Copyright (c) 2007 Mr Sital Ruparelia
I was recently asked “What would you say is the one real
key to finding and keeping people?” After thinking for a
moment, I said “Leadership.” The reason is that an
inspirational leader in any field – business, sport,
politics – draws in great people to work with them through
their own magnetism. But what is it that these leaders do
that makes them stand out? And how can this help you
recruit and retain the right people?
Here are 7 tips given by people much wiser than myself on
the subject of leadership:
1. “The Very Essence Of A Leader Is That You Must Have A
Vision” (Theodore Heburgh) – Have you taken time to
undertake some longer-term strategic thinking? – Yes, I am
sure you can manage the day-to-day aspects of your work –
but where do you see your business in 3 years, or 5 years?
- What does this mean for your team over that time? The
clearer and more exciting your vision, the easier it
becomes to attract and retain the best people in your market
2. “Leaders don’t force people to follow – they invite them
on a journey” (Charles S. Lauer) – Once you have a powerful
vision about where your business is going, you then need a
map for that journey – This means developing a plan and
articulating it to current and future employees: a plan to
get people excited about where your business is going,
where their careers could go and so inspiring them into
joining you and then remaining with you
3. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn
more, do more and become more, you are a leader” (John
Quincy Adams) – It’s all very well talking about a vision
and planning, but “actions speak louder than words” -
Leading by example demonstrates your commitment to building
your business and developing a future for your staff as
well as yourself
4. “I start with the premise that the function of
leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers”
(Ralph Nader) – Modern leaders focus on developing and
growing people – people who will help to build the future
of your business and help to lead it. – Not everyone has
the potential to be a leader of people but, led in the
right way, they will have the capability to help develop
and grow your business. – Focus on developing and growing
such people and you become a much more attractive employer.
5. “Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the
self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in
themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish” (Sam
Walton) – Developing the confidence and capability of your
people will raise their self-belief – Show them you believe
in their potential, encourage them, praise them – Encourage
them to take risks and try new things and help them to
learn lessons when things go wrong – A leader who boosts
the self-esteem of his/her people will always be more
successful in recruiting and retaining people than one who
doesn’t
6. “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each
other” (John F. Kennedy) – Great leaders have the ability
to gain knowledge, acquire skills and adapt behaviours to
achieve their goals – The pace of modern business is such
that this ability to ‘unlearn’ old behaviours and skills
and develop new ones is a fundamental requirement of
leaders – Those leaders and businesses that have the
ability to adapt to changing environments will be the
winners when looking to attract and keep the best talent
7. “A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn’t
like the tune” (Anon) – Great leaders have the courage to
stand up when things go wrong – People accept that things
change and things go wrong, but a leader who has the
honesty to face up to it will always win greater trust and
loyalty from his or her team. This is something that will
always be attractive to potential employees.
So in summary, an inspirational leader:
1. Develops a vision
2. Has a plan to realise this vision
3. Leads by example
4. Develops and grows their people
5. Focuses on building the confidence of their people
6. Keeps on learning
7. Has the courage to stand up in adversity
So, look at this list above and ask yourself how well you
stack up against these 7 points? What ONE thing could you
start doing that will enhance you as a leader and help you
in attracting and holding on to great people?
—————————————————-
Sital Ruparelia, ‘The Recruitment & Retention Expert’,
works with small and mid-sized businesses that struggle
with recruitment and retention issues and helps them
implement strategies proven to Find & Keep The Right People
quickly and cost effectively.
Recieve Sital’s free report, 101 Tips to Finding & Keeping
The Right People now by going to this link:
http://www.authenticresourcing.com/
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