"Leadership is a 'glow' word on many lips. Politicians pretend it. Youth question it. The old yearn for it. Parents grasp for it. Children defy it. Police seek it. Armies impose it. Terrorists seize it. Executives claim it. Corporations exploit it. Scholars study it. Pundits pretend it. Sound bites impose it. Media announce it. Sycophants worship it. Religions bless it. Psychologists psych it. Autocrats manipulate it. Experts teach it. Conservatives defend it. Liberals suspect it. Ethicists critique it. Philosophers debate it. Theologians integrate it.

Those who love it, one suspects, should rarely be granted it; those who usurp it not allowed it; those who feel entitled to it not be trusted with it; only those who accept it as a trust- a service delegated by community and for community-deserve to serve in it."

David Augsburger, "Three Tasks of Leadership"

“Roughly 50 to 70 percent of how employees perceive their organization’s climate can be traced to the actions of one person: the leader. More than anyone else, the boss, creates the conditions that determine people’s ability to work well.”

“Primal Leadership (2002)” Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee

Managing and Mentoring

Are you a mentor or a tormentor to your staff? Employees often talk about experiencing the latter and wishing they had the former. To be an effective manager you need to refine your coaching and tutoring skills. You need to make an effort to challenge and develop your staff to think for themselves and grow in their capabilities. This independence and growth allows them to perform to their best potential.

Here are ways NOT to Mentor and Tutor…are you guilty?

1. Telling Employees How to Do Their Jobs

2. Giving Employees Solutions without Getting Their Input

3. Making Decisions That Employees Could Make For Themselves

4. Jumping in to Handle Situations Your Employees Are Paid to Handle

5. Criticizing Your Employees For Their Mistakes

Besides creating dependency, the above common management behaviors discourage employees from taking action. They create a wait-and-don’t do approach. “Just wait till the boss tells you what to do – remember what happened last time you tried something and made a mistake?”

This is not what you want your troops to be thinking!