Being a good leader needn’t be as difficult as it might at first seem. The biggest difference in how your employees see you is often based on the smallest of things, for example the ability to respect other people's time. Think about whether it’s not actually you that arrives last for meetings and leaves first, giving the impression that your time is more important than other people’s. Pay attention too to the following management mistakes:
Do not act one way if you expect your people to act another
Do not go on and on about a crisis the day before you arrive at work in a new car. Don’t take time off when you know you are coming to the end of an important project.
Be available to your people
Mix with your employees and address them by name. This gives them the chance to ask about the things that interest them. Take your inspiration from university lecturers and set aside “consultation hours” in which your people can come and see you.
Remember to show your appreciation
Try to be as personal as possible when thanking your employees. Enclose a handwritten thank-you note with their pay cheques or invite them to lunch.
Don’t think you have to do something big
Quite the opposite – it is the small gestures that do the most. For example, let them go home early when they need to.
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