Page 74 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

Entering the Organization 59

Respects Gossips about shortcomings
Communicates and listens Tells; directs
Sees the small and big picture Picks on details
Trusts; tends to see the good Creates dependent relationships;
as well as bad primarily sees mistakes
Smiles and invites Is noncommittal; frowns and rejects
Is seen as supportive Is seen as critical
Is assertive Is aggressive
Creates cooperative and Creates competition and dependency
independent relationships
In conflict situations is Focuses on problems, not solutions
balanced; sees others’
viewpoints and sees mutual
solutions
Usually uses an I win/you In conflict looks for I win/you lose
win style solutions

Creating the Conditions for Optimal Performance

Think of yourself as a catalyst striving for the best “chemistry” between you,
your employees, and your work environment. Just as a farmer tends the soil,
the empowering leader nurtures his or her people. There are six critical
actions that will help you build a positive self-fulfilling prophecy resulting in
high performance:

1. Challenge and “stretch” people.
2. Give people choice in how to get the job done.
3. Show respect for others.
4. Relate to people in a mutually supportive way.
5. Practice self-monitoring.
6. Build on successful experiences.

Challenge People
We know that people tend to perform best when they need to “stretch” in their
jobs. This usually means that people should be pushed (or preferably push
themselves) to work just beyond their own view of what is comfortable. “Just
out of reach, but not out of sight,” is an excellent rule of thumb. Leaders and
employees should agree to performance and achievement standards that pro-