Leadership: The Magic Of Feedback

Many organizations are over managed. Key executives believe in the process of micro managing subordinates and overseeing all activities.

What this business model does is create a lot of busy work but essentially is much less productive.

A real leader understands the importance of feedback. While many shy away from feedback because it can show them things about themselves they don't want to see, it is a very vital part of effective leadership. You can consider leadership as the mirror that lets you see the job you are doing and have done. But don't look at is as judgment, look instead at feedback as a way to better the path towards your eventual goal.

You should be open to regular feedback sessions. Some try to allow feedback on the project at bi-weekly or monthly intervals. That is too long of a time period to wait for something that may need to be addressed much sooner. Often employees are waiting for a chance to talk more about the project and get some response to what they are doing to make sure they are doing the right thing. As a manager you should at the least have weekly meetings to keep up with the progress your group is making, and also help them look at the things they have yet to accomplish and prioritize the list. You may also get some input on better ways to do things from those who have been in the midst of it. In addition to group meetings, you should also offer individual meetings to group members.

You need to always know what your team is doing and that they are working towards the group objective. After all, you are the leader. In the end this project is your responsibility and if things go wrong, you are going to be the one who has to take the blame. You should be able to spot if performance is slipping anywhere in your team and deal with that problem quickly. You need to discover if they just don't want to do the job, or if they are having a problem. That can be done through asking them a lot of open-ended questions so they will eventually let you know the real hold up.

Make sure your group members know you are behind them. Everyone can use a little encouragement once in a while. But also make sure they know you expect to see results. At the end of your meetings, always leave them knowing when the next meeting is going to be. This sets them up to know that they will be expected to show more progress in a certain time period

You need to discipline yourself as a leader to make sure not to become complacent. This is something that happens to many leaders. They after a while become indifferent to the project and don't keep as close an eye on things as they should. This is a recipe for disaster and shows poor leadership to boot. You must meet every week with the group members and always make a list of their goals, assuring they are making progress towards those goals. If you neglect your group members, they may well start to neglect the work they are supposed to be getting done.

About the Author

Harald Anderson is the co-founder of www.artinspires.com a leading online motivational posters gallery. His goal in life is to become the kind of person his dog thinks he is.

7 Ways To Say No Without Feeling Guilty

It's such a small word but so difficult to use sometimes. We seem to use this word so easily with our spouse and children but have a hard time saying it to other people.

So the trick is to figure out how and when to say no. I'm not saying that you should be selfish and never help anybody out. However, most people are running around stressed because they're saying yes to everybody but themselves.

You should only be saying yes when you genuinely want to do something.

You feel excitement at the thought of doing it or it ties in with your life goals or definition of success.

You don't have to have another appointment first in order to say no

If you've planned to have an evening in (bubble bath, reading, TV, whatever…) and you get invited out, this does not automatically mean you have to accept. An appointment with yourself is just as important as one with other people. Value your time! Realise that when you say yes to one thing, you ALWAYS say no to something else.

When this happens, you usually say no to the more important parts of your life - God, family, yourself. For example, you're asked to help out on a committee at your child's school. You could end up so busy with committee work that you deprive your child of quality time. Another example is saying yes to everybody at work collecting money for birthdays, leaving presents, etc, and no to your own financial future.

Don't instinctively say yes. Buy time to think about it first.

Always check your diary first before committing to plans. Or just take a deep breath. Otherwise you end up saying yes to everything and at the end of a hectic period, you're virtually burnt out.

It becomes easier to say yes the more you practice

At first when you have to say no to something or someone, it feels terrible. But it is incredibly empowering when you realize that you made the correct decision in saying no. It is an acquired skill and the more you use your "no" muscle, the stronger it'll get. I promise.

When you say yes and you feel resentment, it means that you should have said no

Learn to listen to your heart. The Bible says that we mustn't give grudgingly or under compulsion, and yet, so many of us do. We say yes, and harbour deep feelings of resentment and bitterness. Nothing good comes from a resentful attitude.

Saying no comes easier when you are confident in your own capabilities

When you say no firmly and without a groveling apology, it affirms your self-worth and it's a way to stand up for yourself. Men seem to do really well at this but women seem to want to explain everything and apologise while they're saying no.

You don't have to be rude or ugly about it - there are many ways to say no

No can be "I can't help you this time", "I can only do it next month", "that's not my strong suit" or simply "no, thanks".

Make a quality decision this month to look at your schedule and see where you're saying yes to activities or commitments that don't support your goals. Then, work at saying no to them so you can say yes to more important things.

Marcia Francois is a personal life coach and professional organiser who teaches small business owners and other busy people how to have more time, less stress and a more organised and fulfilled life. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com for your free Organise your Life e-book and other helpful tips.

Confidence - 5 Barriers to Building Self Confidence

By Darrell Causey

Confidence is one of the most important traits that you must acquire for success. It is the development of confidence that will help you overcome your fear of public speaking or making presentations. Without confidence, you can not be as effective as you like.

Here are 5 Barriers to developing your self confidence.

Barrier #1 Fear

The number one barrier to having an unstoppable confidence is fear. It might be a fear of failure, a fear rejection or even a fear of success. That's right, you might be afraid of success and all the responsibilities that come because of success.

But most of these fears are imaginary. The only place these fears exist are in your mind. So stop and think about your fears. Are they real or are you afraid of something that hasn't even happened yet? If it hasn't happened yet don't let it stop you from doing the things you need to do. Face your fear head on and take action.

Barrier #2 Worry

The next big barrier to a powerful confidence is worry. You might be worried about being perfect, or about what others think or that you might make a mistake. All of these are caused by spending too much time thinking about you. So, stop thinking about you and start thinking about others who need your message. Once you begin to focus on helping others you stop worrying about you.

Barrier #3 Procrastination

Procrastination will rob you of your confidence by keeping you from being at your best. Every time you leave something to be done at the last minute, it will never be as good as it could have been. If you are going to be at your best you need to determine your priorities and plan your tasks according to your priorities.

Barrier #4 Indecision

The ability to make decisions is a must for building confidence. Indecision in many situations can paralyze you and render you ineffective. You can change this by giving yourself deadlines to make a decision and sticking to it.

Remember you can always change your decision if new information warrants a change, but waiting to make a decision until everything is perfect will immobilize you. The perfect time will never come.

Barrier #5 Doubt

Doubt is probably the under lying problem with the other four barriers. Your fear, worry and indecisiveness comes from your doubt in your own abilities. Why should someone believe in you if you don't?

Acquiring confidence will not be an easy task. It will require patience, work and effort to obtain the confidence needed for your success. But, if you have a strong desire and are willing to make sacrifices you can have unstoppable confidence.

And now I invite you to learn more by clicking through to http://GreatPublicSpeaking.net