Bite-sized wisdom from management expert David McNally:
- Lead by example – practice what you preach
- Have a clear mission and reinforce it regularly
- Have an inspiring vision and publicise it constantly
- Clarify and help employees understand the purpose of their jobs
- Acknowledge the value employees bring to the business
- Recognise good performance early and often
- Encourage shared decision making
- Reward contributors not the politicians
- Communicate candidly so people know where they stand
- Be open about business so employees feel like partners
- Listen – be attuned – to problems – business and personal
- Have the courage to say no, but don’t be afraid to say yes
- Empower people – give them the authority to make decisions and hold them accountable for results
- Envision and advise employees of new skills that will be needed
- Provide state of the art training
- Listen to employees about what they feel they need to learn
- Avoid micromanagement
- Provide the space for creativity and innovation
- Identify strengths of employees and develop them
- Match people to jobs that utilise their gifts and talents
- Help all employees develop career paths – visions for their futures
- Get people excited about their potential – be flexible with teaching methods; different strokes/folks
- Create opportunities to win often
- Celebrate victories early and publicly
Source: David McNally, 1998, The Eagle’s Secret, New York: Dell Publishing, p.53, 75, 103, 141