Leadership Tips in Difficult Times - Leadership Development

As pressure mounts is your ‘Leadership' called into question?

Seven areas to focus your attention:

1. Provide Clear Direction: Winning teams know where they are going and what is required of them. “It's so important to communicate your expectations of the individual, their department, and of the overall organisation. People need the long term strategy and vision to help them focus on where they are going with the steps needed to get there.” Says Edith Anderson Head of Education for a SEBD School in Scotland .

2. Communicate you message: Whether it's through one-on-one meetings, or memos, or in a team meeting, it's important to keep communicating your expectations on a regular basis. And at the same time don't over do it. Too much communication can leave people feeling battle fatigue!

3. Give Praise and Recognition: The concepts of "recognition" and "praise" are two critical components for creating positive emotions in organizations. In fact, The Gallup Organization has surveyed more than 4 million employees worldwide on this topic. Their latest analysis, which includes more than 10,000 business units and more than 30 industries, has found that individuals who receive regular recognition and praise;

4. Hard Times Need Soft Skills: As you try to retain your best people and get the most from your teams during the tough times ahead, it ' s no time to compromise on skills development. Resources and relationships stretched to the limit mean that your people and your managers need to be reminded of the importance of their interpersonal skills and insight. Tip for success: Ask your employees what development they need in order to do a really great job.

5. Listen to You People: Katzenbach Partners, which has advised companies like Aetna, Credit Suisse, and Pfizer say. “This is about problem-solving, and that's where employees come in,” he says. “Companies should be harnessing employee's knowledge in the effort to identify where to cut costs and how.”

6. Tune into growth opportunities: The problem with a downturn is that while cost cutting is absolutely necessary, it can make everyone gun-shy about pursuing new initiatives and opportunities for investment. However, if your department, and in turn the company, is going to emerge from the slump in a competitive position, there are a few key investments you can't afford not to fight for.

7. Take a Personal Interested in Your People: Take the time to find out what interests your employees. Find out what their passions are in life. Is it their families? Is it a sport or hobby? Is it a vintage car or boat? Is it that they want to accomplish the next level in their education? Is it a career goal? Whatever it is, the great leaders take the time to find out how to help their employees accomplish their goals. Leaders know that by helping their employees succeed in life, the employees will have more passion about helping their leaders accomplish their goals.