eLearning CE: Activity 3 - Lee Si Yuan (16)

Traits of being a good leader:

Being Visible - By circulating around the workplace, you will appear more approachable and available. Take advantage of every opportunity to interact with co-workers. Be supportive of others and try to help out with the little things. Walk into the bay area and have a brief conversation as you help a co-worker with a customer's car. Management By Wandering Around (MBWA) works! Make sure to practice visibility upward as well as downward.

Being Consistent - Don't be a tyrant one day and a pussycat the next. Flip-flopping between styles confuses employees. Stick with one style of leadership. Those who look to you for leadership must know what to expect on a daily basis. Also, make decisions consistently. It is important not to bring personal feelings to the workplace. When dealing with employees, stay focused on the situation or issue, not on the person. We connect with some workers better than others. Try not to let the relationship taint your response. Treat all employees equally. Enforce company policies fairly. It is more difficult with the co-workers who are different from you.

Being Initiate - Try initiating conversations to help find better solutions. Asking questions is a great way to initiate conversations. Try asking open-ended questions. For example: "What can we do better as a company?" Don't always dictate change. Initiate change by creating an atmosphere where creative juices can flow freely. Encourage suggestions for improvement. Set out a suggestion box and reward good suggestions. Continually strive to get better.

Being Responsible - Leaders accept challenges as well as successes. If an employee makes a mistake, it is your responsibility to help him or her improve. Employees will never respect a leader who deflects criticism toward the team. Successful leaders think of themselves as "we," not "I." It is a leader's responsibility to ensure that everyone shares in the team's success.

Being able to Communicate - Good leaders are good communicators. They clearly convey their message in a way that connects with the listener. Good leaders understand that you tailor your message to the needs of each worker. If someone is analytical, construct your message focusing on facts and data. If someone is more relational, construct your message in a way that conveys emotion and focuses on how the change impacts people.

Source: http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/jan2005/manage.htm

How do you think a good leader manages crisis under stressful situation?

A good leader will always calm down when ever there are crisis. They will then think of a solution which will then solve the crisis. This requires patience, hence a good leader also needs to have patience.

Lee Si Yuan