set the standard through our actions?

• Dress professionally and appropriately.
• Treat customers, clients and suppliers with respect and courtesy.
• Give proper attention to paperwork.
• Practice effective communication skills.

As leader of your team, you cannot do it alone. You need a dedicated team behind you to succeed. What is the one thing that unites a team to work together? Common goal. A team is defined by the purpose and goal that it shares. These goals must be reasonable and achievable. If they are not, your team will resent you. You are responsible for empowering your team to meet these goals. Let them know you believe in them.

A goal must be described in understandable terms to be understood – and reached. A goal must have b a specific and reasonable deadline or it is not a goal – it is simply an ambition. Help your team accomplish both their independent and unifying goals by clarifying when a job must be completed.

Always provide your team with the following information:

• What must be accomplished.
• How it is to be accomplished (respecting skill level and ability: never condescend).
• When it must be completed.
• Why it must be completed or done this way.

As leader you are responsible for setting team goals and communicating to your team what those goals are. When communicating goals and other information to your team. There is one simple rule to keep in mind. It is the KISS principle:

Keep

It

Short

Simple

Keep it short: 

Know what you want to say before you speak.

Come to the point directly (diplomatically, if necessary). Do not dance around an issue.

Clearly define for your team what is expected of them.

Keep it simple:

Use simple words that will be understood.

Avoid jargon.

Take into consideration your receiver’s ability to understand.

Do not use simplicity as an excuse for speaking down to your sub-ordinates this will quickly erode the trust and respect that you may have established.

Articulate “What, How, When and Why.”

Offering the why behind the task distinguishes the leader from the supervisor.

When made clear to the team in the beginning, these terms – What, How, When and Why – later serve as a foundation from which to offer feedback and if it becomes necessary, constructive criticism.

As a leader, you are responsible for ‘decoding’ complicated messages for your team, so that they can accomplish the work that is needed.

Be First – Set the Mood

What are some tangible ways that we as leaders can bring a positive mood to the workplace?

• How to greet the day.
• How you look at challenges.
• How you recognise and celebrate success.
• How you encourage those who are struggling.
• How you react to failure.

Results:

• Open channels of communication that can enhance the way work gets accomplished.
• Effective communication means that before you, as a leader, insist on being understood, you first endeavour to understand.
• Teamwork is a two-way street.
• To be a leader you need a team to lead – and before they will be led, your team will insist on being heard.

To summarise: to be first, a leader must set the pace, set the standards and set the mood.