The Cycle of Quality Leadership

Jim was a 20-year Navy veteran when he took a job as a Quality Manager for a nutraceutical company. As an ex-Navy engineer and manager, the schedule was familiar to him, but many of Jim’s employees had limited or no experience. Fortunately, Jim liked the teaching aspect of management and leadership. As an avid cyclist, he always thought of management as the back wheel and mechanics of an organization and leadership as the front wheel and directional focus. His Navy experience confirmed that a good manager controls systems, schedules, and processes, while a good leader coaches, teaches, and builds teamwork.

The pleasure he took in his work made it enjoyable for his team. He led by example and taught them about quality control, pride in workmanship, and every aspect of “doing it right the first time”! Once the first batch of employees were competent, he set them to teaching the rest of the team what they knew. This strategy freed him up from constant training and let his more seasoned workers add training to their repertory of skills. He taught his employees about teamwork so that when they received compliments about their work, every person on the team had earned it and felt pride in the accomplishment. 

The hours were long and the work was heavy, but by the time the first year was out, people employed in other parts of the organization were asking Jim if he had openings in his department.

An old-fashioned manager by training, Jim was kind of tough and sometimes terse, but when he got angry, he kept it to himself until he decided on the best course of action. He told people what he expected of them, taught them how to achieve the goals of the department and showed them the rewards of doing the job well. When people left the organization, many got fine jobs based on the work they had done with Jim.

Jim was an impressive manager: respected, human, straightforward, and determined. Under his leadership, budgetary goals were met or exceeded, work was accomplished on time, and employees grew into competent, responsible team players. In any organization, managers like Jim are pure, unadulterated gold, but maybe Jim’s accomplishment is even more impressive because of the special circumstances of his place of employment. His area of responsibility was the Quality Department of a State detention facility, and all his employees were convicted felons.


Jim's Bicycle Strategies: Learn the difference between Managing and Leading

Create Zones of Inspiration – Pride in Accomplishment

Leadership is about working together and empowering others. It is about leading by example and creating power underneath you. When you create power from below, your employees push you higher. Leadership is a process of teaching and serving. Great leaders understand to serve others is a spiritual principle that creates zones of inspiration and willing participation, that manifests into pride in a job well done!

Straight-line with Employees

Successful leadership rests on the premise that effective communication is essential. Effective communication is to the point, straightforward, and diplomatic and helps you and your employees make their points quickly.

Listen to your employees! Sit down and take time with them. Give them undivided attention when they want to speak to you. Never say, “Yes, I’m listening to you,” when you’re not.

Fear is a Poor Motivator

At times, working with people can be exasperating. It is a common reaction for supervisors to lose their patience and start threatening negative consequences. The fact remains, threats are a poor and inefficient way of dealing with people. Threats always create resentment and resistance. Even when people go along with a threat, they do so out of fear and not desire. Desire motivation is long-lasting and powerful. Fear motivation is temporary and perpetuates mistrust on both sides.

Be Prepared to Change

Change is a constant in today’s business world. Alvin Toffler said, “Unless we can adapt and adjust to change, we’re always going to be in a state of future shock.” We have to listen to other peoples’ ideas, their points of view, and when the old ways are no longer effective, we need to change the way we do things.

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