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O P I N I O N

How not to suck as a leader

Ditch the ego, the fancy title, and the unnecessary rules. Instead, be the spark that inspires your team members to follow their passions.

I f you are a manager, you have people following your orders. If you are a leader, you have people following you.

They will build confidence to stretch and challenge themselves, ultimately reaching their highest poten- tial. The more we invest in our employees, the more they will give back to us. ❚ ❚ Enthusiasm/engagement. Create followers by be- ing a spark of inspiration. By showing confidence and enthusiasm for your vision, your employees will be motivated to work hard alongside you. Seventy percent of an employee’s motivation is influenced by their leader. “People will not respect you until they trust you. Your trustworthiness or ‘warmth’ is the most important factor in how your employees will evaluate you.”

According to a Harvard psychologist, when people first meet you, it takes them seconds to judge you by two criteria: 1) Can I trust this person? Psychologists refer to this as “warmth.” 2) Can I respect this person? Psychologists refer to this as “competence.” People will not respect you until they trust you. Your trustworthiness or “warmth” is the most important factor in how your employees will evaluate you. What you need: ❚ ❚ Empathy. Build trust by showing you care with sin- cere empathy, praise, and encouragement. Employ- ees can tell if you aren’t being sincere. Have unques- tioned integrity. ❚ ❚ Empowerment. Don’t focus on results, focus on people. Teach, coach, and mentor your employees.

Jeff Roman GUEST SPEAKER

What you don’t need: Seniority, a title, ego, power,

See JEFF ROMAN, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER December 17, 2018, ISSUE 1276

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