My philosophy on good leadership means having the ability to garner respect and willingness to perform from the people being led. In order to garner that respect, the leader must have a certain understanding of the people being led. Any group of people, whether it is three or 30, will have a varied range of personalities. The leader must know each basic personality, or at least have a good idea of each, in order to know how to get each person to accomplish the goals required. Good leadership also means being able to accurately identify problems and goals, assess the situation, determine possible solutions and assign the most effective method and personnel to get the job done right the first time.
A good leader must know a bit about the abilities of each person in order to assign tasks to the best people suited to accomplish those tasks. For instance, if a job requires a lot of physical effort, a good leader would not assign that task to a frail person, but instead, would assign it to someone known to be able to accomplish the goal. On the same note, if the task required a lot of thought and accuracy, a good leader would not assign it to a person who has a short attention span or one who does not pay attention to details.
A good leader also needs to respect and consider the impact of how and when things are said. This means never embarrass any worker in front of their co-workers. If there is a problem with what someone says, does, or does not do, a good leader will take that person to a private area to discuss it without belittling the person. An embarrassed or humiliated worker will not be a happy worker and could cause even more problems in the future or leave the group altogether, leaving a void in the team and tasks undone. Most people prefer to be asked to do a task rather than sternly being told to do it. If a leader says, “You, do this. You, do that.” the workers will grudgingly do the work. If they say something like “I need this done, can you do that for me?”, workers will be happier and, in most cases, more work will be accomplished. In both cases, the same information was transmitted but in the second example, more people will be happy to do the task. It was not so much what was said, but how it was said. Most people want to be helpful but do not like having things demanded of them unless the circumstances are extreme.
Another requirement of good leadership is listening to suggestions from the workers. Because they are the ones doing the actual work, they may have an idea that could make some tasks go smoother, faster or more efficiently. A good leader never assumes he/she knows all the answers to everything.
Overall, I think the best leader is one who considers how the person on the receiving end of the conversation is receiving the message. If the message is rude, unclear, disrespectful, or disorganized, the required goals will not be met, no matter how good the workers are. If the leadership is bad, everyone looks bad. If the leadership is good, everyone looks good and goals are accomplished accurately and on time.
A few years ago, I worked for an international company that distributed all of its products nationwide from its warehouse in Lancaster, PA. I had moved up from packaging orders, weighing and staging them to supervising the picking and packing areas. During a nationwide promotion, the company hired 75 temporary workers to pick and pack all the orders that flooded in. I had to select the people who were able to pull the orders properly and accurately, the people who would package those picked orders and the ones who would weigh and stage the orders for shipping. 99% of these people did excellent jobs and the promotional campaign was a huge success. Some of these temporary workers were also kept on permanently after the promotion was over.
Another time, for the same company, I had chosen a person to cover my job while I was on vacation for two weeks. When I returned from vacation, I was almost fired because, evidently, upper management wasn’t totally happy with my choice because not all of the paperwork was done correctly while I was gone. Though no one contacted me while I was on vacation saying there was a problem, I was held responsible because I didn’t call in to make sure everything was going smoothly with my choice of a temporary replacement. I did get to keep the job, but this was a very valuable lesson for me.
A few years ago, I worked for an international company that distributed all of its products nationwide from its warehouse in Lancaster, PA. I had moved up from packaging orders, weighing and staging them to supervising the picking and packing areas. During a nationwide promotion, the company hired 75 temporary workers to pick and pack all the orders that flooded in. I had to select the people who were able to pull the orders properly and accurately, the people who would package those picked orders and the ones who would weigh and stage the orders for shipping. 99% of these people did excellent jobs and the promotional campaign was a huge success. Some of these temporary workers were also kept on permanently after the promotion was over.
Another time, for the same company, I had chosen a person to cover my job while I was on vacation for two weeks. When I returned from vacation, I was almost fired because, evidently, upper management wasn’t totally happy with my choice because not all of the paperwork was done correctly while I was gone. Though no one contacted me while I was on vacation saying there was a problem, I was held responsible because I didn’t call in to make sure everything was going smoothly with my choice of a temporary replacement. I did get to keep the job, but this was a very valuable lesson for me.
My Vision
I keep my long-term vision in my head at all times. The short and mid-term visions stay basically the same but with slight modifications as I learn more about the changing economic factors and governmental laws.My vision starts with me first visiting the FSA offices of USDA in Georgetown during May of this year and speaking with them about what programs are available for a person like me who is starting an herb nursery. Because I am also a realist, I know this part of the vision will take me probably about four months minimum because of the paperwork, permits and other unforeseen legalities that need to be worked out. I will take in my Marketing Plan and complete Business plan so they can see what my intentions are and how I plan on accomplishing my goals. I see myself doing a lot of phone calls, meetings, paperwork, and faxing, e-mailing and mailing forms back and forth before I finally find what works best for me by the end of September of 2011. I also know I may have to research other avenues of revenue to start my business. These may include the Farm Credit Bureau or other lending institutions. I also may need to take an outside job for income while I set the business up.
I keep my long-term vision in my head at all times. The short and mid-term visions stay basically the same but with slight modifications as I learn more about the changing economic factors and governmental laws.My vision starts with me first visiting the FSA offices of USDA in Georgetown during May of this year and speaking with them about what programs are available for a person like me who is starting an herb nursery. Because I am also a realist, I know this part of the vision will take me probably about four months minimum because of the paperwork, permits and other unforeseen legalities that need to be worked out. I will take in my Marketing Plan and complete Business plan so they can see what my intentions are and how I plan on accomplishing my goals. I see myself doing a lot of phone calls, meetings, paperwork, and faxing, e-mailing and mailing forms back and forth before I finally find what works best for me by the end of September of 2011. I also know I may have to research other avenues of revenue to start my business. These may include the Farm Credit Bureau or other lending institutions. I also may need to take an outside job for income while I set the business up.
With financing in hand, October starts with the land being surveyed by either someone the lending entity recommends or someone of my own choosing to choose the proper sites for the two greenhouses, growing beds, well, business and storage buildings. The well contractor is starting the process of putting in the well, pump and main irrigation lines. The electrical contractor is deciding where and how to run the electrical service to the greenhouses for lights and fans, the well pump, and to the business and storage buildings for lights, fans and outlets. I have purchased a small, used tractor and the land is being leveled for buildings. I’m using the tractor to work the growing areas and taking soil samples to be sent off and analyzed so I can amend the soils, if necessary, before the middle of December. At the end of October, the well, electric, and buildings are all in place.
November starts with ordering seeds, starter plants, plant tags, and soil amendments, if needed, for the planting areas. Benches, pots, flats, potting mediums, hoses, wands, nozzles, and irrigation lines are also ordered, as well as customer supplies such as bags, boxes, receipts, etc. I am also gathering information for advertising campaigns which will start in March, 2012 and speaking to various restaurants near the beaches and surrounding towns, such as The Cultured Pearl and English’s Family Restaurant, plus ethnic Italian, Mexican, Greek, and Oriental restaurants to establish possible fresh herb accounts. I am also speaking to landscape contractors to make them aware of my ability to supply them with herbs for culinary, craft or medicinal landscapes. Planning and gathering of supplies is also starting for the first children’s competition my business will have two weeks before Easter to draw in customers and their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
December starts with deciding the best way to lay out the insides of the greenhouses, setting them up and having all components in working order. In mid-December, I am filling pots with potting medium and planting seeds to start the first plants that will be sold in the spring. The number of restaurants that agree to purchase my fresh herbs determines how many of each plant I start. For instance, if I have several restaurants that want a lot of fresh basil or cilantro each week, I plant enough of those plants to provide the fresh herbs needed, plus plants to sell to customers who want to grow their own, plus the landscapers. In the beginning or, at the latest, middle of the month, I am applying soil amendments to the growing areas so they will have time to incorporate into the soil before spring planting time. During the second half of December, I am planning and planting seeds in the greenhouses, watering and fertilizing them and making sure everything is working properly.
January and February I am tending to the seedlings in the greenhouses, scouting for pest and disease problems and preparing the final plans for the advertising campaign that will start in March. I am also gathering information on each herb’s suggested uses and care in order to make up information sheets for customers and speaking to web professionals to prepare for setting up a web site for my business.
In March I have started my advertising campaign in the local and surrounding newspapers and on local radio programs. I am looking at television advertising, too, but know I am starting out small so will most likely wait until next year or even the year after that to advertise on television because of the costs involved. The seedlings are doing nicely and are ready for customers to purchase. The plants for sale are arranged in the retail building to keep customers from entering the greenhouses. Some of the starter plants have arrived and are being planted in the growing areas. (Most of these plants are ones that I will use next winter to start new plants from by using cuttings or other propagation methods, depending on what plants they are and what the best propagation methods are for them. The new plants will increase my inventory’s variety for the following years.)
In April, I am supplying several restaurants weekly with the herbs they requested, selling plants steadily to individual customers and answering many questions about the different herbs, their possible uses, benefits and growing habits. I am still scouting my plants to watch for signs of pests, diseases or other problems and gathering information on what else my customers may want to see me offer in my business.
In May, the children have participated in one of my competitions and are now starting to be interested in the nature around them every day. My world is a happy place full of hard work and a feeling of self-accomplishment and satisfaction. The following year I am even happier because my inventory has grown, my selection of plants has increased, and my company name, D’s Naturals, now has a reputation of offering quality plants, service and information!
Decision Making
Decision Making
Decision making abilities are critical to any leader. Good decisions, of course, raise leaders in the eyes of both higher management and employees. One bad decision, however, can make everyone forget all past good decisions and ruin a promising leader in an instant. In order to make good decisions, a few basic steps need to be taken.
The first step is to make sure the true problem is identified. If a company or department is losing money, is the cause from incorrect labor allocation or from increased supply costs? The answer will determine the course of action necessary to correct the problem. Researching and attempting to adjust supply costs will be a waste of time and resources if the problem is really improper labor allocation. This part takes a bit of homework and research in order to correctly identify the true problem.
The next step is to determine the steps necessary to correct the identified problem and achieve the desired results. Thought has to be given to the reasoning behind, and the consequences of, each action to determine the best possible course of action. Some decision makers use charts or lists of pros and cons to help them make the best choices.
Good decision making is also based on facts and logical reasoning, not on emotions or doing something because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” It also involves asking yourself a few questions such as:
· Have I identified the real problem?
· What outcome is needed?
· What steps are needed to get to that outcome without causing other problems?
o Personal experiences can be good tools to use in this part. Everyone has had many experiences during their lives and, while they may not be exactly the same as the current situation, certain aspects of those experiences may be the same and can be used in figuring out either the true problem or some of the steps to remedy the problem.
· What potential problems could arise during implementation of the decision?
· Are the steps ethical, practical and achievable?
· Are there real opportunities for benefits by fixing this problem?
These decision making questions can be worked out by an individual or in a committee.
Once these basic questions have been answered, the plan should be implemented. It should not be second-guessed, nor should it become so bogged down in endless details and possibilities that it makes the entire process impossible to implement.
Decision making should not be taken lightly because the outcome can have very long-term effects not only on the decision maker but also on the entire group and all its’ members. Those effects can be extremely good or extremely bad so, in my opinion, it is better to take as much care as possible and consider as many aspects of the situation as can possibly be taken beforehand without overloading the process.
There are many things to consider when making decisions because each decision affects everyone and everything around the decision maker. No one makes all the right decisions all the time but using these guidelines, hopefully, bad decisions will be avoided the majority of the time.
Service-Leadership Attitudes
Service-Leadership Attitudes
Service-leader attitudes are important and beneficial to a team’s efficiency, productivity, and morale in several ways. First, they show that these leaders don’t consider themselves above the team, but a part of it. When service-leaders are willing to help with some of the support duties, they are allowing the other team members to continue working on the main tasks at hand more effectively and efficiently. At the same time, because they are working so closely with the team, those with these attitudes are also keeping a close eye on the over-all progress of their projects.
These attitudes allow for two-way lines of communication for exchanges of ideas and suggestions to keep everything flowing as smoothly as possible. By working closely with the team members, the service-leaders are easily accessible by the members, allowing potential problems to be solved before they become more serious.
Not all leaders can be service-leaders and, in my past experience, I have only known one. Her knowledge and experiences were shared with us and that allowed us to understand the entire scope of the task at hand more fully. Armed with this knowledge, we could make more informed decisions which, in turn, drastically reduced the occurrence of major problems.
Other leadership attitudes could benefit by using some form of service-leadership by taking one day a week and spending time supporting the team members to get a better idea of how they do their jobs, what is needed to make their jobs flow more smoothly, and what is needed to keep morale high.
Service-leader attitudes create a win-win situation for both team members and management.
The Process of Teamwork to Reach an End Result
The Process of Teamwork to Reach an End Result
The process by which teamwork reaches an end result can be fun or torturous, depending on the amount of cooperation among the members of the team. All members have to put aside their personal egos and work with enough respect for each other to allow open and honest debate. Because each team member looks at the same information from a slightly different point of view, no one person’s input is more important than another’s. In the beginning, everyone has a small piece of the puzzle and, by sharing those pieces with everyone else on the team and sharing their thoughts on how those pieces relate to each other, the pieces start to fall into place; the smallest detail could be the missing piece that makes the entire solution fall into place. During this process, it can be easy for a small group or individual within the team to unintentionally dominate the conversation so great care should be taken to make sure all members are actively participating in the entire debate. Without total cooperation, the team will never have all the information it needs to reach a fully informed conclusion or workable solution.
