A Question of Leadership?

In a week or so Gordon Brown will take a short drive up the Mall and ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament and call a General Election. From that moment on we will be hearing an awful lot about leadership.
In business we are often being told about how important leadership is, the problem being that the debate on how to lead often becomes blurred with discussions about the style of famous leaders or even about heroism which, although a related topic, is a quality that is not often required when attending a management meeting on a wet Monday morning.
Like most things to do with management, leadership has been so thoroughly complicated by theorists that many people turn off when it is discussed, prefering to keep their head down and hope they are doing it right.
This is a mistake as, even if you can't aspire to the leadership levels of Churchill, Montgomery or even Richard Branson you will be surprised how effective a leader you can be if you follow 3 simple rules.

1. Be Visible
You can't lead if you aren't seen around the business so for goodness sake, forget about the e-mail inbox and get your walking shoes on. If your not used to it this will be uncomfortable at first both for you and your staff but discipline yourself to do it at least once a week and you'll soon get the hang of it. It's helpful if you have a question ready to get a conversation going try 'What are you working on' for instance.

2. Be Polite
This might seem an odd one, you are running a business not a charm school after all, but I am a great believer that managers that scream and shout are more diminished in the eyes of their staff after each outburst. Just like a chain being as strong as its weakest link a manager is as good as the way he or she treats the most junior employee. Politeness, particularly when the pressure is on, is not a sign of being soft, still less of weakness, it is a sign that you are in control both of the situation as well as yourself.

3. Make That Decision
Sadly too many managers think that if they put off making a choice between 2 conflicting proposals, or delay getting back to someone with a negative answer about that pay rise they asked for, they will avoid a row and somehow keep the peace. Well, they might but they will also lose the respect of the people they are trying not to offend, which is much worse. As long as you observe rule No 2 when you give your reply you will at least be regarded as someone who doesn't shy away from tough decisions.

There is obviously much more to leadership than these 3 basic principles but you will be surprised at the results you can achieve by giving them a try. In doing so you will be setting an example to others and creating an atmosphere in your business where your team will feel valued and want to do their best for you, that is the sign of true leadership.