Posts Tagged ‘Human Capital’

Develop your followers as a team and employ them to their capabilities

Posted: August 25, 2014 in Leadership
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I have been focusing on each of the 10 leadership principles I learned as an officer in the army. This the 9th of these principles.

  1. Practise new procedures and for new types of operations if at all possible.
  2. Conduct regular after action reviews and seek to incorporate lessons learned.
  3. Develop or incorporate complementary competencies within your team or organization.
  4. Make sure everyone understands fully the mission, intent and plan before going into action.
  5. Provide training or education for individuals and groups if they haven’t done it before or they don’t current have all the qualifications.
  6. Give your subordinate leaders a certain freedom action to accommodate individual and team differences.
  7. Encourage moderate levels of internal rivalry and competition.
  8. Monitor morale, mood, and cohesion closely.
  9. Work on continuous and never-ending improvement.
  10. Be generous in praise and quick to correct mistakes or misinterpretations.

Richard Martin is a Master Strategist and Leadership Catalyst. Richard brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to radically improve performance, grow, and thrive in the face of rapid change, harsh competition, and increasing uncertainty.

© 2014 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

Develop the leadership potential of your followers

Posted: August 12, 2014 in Leadership
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I have been focusing on each of the 10 leadership principles I learned as an officer in the army. This the 7th of these principles.

  1. Realize that everyone is expendable, including you.
  2. Assume that all your followers are potential leaders until they prove otherwise.
  3. Leadership can and must be developed.
  4. Match responsibilities to knowledge and skill levels.
  5. Remember it’s easier to teach knowledge and skills than to change attitudes.
  6. Create a professional development framework so everyone knows what is required and expected in order to progress.
  7. Stimulate your followers intellectually and emotionally.
  8. Challenge your followers, especially if you think they have high leadership potential.
  9. Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, training, and feedback.
  10. Tell people where they stand.

Richard Martin is The Master Strategist and Leadership Catalyst. Richard brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to radically improve performance, grow, and thrive in the face of rapid change, harsh competition, and increasing uncertainty.

© 2014 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

Know your followers and promote their welfare

Posted: August 4, 2014 in Leadership
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I have been focusing on each of the 10 leadership principles I learned as an officer in the army. This the 6th of these principles.

  1. Get out of your office and talk to your followers, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
  2. Ask your followers about themselves.
  3. Have a regular “platoon commander’s hour.”
  4. Every once in a while get in the “snake pit” and answer questions from your followers.
  5. Ensure your followers have the best training, professional development, leadership and resources they need to carry out their missions.
  6. Ensure your followers’ creature comforts are reasonable and taken care of.
  7. Ensure fairness and reasonable equivalence in privileges and amenities across your team or organization.
  8. Provide regular feedback.
  9. Monitor the mood, morale, and cohesion of your team or organization.
  10. Care about the person, not just the position.

Richard Martin is The Master Strategist and Leadership Catalyst. Richard brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to radically improve performance, grow, and thrive in the face of rapid change, harsh competition, and increasing uncertainty.

© 2014 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

Seek and Accept Responsibility

Posted: July 14, 2014 in Leadership
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I have been focusing on each of the 10 leadership principles I learned as an officer in the army. This the third of these principles.

  • Volunteer for important missions and responsibilities.
  • Plan ahead when you have a new mission or responsibility.
  • Get out of your comfort zone. If you’re not at least a bit nervous, you’re not taking enough risk.
  • Learn about and try out new approaches.
  • Take the blame when things go poorly, and praise your team when things go well.
  • Remember that no one is shooting at you.
  • Responsibility means being able to answer for your decisions, actions, and behaviour. Responsibility = accountability.
  • Put your attention on what you can control and either manage risk for the rest, or forget about it.
  • Risk should only be accepted with a corresponding chance of reward.
  • As a leader you’re part of “the system,” and represent the institution. So you can’t blame “the man” because you’re him.

Richard Martin is The Master Strategist and Leadership Catalyst. Richard brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to radically improve performance, grow, and thrive in the face of rapid change, harsh competition, and increasing uncertainty.

© 2014 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

What a concept! Thinking strategically about attracting and keeping the right people!

Posted: March 10, 2014 in Books
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This is my review of Talent Magnetism, by Roberta Matuson, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2013

This is the book any strategic business leader needs to position his or her organization to attract, select, and keep the best people possible. As a consultant myself, I work on a daily basis with companies and organizations that struggle with finding and retaining excellent employees. In fact, human capital is so important that it can actually make or break strategy and other business plans.

Matuson has taken a great tack. Instead of just throwing money at the challenge of attraction and retention, she has created an entire framework of strategies and tactics for positioning a company or organization as an employer of choice. Think of how Apple, Google, and other global success stories have become a magnetic pole of attraction for top-flight talent around the world. The author shows business leaders how to do the same thing for themselves.

This book isn’t just for HR types however. Senior executives, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other core business operators will want to read this book so they can start applying their business savvy not just to their customers, but also to their employees. The chapters on branding and leadership as key attraction factors are fascinating and go well beyond the usual bromides about happy work places. People want challenge, advancement, and — YES — great leadership!

I recommend this book to anyone struggling with building great teams and human capital. I will also be recommending it to my own clients who are looking at ways to raise their employer brand.

© 2014 Richard Martin

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