1. The Sat Nav stays focused on the destination. Regardless of blocked roads, obstacles, traffic and diversions it continues to focus on finding a way [...]]]> If you want to be a better leader then take a look at the satellite navigation system (GPS or Sat Nav) in your car.  Here is what it can teach:

1. The Sat Nav stays focused on the destination. Regardless of blocked roads, obstacles, traffic and diversions it continues to focus on finding a way of reaching the strategic goal – the destination. In the same way a great leader continues to focus on the vision and the strategic goal despite short-term tactical difficulties.

2. The Sat Nav is flexible about how to get there.   It is not committed to one way of reaching the destination; it is quite happy to find a different way when necessary.  Likewise the leader should be committed to the goals but open-minded about how to achieve them.

3. The Sat Nav stays calm no matter what.  Even if the driver and passengers screw up all the instructions the Sat Nav remains unemotional and supportive.  It never gets angry or loses its temper.   A good leader is calm and reassuring with his or her team even when they get things wrong or hit problems.

4. The Sat Nav updates the driver on progress and directions.   A good leader continually communicates with the team to emphasise the importance of reaching the goal, what the next steps are and how they can play their role in getting there.

Of course there are many other skills and attributes that a great leader needs.  But staying focused on the goal, being calm, being flexible and communicating well are absolutely essential.  Become a Sat Nav Leader and take your team to its destination.

Paul Sloane

People need clear objectives so that they know what is [...]]]> A great leader can turn people into entrepreneurs who are hungrily looking for new opportunities.  The key is empowerment.  By empowering people you enable them to achieve goals through their own ideas and efforts.  The leader sets the destination but the team chooses the route.

People need clear objectives so that they know what is expected of them.  They need to develop the skills for the task.  They need to work in cross-departmental teams so that they can create and implement solutions that will work.  They need freedom to succeed.  And when you give someone freedom to succeed you also give them freedom to fail.  Above all, empowerment means trusting people.  It is by giving them trust, support and belief that you will empower them to achieve great things.

Empowerment is more than managers setting objectives and then leaving people alone.  It is about encouraging and enabling people to solve problems, meet customer needs and seize market opportunities on their own initiatives – either individually or in groups from different disciplines.

The goal is to have everyone think of themselves as an entrepreneur who has the right and the duty to solve problems and seize opportunities – not to offload them to others.  In many organizations problems are passed up and down a long chain of command.  They are postponed, delegated, transferred, ignored and eventually handled by some remote manager who cannot avoid the issue any longer.  In the empowered organization they are handled by the first employee who encounters the problem.  They have the authority to solve problems and take initiatives fast.  They do not do this in isolation – they communicate.  The senior team knows what is going on – but because they trust people to do the right things they find out later – after the fact in most cases.  This involves risks but it pays back in a much more agile, effective, creative and dynamic mode of operation.

The leader strives to change the business from a routine group of people who are doing a job to a highly energized team of entrepreneurs who are constantly searching for new and better ways of making the vision a reality.   We want to use creative techniques to drive innovative solutions to reach the goal.  But just encouraging innovation is not enough.  You need to initiate programs that show people how they can use creative techniques to come up with new solutions.

Paul Sloane

The challenge with innovation is finding products and services that are easier to use, easier to maintain and more appealing to customers. Where can you draw the creativity and drive to make this happen? Often the best source for innovation is the team [...]]]> Set the Destination and let Your Team plot the Route

The challenge with innovation is finding products and services that are easier to use, easier to maintain and more appealing to customers. Where can you draw the creativity and drive to make this happen? Often the best source for innovation is the team within your business. A great leader can turn them into entrepreneurs who are hungrily looking for new opportunities. The key is empowerment. By empowering people you enable them to achieve goals through their own ideas and efforts. The leader sets the destination but the team chooses the route.

People need clear objectives so that they know what is expected of them. They need to develop the skills for the task. They need to work in cross-departmental teams so that they can create and implement solutions that will work. They need freedom to succeed. And when you give someone freedom to succeed you also give them freedom to fail. Above all, empowerment means trusting people. It is by giving them trust, support and belief that you will empower them to achieve great things.

Empowerment is more than managers setting objectives and then leaving people alone. It is about encouraging and enabling people to solve problems, meet customer needs and seize market opportunities on their own initiatives – either individually or in groups from different disciplines.

The goal is to have everyone think of themselves as an entrepreneur who has the right and the duty to solve problems and seize opportunities – not to offload them to others. In many organizations problems are passed up and down a long chain of command. They are postponed, delegated, transferred, ignored and eventually handled by some remote manager who cannot avoid the issue any longer. In the empowered organization they are handled by the first employee who encounters the problem. They have the authority to solve problems and take initiatives fast. They do not do this in isolation – they communicate. The senior team knows what is going on – but because they trust people to do the right things they find out later – after the fact in most cases. This involves risks but it pays back in a much more agile, effective, creative and dynamic mode of operation.

Your challenge is to change the business from a routine group of people who are doing a job to a highly energized team of entrepreneurs who are constantly searching for new and better ways of making the vision a reality. We want to use creative techniques to drive innovative solutions to reach the goal. But just encouraging innovation is not enough. You need to initiate programs that show people how they can use creative techniques to come up with new solutions.

Paul Sloane