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Leadership Style | What makes a good leader?

Leadership Function and Style

Every leader’s #1 function is (or should be) to communicate, engage and motivate others towards a vision. Leadership style, on the other hand, is unique to an individual and can significantly vary. There are leadership style elements that effective leaders possess, including:

  • authenticity, 
  • decisiveness, 
  • focus, 
  • strong verbal and written communication skills, 
  • excellent hard and soft people skills, and 
  • the ability to always be looking forward with energy and positivity.

One of the biggest challenges that many face within an organization is the frustration around a leader’s inconsistencies. I mean what individuals are told versus how the leader acts. If a leader is inconsistent and does not ‘walk the talk,’ the business suffers, the people are not actively engaged nor working to their best, and lack of business growth and profit loss are a direct result.

Effective leaders:

    • Live by their values as simply as they breathe. 
    • Authentically lead, transparently communicate, execute on the action, and are consistently focused on moving the vision of the business forward.
    • Walk the talk and are exceptional role models.
    • Act decisively, however, are not inflexible. They are willing to pivot or adjust upon new information or circumstances. Shoulder poor decisions, and always share the credit when good decisions are made. 
    • Focus on one priority at a time with full attention. 
    • Manage their time, and recognize time is finite.  
    • Treat each day as a new day. Have a focus on continuous professional improvement, are curious, and love to learn.
    • Provide their personal touch with every interaction. They talk to people, ask for their feedback, and are visible (even if only on zoom due to the pandemic). 
    • Demonstrate self-discipline and the will to do what it takes, no matter how hard, until they achieve their desired outcome.

‘Life is too short to focus on things and people that you are not enjoying.’

~ Jenny Reilly

3 Leadership Questions to Answer:

  1. Do you have the right people in your team/business? If you have less than 90% of the right people on your team, that becomes your #1 priority. 
  2. Are your people on their A-game? If not, the decision is either to develop, replace, or move the person to an alternate position better suited to their strengths and capabilities. 
  3. What is the number one metric you look at weekly? This should be the #1 weekly agenda item to discuss first and focus on. It could be your cash flow, sales, service levels, product development…the objective is to have your #1 priority the first thing you always focus on and discuss.

Leadership tips:

  • Trust your team. A value cannot be ‘respect’ when you do not trust your colleagues.
  • Make decisions. Indecisiveness is paralyzing.
  • Know your top three priorities and consistently communicate on them.
  • Be precise, not irresolute. Imprecision is confusing.
  • Be consistent in what you say and how you say it.
  • Show humility, not indignancy. 

Proven Leadership Tactics:

  • When not attaining your expected results, make a conscious effort to change how you are doing things. Focus on improving, being more effective, and attaining increased results.
  • Be focused and systematic in your approach to learning efficiently. Improve your knowledge of services and products, the current market, technologies, processes and systems, organizational culture and internal politics that require attention.
  • Always match your strategy to the situation and do not take any shortcuts. What worked in the past does not mean it will be effective in the current situation. 
  • Identify strategic opportunities to add value and improve bottom-line results. 
  • Improve working relationships by setting and managing expectations.
  • Be the architect of alignment. Ensure structure fits strategy and that you are focusing on the right things.
  • Evaluate and mobilize team members. Build your team and be strategic in developing strengths and capabilities.
  • Identify individuals (inside and outside the business) who will support and mentor you, call you on areas of challenge and motivate you to take action on opportunities. 
  • Maintain your equilibrium and balance in both your professional and personal life. A more balanced approach enables you to focus better, not lose perspective and make better decisions.

You are only as strong as your weakest link. When you start feeling like you are in a rut or losing momentum or motivation, it is time to try one or more of the above actions to help you kickstart getting back onto the right track. 

Leadership To Do’s

  • Assess each business situation independently
  • Define and communicate your business intent
  • Establish your priorities
  • Act deliberately on strategic priorities
  • Secure early wins
  • Build your team
  • Develop alliances

If you are interested in learning about professional leadership development or executive coaching can help support your leadership or your leadership team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session.

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Leadership Situation Analysis | Change is Constant

Situation Analysis

Competent leaders understand that they need to stay on top of dealing with change. A situation analysis enables leaders to clarify how they lead, identify issues, challenges, and opportunities, and validate the resources required to match the situation. An adaption to leadership style may be required and is dependent on the situation.

Whether in start-up mode, encountering a business crisis and making a pivot in product or service delivery, going through a period of accelerated growth, realigning business priorities to match the market, or focused on sustaining success and longevity in the business, there is a framework that you can use to ensure success. 

Situation Analysis - Jenny Reilly Consulting - Executive Coaching and Business Consulting

 

Start-up or Expansion

In start-up mode, rapid execution is required in addition to a close focus on budget and finances, people, and technology. A great deal must be worked on with minimum resources and tight timeline constraints. Attracting, recruiting, and onboarding a high-performing team while at the same time building the right strategy is essential. During this phase, successful leaders are organized, make well-informed decisions, and are energized by the business possibilities.

When experiencing periods of accelerated growth, a leader must focus on implementing systems and processes to support scalability. With rapid growth comes the addition of more employees. The challenge is to attract, onboard and integrate them while ensuring transparent communication on the vision, individual expectations, KPI’s and essential engagement to do better and be better in the business. 

Crisis Management

In times of operational crisis, a pivot may be required in product or service delivery to save the business. Leaders need to be transparent every step of the way. When we know what may be coming our way, it is easier to prepare and lean into a situation to enable the strength to change it.

Long Term Success

When focusing on maintaining the longevity of success, the continual focus needs to be maintained on the team and innovatively looking at new ways to improve the business and take it to the next level of success. 

No matter where your business is on the scale, from start-up to maintaining longevity in the market, there are strategies and a framework that you can put in place to ensure success.

 

If you want to learn more about how implementing these frameworks and executive coaching can bring you, your team, and your business success, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com or schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session via Jenny Reilly Consulting Calendly.

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Stop the continuous ‘grind’!

Are you in continuous ‘grind’ mode –working long hours, not eating nor sleeping well, not taking breaks to refresh and relax, and feeling as though you are under continuous pressure?  Working like this does not increase your productivity or results; it often has the opposite effect. If you are on a continuous ‘grind’ on  the treadmill going uphill, you will inevitably burn out. 

 

We are now more than ever always connected and easily accessible. Instilling some boundaries to our personal and home time is essential as otherwise, the overlap becomes seamless, and little time is spent on self-care, relationships, and personal growth.

Are you in continuous grind mode? - Jenny Reilly Consulting - Executive Coaching

 

REFUEL

When you are more rested, you simply get more done. You have more energy, are more efficient, and can think and act clearly through a problem to resolution. Refuel with healthy food and try to have three meals per day, at least five hours apart. Reduce your sugar intake and try to eat clean. Combined with a healthy diet, exercise can help restore your body. 

PLAN

Enabling periods in your schedule to plan and think daily is worth your investment of time. At the end of the day, reflect on what was accomplished, record it, and prioritize your top three focus areas for the day ahead.

QUALITY

Through COVID, we relied more on social media than we have in the past to stay in contact. Unfortunately, it is also a great time suck, so challenge yourself daily to reduce your time on social media continually.  It is now time to spend quality time reconnecting in-person to develop your professional and personal relationships. These in-person relationships will inspire, reinvigorate, and motivate us to think bigger, be better, and be happier. 

 

We have all been victims of our own continuous ‘grind’ mode. We hear these great ideas that we know will benefit us; however, putting them into action can be the hardest part to implement. So, let’s consider the consequences of taking this advice, that extra hour you take to recharge you could pay it back to your business, client, or personal endeavour threefold because you’re more invigorated, less stressed, and more focused on the outcome. It’s a Win-Win!

 

Stop the continuous grind and ensure you get more rest. Reflect on your daily accomplishments and target priorities for the day ahead. Decrease your social media time and reconnect in person. Eat well and be active; this will help restore your mind and body.

 

We can help you with your professional development or provide tailored executive coaching that can help support your leadership or your leadership team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session.

Get your leadership strategies and tactics in my monthly newsletter, sign up here to subscribe.

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Business Owner, Entrepreneur or Intrepreneur – let’s have the same objectives!

Professional Growth for Business Owner, Entrepreneur and Intrepreneur

Working through COVID in remote or hybrid models has opened up the channels for individuals to demonstrate greater creativity in their positions, be proactive in thinking ahead, and be more flexible as they have had to manage the day to day challenges of working and living during a pandemic. Increased autonomy provided an opportunity for professional growth. The pandemic has allowed many to change their mindset when approaching work and look at it from an intrepreneur’s perspective rather than an employee.

For business owners and entrepreneurs during the last ten months, we have needed and relied on our employees to help with new cadence, processes, and ways of business, whether working remotely or with PPE’s (Personal Protective Equipment). 

 

‘The best type of employees to have are those that have acted like an intrepreneur through COVID.’ Jenny Reilly 

 

Intrepreneurs operate within a company and possess the entrepreneurial spirit that is often referenced when we talk about creative, flexible, and problem-solving individuals. 

An intrepreneur has the same outlook or mindset as an entrepreneur or business owner; they can identify gaps and provide solutions, take action before it is needed, and are always looking for ways to improve or innovate to make things better. 

 

intrepreneur

North America

During the last ten months in North America, the number of business decisions required was amplified as we adjusted to the new way of work, team interaction, virtual client service, and the differing levels of self-isolation. Intrepreneurs with the following mindset qualities assisted leadership through this turbulent time by being:

 

  1. Open to opportunities, challenges, and alternate ways of doing business 
  2. Resilient, patient, resourceful, and creative while pushing through adversity and times of challenge during COVID.
  3. Always on the lookout for solutions to existing or potential problems. Looking for connections that others may miss. 
  4. Relentlessly consistent in taking action to improve processes and efficiencies.
  5. Courageous in trying new things, not being frightened to fail, bounce back with improvements, pivot, and try again.
  6. In pursuit of continuous improvement until a problem is solved. 
  7. Authentic, sincere, respected, and humble. Developing trust and commitment quickly.

 

Intrepreneur

Individuals who have transformed themselves into an intrepreneur through COVID have redefined how they approach work. This new approach to work, mindset pivot, and results have improved confidence levels, purpose, and commitment to the company’s success. 

 

intrepreneur

Encourage your staff

How can you, as a leader, encourage staff to adopt an intrepreneurs mindset?

What support and training can you provide to your team to support their leadership journey?

How can you encourage the uptake of a new perspective while adapting to the world of work’s unique rigours during and post COVID?

Contact Me

Reach out to me if you are interested in learning more about how you can encourage intrepreneurship within your business model, or book a 15-minute strategy consultation through my Calendly link here.

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Goals Set your Direction & Systems Help you Make Progress

Your days are jam-packed; however, you often feel by days end that you have accomplished little as your time has been spent on low-value tasks, putting out fires, and getting caught up in the day-to-day business minutia. There is never enough time to focus on what is important; your goals are defined; however, you can’t seem to make progress on moving them forward. Sound familiar?

 

You Can Get Frustrated Before You Make Progress

If you are frustrated by your progress on moving goals forward, it is time to reset how you are prioritizing the work that needs to be done on your goals, the processes you have in place to focus on the ‘next best step,’ and systems to enable you to work smarter, not harder on the work at hand.

 

Goals set direction and can help keep you organized.

 

Processes outline what you need to do – step-by-step actions.

 

Systems help you achieve your goals and make progress – a critical component for all, no matter what industry you are in or the position you hold.

Make Progress at work

Implement a System 

The implementation of process, technical and time management systems are critical to enabling you to make progress on your goals. I have outlined below systems that I use daily:

 

Process System

  • I utilize the 80/20 rule when determining goal focus. Using the Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, I appreciate that 80% of my business outcomes are usually a result of 20% of my efforts around my top goals. So, when working on my goals daily, I commence working on high-value tasks associated with a top-level goal, which in turn provides the greatest return on my time investment. When using the 80/20 rule, a simple trick is to ask yourself daily when mapping out your schedule: ‘What goal focus should I concentrate on today that will provide the greatest impact?’. 

Technical Systems

  • The client CRM I use is HubSpot. The project management software I use is Trello to manage goals, task assignments, staff communication, the delegation of tasks, reporting, and metrics. 

Time Management Systems:

  • When scheduling my time, I allocate a minimum of two hours daily to focus on high-value goals that significantly impact my consultancy. I block of uninterruptable time chunks in my Outlook calendar and couldn’t live without my Full Focus Paper Planner to keep me on track. By having this identified time blocked out daily, I make guaranteed goal progress. You need to remember two words that go hand in hand with your time management systems, RELENTLESS CONSISTENCY – this will help you move forward in your goal attainment and track if you make progress. 

 

7 Steps To Help You Stay On Track And Make Progress:

  1. Determine your goals; they set your direction
  2. Under each goal, detail the associated tasks and timelines
  3. Set critical milestone dates, and ensure reporting metric expectations are communicated
  4. Detail the strategy as to how you will approach and achieve the goal
  5. Focus first on the top 20% of goals that will provide the most significant impact.
  6. Set aside time daily to work on ‘the next best step’ of the goal. Do this in uninterruptable time chunks. The daily allocation of time will make a significant difference in your goal timeline.
  7. Be relentlessly consistent – action should be taken daily for the greatest momentum

 

Make progress in life

Atomic Habits 

If you have not read Atomic Habits, I encourage you to do so. James Clear’s reference around the importance of small habits making a big difference is critical to address procrastination and move your goals forward. An example in his book given is one that I often refer to with clients, ‘The effects of small habits compound over time. For example, if you can get just 1 percent better each day, you’ll end up with results that are nearly 37 times better after one year.’ Now that is progress!

Evaluate Your System

I hope this article has motivated you to evaluate your current systems to ensure they are working to your best advantage—work smarter, not harder, for greater productivity, balance, and increased results. Be relentlessly consistent in your actions; small steps compounded make a significant difference to your bottom line. 

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