A part of a leader’s role is to address negative behaviors and attitudes that are impacting the strengths and success of our team.

This requires a commitment and a lot of energy, but it must be done. Having said that, as leaders we must also understand, leverage, and build on the strengths of our team as a whole, and the individuals within it.

People improve more by magnetizing their virtues than by brooding on their shortcomings.
–J. Donald Walters

Walters, author of The Art Of Leadership provides the following tips:

  • Work to strengthen a subordinate’s best qualities, rather than harping on his worst. You will accomplish far more by encouraging others than by belittling them.
  • Work more with your organization’s strengths than with its weaknesses. Channel more energy to those people in it who are in tune with what you are doing than to those whose tendency is to resist you.
  • Don’t invest a disproportionate amount of energy in addressing negative situations. Strengthen the positive side, rather, and any negative energy that exist will tend either to be dissipated, or remove themselves from the scene.
  • Don’t allow subordinates to offer merely negative criticism. Teach them that they must earn the right to speak by offering solutions when they want to point out problems.
  • Encourage the doers under you, not the mere talkers.
  • Never court popularity for yourself. Be concerned with issues, principles, (and goals).
  • Never speak from your own emotions or private prejudices, but always from a sense of justice, fairness, and truth.

Don’t ignore the strengths of each of your team members. Acknowledging their contributions will inspire continued success, and improve not only results but also satisfaction levels. Try it!

QwikTip and QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.

QwikTip Getting Along With Peers

And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.

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