Leadership

Leading Organizations: The Ability To Influence (SHRM)

April 25, 2019 by Michelle Ray

So, SHRM identify leadership competencies in three different categories, leading organizations, leading self, and leading others. And when it comes to leading organizations the ability to influence is one that they identify, and something that is so important to you as a leader because it’s not about your title.

Are you an influencer? What does it mean to be able to influence? To be able to influence in your organization is something that everyone of us needs to focus on because when you are able to influence you are able to demonstrate a genuine interest in others before putting forth your own agenda. You are also a person who is setting a trend, who is an innovator, who recognizes that it is important to be one step ahead.

So, you are unafraid to chart a new course. And you are ready to be able to influence a situation by the way that you carry yourself. So, think about your own demeanor. Think about how you come across. People who are influencers recognize that it’s all about who they are in terms of their character, in terms of their passion, in terms of their enthusiasm, in in terms of their conviction.

Great influencers are confident in their position and they recognize that before they can advance their own position they need to be able to listen first in order to then influence. Is that you?

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnSw8btJbNGI on YouTube.

Michelle Ray (Twitter) is one of the best international leadership keynote speakers in Vancouver. She helps you discover your potential through presentations, coaching and consulting. With over 20 years of experience Michelle has worked with hundreds of companies around the world. She is taking bookings for speaking engagements and can be contacted at MichelleRay.com

Resilience and Optimism as Leadership Competencies – Be Resilient and optimistic!

April 18, 2019 by Michelle Ray

Two great competencies for an executive are resilience and optimism. Is that you? Are you a resilient executive? Because in order to be successful and continue to have success in today’s economy, we need to be able to hone our resilience muscle.

When you think about all the trials and tribulations of your business, all the change and upheaval that you’ve experienced, that has given you the inner strength to continue to face the next opportunity. Resilience is strength. It is something that we all have the ability to tap into because we have weathered the storm.

We have gone through adversity. We’ve gone through personal challenges, professional challenges, business challenges and that’s what makes us stronger. So it is one of the most desirable competencies that organizations are looking for in their executives, is to know that they are resilient and that they are willing to do what it takes to take on the next challenge and to tap into their inner strength in order to make it happen.

Remember, when you are a resilient leader, you will face the challenges, you have faced them with an optimistic outlook and you know that when you look at the world through an optimistic lens, you are more likely to be able to meet that challenge head-on and rise to the occasion by being the absolute best that you can.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i9Sme8-VZo on YouTube.

Why Conflict Management is an Essential Interpersonal Skill

April 11, 2019 by Michelle Ray

Conflict management is the higher order of interpersonal skills. It is so important as a leader that you are able, that you that the ability, the competency, to be able to manage conflict. You may not always resolve it, but let’s make no mistake that as a leader if we do not address conflict it is an enormous cost to morale.

It is one of the key reasons to why people start thinking about leaving a job. And it actually is one of the biggest demotivators to individuals who were already performing well and were feeling good about what they’re doing, and they notice that their leader has not addressed an issue between their colleagues. So, your ability to manage and resolve conflict if possible, as I said, to be able to resolve it, is something that your individuals who are involved in the conflict are looking to you to manage. And also the rest of your team are expecting that you are able to do that.

Developing these skills is really important because to the individuals having the issue, as I said, if they feel that you aren’t able to address it then where are they going to go? Who are they going to turn to? They’re not able to manage it on their own. So that’s why they’re looking to you to be able to help them to deal with that concern, whatever it might be.

Time and again I’ve had people coming to me, whether it’s through my coaching services, or during a workshop session. I only had it happen the other day where someone said to me, you know what? There is an issue with another manager who is a bully and I know that my senior leadership aren’t addressing that. They aren’t addressing the conflict between us. And as a result of that I’m really at a point where I don’t think I can stay. And that is a really sad thing.

So, this really capable person is considering walking away from their position after 14 years because their management, their senior leadership, aren’t able to deal with this conflict. So, I’m urging you to think about developing your skills when it comes to managing conflict to the absolute best of your ability rather than risk losing great people.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkvJZeSHmBA on YouTube.

Communicating effectively is the Secret to Success

April 4, 2019 by Michelle Ray

Communicating effectively. Is that you? Communication is the secret to success. Without understanding others, without understanding that we, when we send a message as leaders, we are ultimately responsible. Your communication is not something that other people should be trying to figure out.

In any communication, there is always a sender and a receiver. So when we are communicating with others, we need to communicate effectively. We need to be clear. We need for others to understand exactly what they mean. The leader who communicates a message and then thinks to themselves, hmmm, I don’t think they got it. Well, if that’s you, then it’s actually your responsibility.

It’s not the other person’s task to understand what you meant. It’s your responsibility to be clear, and every person needs different communication. Some people, they may not need a lot. They may already have the skills to do the task, but there are others who need more direction, more communication from you. So we can’t communicate with everyone in exactly the same way.

We need to be flexible ourselves, and those leaders who have the ability to communicate effectively understand that one size doesn’t fit all. Being a great communicator is everything because business is all about communication, and business is all about people. So I would suggest if you wanna be a better communicator as a leader, do everything possible to hone those skills to be open to learning to be open to communicating.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIbqu54h2_8 on YouTube.

Leadership Styles – The Laissez-Faire Leader

March 28, 2019 by webadmin

There are many highly effective leadership styles. Every leadership style has a time and a place. The laissez-faire leader, for example, is one who recognizes that people have the ability to take the work and just run with it.

They are not micromanagers. A laissez-faire leader recognizes that that is the optimum style for people who know what they’re doing. Now I know that this sounds very obvious. The truth is that there are some people who do need more guidance. They do need a more hands-on type of leader because they are still learning their position. They are learning their role. They are still learning the tasks associated with their job.

So a laissez-faire style leader is one who really understands that people are already well-equipped to do their job and they don’t need a lot of interference or interjection from their manager in terms of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.

This article is a transcript from Michelle Ray’s Leadership Secrets at YouTube YouTube.

How Great Leaders Exhibit Decision-Making Excellence

March 21, 2019 by webadmin

So as a leader, how would you describe your skills when it comes to decision making and understanding what’s involved in the decision-making process? Are all the decisions made by you, or are there times where you need to be able to be able to engage your team in the decision-making process?

I believe that this is a critically-important skill and something that leaders need to consider as to whether or not they already have it in their repertoire of leadership competencies. So what would you say about your ability to make those decisions and to be able to engage others, and to know when to be able to engage others? Because sometimes the worst thing you can do is to not make any decision at all. And that can be extremely costly to your business, to the future of your business.

And recognizing that by standing still, it may actually be the worst thing that you can do. So sometimes making a decision, even if it might mean that you make a mistake when you make that decision, is totally okay. Because at least you’ve moved in a particular direction rather than just been frozen in time. And, again, making that decision can be a game changer for your business. So it all has to do with your confidence to make the right decision and to know when to engage others to help you make the best decision for your business.

This article is a transcript from Michelle Ray’s Leadership Secrets at YouTube YouTube.

Leading Self – Demonstrating Ethics and Integrity

March 14, 2019 by webadmin

So according to The Society of Human Resource Management one of the categories for key leadership competencies is leading self. One of the first pieces of being able to lead one’s self is operating with high ethics and integrity.

Absolutely critical to your success as a leader is to be conscious of your own integrity and how your reputation is everything. The fact that people are paying attention to you as a leader and your values, and how you operate in the world and your character, because if we’re gonna be successful as leaders we need to realize that it is not about our title, it is about the essence of who we are, it is about operating at the highest level possible, realizing that we are absolutely under the microscope as leaders.

So to be a leader that manages one’s self with integrity in every single action is really the key to your success to be able to rise above any kind of challenge and do so with your reputation always remaining in tact because you are able to lead yourself.

This article is a transcript from Michelle Ray’s Leadership Secrets at YouTube YouTube.

Emotional Intelligence as a Leadership Trait

March 7, 2019 by webadmin

As a leader your ability to hone your emotion intelligence is absolutely one of the best things you can do for yourself. Emotional intelligence is all about managing your own emotions and being in tune to the emotions of others, being really dialed in, recognizing when you yourself have to keep your own emotions in check. And as a leader this is, it goes without saying that you are gonna be invariably, and you are everyday being pulled in a myriad of different directions.

So, to manage your emotional intelligence, as Daniel Goldman says, emotional intelligence is everything. And it’s one thing to have intellect and to have a great business sense and to have business acumen, but all of that can be undone so quickly if we aren’t sensitive to our own emotions and the emotions of others recognizing when we are feeling frustrated, when we’re feeling angry, when we’re feeling impatient, when a meeting isn’t wrapping up as quickly as we’d like it to, when someone else might be rambling on, but what they are saying is really important in that moment and you as the leader can sense that in yourself that you need to give that airtime to other people. So, emotional intelligence is actually also equated to how charismatic you are, how much energy you have, how you channel that energy in the right direction, how you’re able to bring other with you without being over the top, being able to manage yourself and how much emotion you bring into every situation. So, people need to feel that positive vibe from you.

They need to feel that energy. But, they can also be just as aware of when you might be frustrated, when you might be getting angry, when you might be losing it. And all of that can have an impact of course on your overall business. So, the best leaders know how to manage themselves, how to manage their emotions, and how to recognize the emotions of others, and be sensitive to that as well.

This article is a transcript from Michelle Ray’s Leadership Secrets at YouTube YouTube.

Valuing Diversity and Difference

February 28, 2019 by Michelle Ray

In leading others as SHRM say, one of the most important things that we can do is value diversity and differences in others. To be able to celebrate those differences is gonna make you successful as a leader, and it’s gonna make your organization successful. Because we want to be able to embrace differences and not to categorize people because they are different. That is the key to having success for our organizations.

It’s never been more relevant than it is today. Do you value diversity? Do you value diversity, gender diversity, cultural diversity, divergent thinking? That is what makes you a great organization. That is what makes you an organization that is separating yourself from the competitors, separating yourself from your competitors. Because people are watching you. They are watching you as a leader. They are watching you as an organization. Make no mistake that you as a leader, when people are assessing your business, are assessing the opportunity to work for your organization. They are looking at your ability to recognize and celebrate diversity. Because if we look at the world through a myopic lens we are in trouble.

We need to be able to celebrate all the differences that are out there in terms of people, in terms of their way of thinking, in terms of the way that they are operating. My hope is that for you as a leader you will always remain open minded.

Because, as a famous poet Anonymous once said, many an open mind should be closed for a repairs.

This article is a transcript from Michelle Ray’s Leadership Secrets at YouTube YouTube.

Setting the Vision when Leading Organizations

February 21, 2019 by Michelle Ray

SHRM identify that one of the competencies that we need to have as leaders is the ability to set the vision. They identify this as one of the key competencies when it comes to leading organizations. Setting the vision is all about being transformational.

It’s about being focused on the future. On the other hand, leaders who are transactional are going about the day-to-day functions associated with leadership. And whilst all of those are critically important, the idea of being future focused is above all else. It means that you have an eye on tomorrow and that you are thinking about the vision in everything you do. It’s about big picture thinking and sometimes we get so caught up in the minutiae of the day-to-day, that we lose sight of that vision.

Great leaders are always cognizant of the vision and they’re able to take people along with them to realize the vision of their organization. Think about great leaders that you have come across in your own life. Great leaders that you have studied. Why have you admired them?

I would say the great majority of leaders that I have admired are the visionaries. So great leaders are those who are able to keep their eyes firmly fixed on the future.

This article is a transcript from Michelle Ray’s Leadership Secrets at YouTube YouTube.

Leadership

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