Velkommen tilbage fra sommerferie. Håber, du har fået strøm på batterierne og nu er klar på at skabe nogle flotte resultater resten af året!

Jeg glæder mig – det håber jeg også, du gør.

I mit sidste nyhedsbrev anbefalede jeg Jack Welch´s bog ”Succes”. Jeg vil i dag gerne følge op på en af de emner, Jack Welch snakker meget om, nemlig lederskab.

Uanset hvilken virksomhed, jeg er hyret ud til og uanset opgavens type, så kommer vi ind på dette emne. Jeg møder ledere, som beskriver, hvor svært det er at drive god lederskab, og jeg møder ansatte, som savner god lederskab fra deres chef.
Og godt lederskab er svært!

Men det er med lederskab som med alle andre ting her i verden. Træner du det ikke, bliver du ikke særlig dygtig. Meget simpelt. Vil du være en god leder, er det en evne, der skal trænes og finpudses hele tiden.
Det mindset, som skaber gode resultater som leder, er anderledes end det, du måske havde, da du var ”en af de andre”.
En af de største forskelle er, at du er gået fra at skulle skabe nogle resultater selv, til du nu skal hjælpe, supportere og træne andre til at skabe resultater.

Du er gået fra af være en fodboldspiller på banen, der skal score mål eller forsvare, til at være træneren, der står på sidelinjen og bestemmer, hvem der skal spille, hvilken position de skal spille, lægge strategien, skabe motivation og coache den enkelte spiller til at performe bedst muligt.

Det kræver, at lederen uddelegerer ansvar og opgaver, så han har tid og fokus på at drive lederskab – bruge mere tid på at se tingene fra helikopterperspektiv og tænke langsigtet.

Som en yderligere lille bonus er her en kort og skarp artikel fra Jack Welch netop om dette emne.
Til sidst:
Husk! Godt lederskab starter i dig selv – du skal kunne lede dig selv, inden du kan lede andre!

Michael Hansen


How to think like a leader!
by Jack Welch – Former CEO of GE

Too often, people who are promoted to their first leadership position miss the point. And that failure probably trips up careers more than any other reason.

Being a leader changes everything. Before you are a leader, success is all about you. It’s about your performance. Your contributions. It’s about raising your hand, getting called on, and delivering the right answer.

When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. It’s about making the people who work for you smarter, bigger, and bolder. Nothing you do anymore as an individual matters except how you nurture and support your team and help its members increase their self-confidence. Yes, you will get your share of attention from up above—but only inasmuch as your team wins. Put another way: Your success as a leader will come not from what you do but from the reflected glory of your team.

Now, that’s a big transition—and no question, it’s hard. Being a leader basically requires a whole new mindset. You’re no longer constantly thinking “How can I stand out?” but “How can I help my people do their jobs better?” Sometimes that requires undoing a couple of decades of momentum. After all, you probably spent your entire life, starting in grade school and continuing through your last job, as a contributor who excels at “raising your hand.” But the good news is that you’ve been promoted because someone above you believes you have the stuff to make the leap from star player to successful coach.

What does that leap actually involve? First and foremost, you need to actively mentor your people. Exude positive energy about life and the work that you are doing together, show optimism about the future, and care. Care passionately about each person’s progress. Give your people feedback—not just at yearend and midyear performance reviews but after meetings, presentations, or visits to clients. Make every significant event a teaching moment. Discuss what you like about what they are doing and ways that they can improve. Your energy will energize those around you.

And there’s no need for sugarcoating. Use total candor, which happens, incidentally, to be one of the defining characteristics of effective leaders.

Through it all, never forget—you’re a leader now. It’s not about you anymore. It’s about them.