New Leaders, Pictures 4 Critical Success

Volumes are written on becoming a great leader.  The skills and challenges can seem complex and overwhelming. There is so much to learn. New leaders are particularly challenged to quickly learn and master leadership skills to lead the team to success. As a client recently outlined the challenges of one of his new leaders, I immediately thought of pictures that would fuel her critical success.

You can apply leadership principles more quickly with pictures that remind, reinforce, and trigger successful behaviors. As you read this post, please share in the comments field a lesson and/or picture that you think fuels new leaders’ success.



Pictures for Critical Success

    Picture 4 Critical Success Image by: Thomas Hawke

  1. Avoid Micro-Managing. Have someone take a picture of you holding a ball with both hands. Put the picture on your desk and in your mobile device. Look at the picture morning, noon, and later in the day. Ask yourself, do you want to be holding that same ball for the rest of your professional life? If not, you must let others carry the ball!
  2. Picture Open Discussion Image by:Lynn Dumbrowski

  3. Resolving Conflict. As a leader if you ignore conflict or lead in order to avoid it at all costs, your results may suffer. Whether you are afraid of conflict or just new at dealing with it, conflicts in office environments are resolved through great questions, listening, understanding, and discussion. When you sense conflict may erupt, immediately picture people talking it out. Then take steps to make it happen.
  4. Feelings of Inadequacy. Handled well, your feelings of inadequacy can lead to your success. Overlooked or mishandled, they can turn you into a little Napoleon. Don’t let that happen to you. Select a picture of strength that speaks to you and spurs your growth: an unpolished diamond, an oak tree, vegetation on a beach that thrives even after a storm, or pictures of you – as a baby, a teenager, and today. Believe in yourself as you learn and grow.
  5. Recognizing Contributions Big & Small. Study after study in western workplaces show that recognition is a universal morale builder and preserver. This story of a starfish creates a memorable picture and is one of my favorite leadership reminders: StarFish – Every Contribution Makes a Difference.
  6. Lead People Image by: Cymph37

  7. Lead People, Manage Processes. If you were a strong line manager before being promoted to a leadership position, now you must lead people not manage them. How to remember the difference? Try this picture —>.
    People are moved by inspiration, processes aren’t.

There are many free pictures online at http://flickr.com, http://www.google.com/imghp, and low cost pictures on many other sites. Consider having each team member pick out a picture that will remind, reinforce, and trigger a critical success behavior for themselves. Pictures are powerful reminders.

From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach™

©2011 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. If you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please first email info@katenasser.com for terms of use. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.


Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, customer service, customer experience, and teamwork. She turns interaction obstacles into business success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.

2 Responses to “New Leaders, Pictures 4 Critical Success”

  1. Lori Meyer says:

    Thank you for these succinct and powerful tips for effective leadership! I love#5: “Lead people, manage processes” — it says volumes. I’ve bookmarked this site.

    • Kate Nasser says:

      That is one of my favorites Lori because so many line folks move up into a position and try to lead by managing people the way they managed projects. Thanks for tagging it!
      Kate

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