Leaders improve their company by instilling confidence in each employee's ability to meet and overcome workplace challenges.
Experience has taught us that confidence precedes competence. A person in the office or a player in a game must first believe he or she can succeed by developing a winning attitude reinforced by skill-building practice.
As each person's talents are built into strengths and then merged with others in the team, a positive energy emerges. This energy force builds and reinforces each individual's confidence to create a critical mass which is often referred to as "momentum" or "being in the zone." It is the coach's job to keep the momentum going; so as not to lose the positive energy flow.
Here is a checklist of ten questions to help you evaluate how well your firm is building a winning attitude and the practiced ability to succeed:
1. As the coach of your team, how much have you spent in the past year on personal development to improve your management and leadership skills?
2. List what time and money was spent per employee over the last year in training and development activities to build on workplace talents.
3. Does each manager have a good relationship with each direct report and know what that person needs to move to the next level in the firm?
4. Does each employee have a clear understanding of what they can to do to increase their value to the company?
5. In the last six months, has someone in the company talked to each employee about their progress in building skills and knowledge?
6. During the past year, how many employees believe they had an opportunity at work to learn and grow?
7. How many employees would say that their opinions at work count?
8. How many employees know the vision or purpose of the company? Of those who know, how many consider their job important in accomplishing this vision or purpose?
9. How many employees would say that they have a best friend at work?
10. Who would the employee go to with a suggestion, complaint or concern at work?
For your team, the best thing you can do is to demonstrate your leadership through one-on-one interpersonal relationships. You do this by participating in respectful conversations where you recognize your own feelings and those of others in building safe and trusting relationships.