Avionics News January 2015 - 72

BUSINESS BASICS

Continued from page 49

Leader lessons
This might strike you as fishy, but leaders want their
employees to second-guess their every action. Sometimes,
you must be the adult and make unpopular decisions, but
this misses the point that these questions are a sign of a
tack-sharp team member who is willing to speak truth to
you. They also demonstrate that you, as the leader, exhibit
skills and sensibilities they are willing to follow.
A follower isn't a person; it's an essential role. Good
ones work relatively unsupervised; you can delegate tasks
and trust them to accomplish each, and you can expect
them to problem-solve smartly, according to McCallum.
More importantly, should they face complications, make
mistakes or genuinely feel uncomfortable with a task,
they will own the problem and bring it to your attention
candidly.
Certainly, these followers are courageous and honest.
They crave feedback, and they want the leader's reasoned
advice and support. Not only are good followers
committed to their team, they're also committed to the
leader's values, mission and vision. Remember; if they see
you waiver from these, they might question your integrity.
Fulfilling these expectations takes a special leader.
Good followers want leaders who have character, who
help their followers grow, and who are real. These leaders
serve the entire group without favorites, and they set an
example for their employees. They encourage workers
to accomplish great things by helping them believe in
themselves and develop their strengths. Lastly, they're not
perfect; in fact, they're very human, and they're not afraid
to show their weaknesses. This makes them likable and
relatable.
At the heart of this profile is respect for the team.
The leader understands that followers deserve straight
answers to challenging questions. The leader asks his own
questions to encourage introspection, knows his people,
uses their individual talents and skills, and delegates
duties to qualified members. The leader shares credit with
everyone for the group's success.
When this occurs, followers buy into both the leader
and his decisions. When it doesn't occur, followers may
grow doubtful of his intentions. Even the most exemplary
will resort to the blind hope that dear leader won't make
any mistakes that affect them adversely.
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Building followership
Leaders build the foundation for exemplary followership
by providing role modeling, training and mentoring
opportunities. Together, this allows staff members to gather
and integrate the pieces that define their role.
By modeling, leaders involve employees in the thinking
process. President Dwight Eisenhower once said the best
way to learn to make decisions is to be present when
decisions are being made, so when you make yours,
allow subordinates to participate. Solicit input from every
member of your team, and demonstrate how you put these
bits of insight to use; demonstrate, too, why these missioncritical data points must be shared openly.
Give each member of the team the opportunity to lead
alongside you - to plan objectives and strategy, contribute
to important decisions and make mistakes in low-risk
conditions. This does two things. First, it allows each
to practice the leadership role and understand what it
requires. Second, it allows them to experience someone
else's imprecise leadership so they learn to think for
themselves.
Shape both outcomes by providing regular mentoring
and feedback. Mentoring, which includes not only
coaching but also modeling good followership yourself,
relays the priorities, behaviors and values employees need
to embrace, such as awareness, punctuality, preparedness,
loyalty, compassion and respect, as well as willingness to
buy-in to decisions after they've said their piece.
Good feedback requires realistic evaluations of employees'
performance. For example, by sanctioning your alienated
follower, you allow him to play the role of devil's advocate.
By listening to him, you help him work through roadblocks
that disgruntle him. By transparently walking through your
decision-making process - even discussing plusses and
minuses of each option - you help him learn trust.
Likewise, with a passive or conformist follower,
confirm that he clearly understands your expectations so
he's not waiting to be told what to do. Look for ways to
connect his goals to that of the group so he has a horse in
this race. Make sure he trusts his skills and ability; if he
feels overwhelmed, he may need you to take things more
deliberately until he catches up.
In every case, the goals are the same: to create an
organization that's as good as both its leaders and its
followers. By teaching them how to become active
participants of a team, you give your employees the skills
to succeed - and your avionics shop will be better for it. q

Avionics News January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2015