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O P I N I O N
I ’ve attended a lot of leadership courses over the years and have learned much about how to lead organizations. What I didn’t learn in those courses was how to be great a leader. Life events and the sports page Empty slogans and tired jargon don’t do the trick. To be a great leader you have to make a personal connection with members of your team.
Throughout the programs, I learned how to build teams, how to motivate people to achieve exceptional results, how to provide feedback, and even how to project an executive presence. Some of it was really good, foundational information that all leaders should have. Some of what I heard was worthless garbage peddled as profound. I spent 15 minutes in one leadership course learning how to shake hands. As someone approaching AARP eligibility, I think I’ve got the handshake thing figured out. Apparently, the instructor was unable to discern from the gray- haired crowd of senior executives that the lesson was a waste of everyone’s time. I left the course during the lunch break and didn’t return. Sometimes, I hear those in leadership positions spout the vacuous lines of carnival barkers and snake oil salesmen. Lines such as, “They won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” are like fingernails on a chalkboard. I realize it may sound profound to some, but to real leaders, it reeks of Leadership by Bumper Sticker,
and that’s not an effective approach to leading others. I wouldn’t be so pompous as to call myself a great leader. I’m simply passing on some things that have worked for me that are not taught in leadership courses. ❚ ❚ Keep track of important dates. Is someone in your organization graduating from a program or about to earn a professional certificate? Put the date on your calendar and either plan to attend the event (if invited), or pay the person a special visit to per- sonally congratulate them. Work anniversaries are another great addition to your executive calendar. Recognizing that someone has been with your firm for 41 years is a big deal, but so is recognizing that someone has been there for two. ❚ ❚ Celebrate life events. We all have important events in our lives, such as birthdays, weddings, births, promotions, graduations, and more. Celebrate those events publicly, but also commemorate them pri- vately. Share a cake with the office, but also include a personal touch.
Bill Murphey CONTINUING ED
See BILL MURPHEY, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER September 26, 2016, ISSUE 1169
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