Browse Author: Kerrie

Are You A Good Leader?

I often hear people, who might be employed by either big or small companies, complaining that good leaders are hard to find.

Is this true? Do we need to look for good leaders who were born that way, or can they be taught?

While I agree that some people are natural born leaders, I believe that most arrive as a leader through learning and experiencing what works and even more importantly, what doesn’t.

There are many things a leader must do, but let’s focus on three specific things that you can do to be a better leader. In order to do a good job, any leader must be able to guide, motivate, and help his or her people.

Guidance:
A leader guides people by providing an example of how things should be done. To guide effectively, a leader should be working alongside his or her employees, in the trenches so to speak. The leader is not necessarily doing the same work but is working alongside them.

A leader doesn’t just tell someone to do something; that’s what a boss does. Leaders demonstrate what they want their people to do. Do you want your employees to be punctual and work hard? Then don’t come in late, take long lunches, and leave early.

Motivation:
A quality leader motivates others. There are many ways to motivate, but a common thread among great leaders is to listen to what their people have to say and respect them and the job they do.

As a leader, your team members are important. They have a huge wealth of experience and knowledge about the integral workings of their job that you probably don’t have, unless you worked your way up the ranks. Look inside yourself and think about what motivates you – a bonus, extra time off? Those are nice, but actually the biggest motivator is recognition and a big pat on the back for a job well done.

Help:
Good leaders provide help to their team members to do their job. What do your employees need from you to get their job done quickly and efficiently? What tools can you provide them to help them do their job better?

If you are not sure what help your people need, simply ask them what they need. Could you demand an employee type and email a 97 page report when he doesn’t have a computer? Of course not, he is not equipped. Help also can be provided in the form of additional training for the employee to do the job correctly, or coaching and feedback that improves performance.

So, are you a good leader?

Most people in leadership positions must learn how to be good leaders. If you focus on guiding, helping, and motivating others, you will be well on your way to becoming a leader anyone would be proud to follow.

For more ways to improve employee performance and boost workplace
motivation check out this powerful tool:
http://leadershipskillcenter.com/workplace-motivation/ from Kerrie Mullins-Gunst.  Kerrie specializes in helping leaders and managers develop all the skills they need to mentor manage and lead.

For more ways to improve employee performance and boost workplace motivation check out this powerful tool.

How to Relieve Stress

Today I thought I’d share some tips with you to help you celebrate Lifeline’s Stress Down Day. If you find them helpful you might like to make a donation to Lifeline at http://www.stressdown.org.au/ and forward this on to anyone else who may find it helpful.
Stress can have a number of adverse affects on your health, both short-term and long-term.
If you’re experiencing some of the following symptoms, it could indicate that you could benefit from some advice on how to relieve stress before your health suffers any worse than it already has.  Feelings of anger, fear or helplessness are common indicators of stress, as is insomnia.  Stress can cause headaches and pain in the jaw, neck and back.  Habitual smoking, drinking, overeating and drug abuse may also be caused by stress.
Stress is how your body responds to change.  And situations that cause stress in one person may not cause stress in another.  It’s a very individual experience.
One person may become tense when driving over high bridges, while another may enjoy the view.  The thought of skydiving terrifies some people, but others find it thrilling.
It’s nearly impossible to classify any particular situation as stressful, because what causes stress in one person could be a source of enjoyment for the next.  The key is to identify and manage what is stressful for you personally, because letting stress go unmanaged can have life-threatening health consequences.
Things you feel that you have no control over can be upsetting.  But remember it’s not the situation, but how you deal with it that’s important.  You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can choose how you handle stressful situations.
For practical tools and useful ideas on how to handle stress effectively have a look at my Stress-Free Course at http://stressfreecourse.com/ – my gift to you today at no cost!
Meanwhile, here are some quick tips for relieving your stress:
* Focus on your breathing and breathe slow, deep and deliberately.  Picture a peaceful scene in your mind.
* Exercise regularly.  Exercising releases tension from your body.  Find something you enjoy that gets the major muscle groups going.  Jogging, walking, swimming or bicycling are all excellent choices.
* Count to ten slowly and deliberately.  This helps you to pause and relax before reacting to a stressful situation.
* Do some stretching exercises several times during the day.  Stretching relaxes the muscles and reduces tension.
* Have a friend massage the back of your neck, shoulders and upper back.  These muscles get especially tense when you are stressed.
* Take hot showers and baths.
* Listen to relaxing music.
* Talk to your family and friends about what is causing you stress.
Seek help when you need it.  If you have recurring headaches and neck or upper back pain, and are having problems sleeping, you should see your doctor.
Stress is a normal part of working life, so it is important to learn how to manage it.
Learning how to relieve stress, and putting these methods to use are critical your overall health and happiness.  Try to learn to accept what you can’t change.  Not everything is going to happen the way you want it to – and not everything will turn out to be as bad as we sometimes imagine it might be.  Train yourself to look for the good in what appears to be a bad situation, talk to others about your troubles, and try to mentally remove yourself from the situation then evaluate it from the outside looking in.
For some really practical information on how to manage stress you might like to join my Stress-Free Course at http://stressfreecourse.com/ – my gift to you today absolutely free!
Kind regards
Kerrie
PS  Watch out soon for some big things happening in the Leadership Coaching Club  http://leadershipcoachingclub.com

I recently shared some tips on how to relieve stress with subscribers of my Leading Well newsletter in honour of Lifeline’s Stress Down Day. (If you find them helpful you might like to make a donation to Lifeline at http://www.stressdown.org.au/ and forward this on to anyone else who may find it helpful.)

Stress can have a number of adverse affects on your health, both short-term and long-term.

If you’re experiencing some of the following symptoms, it could indicate that you could benefit from some advice on how to relieve stress before your health suffers any worse than it already has.  Feelings of anger, fear or helplessness are common indicators of stress, as is insomnia.  Stress can cause headaches and pain in the jaw, neck and back.  Habitual smoking, drinking, overeating and drug abuse may also be caused by stress.

Stress is how your body responds to change.  And situations that cause stress in one person may not cause stress in another.  It’s a very individual experience.

One person may become tense when driving over high bridges, while another may enjoy the view.  The thought of skydiving terrifies some people, but others find it thrilling.

It’s nearly impossible to classify any particular situation as stressful, because what causes stress in one person could be a source of enjoyment for the next.  The key is to identify and manage what is stressful for you personally, because letting stress go unmanaged can have life-threatening health consequences.

Things you feel that you have no control over can be upsetting.  But remember it’s not the situation, but how you deal with it that’s important.  You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can choose how you handle stressful situations.

For practical tools and useful ideas on how to handle stress effectively have a look at my Stress-Free Course at http://stressfreecourse.com/ – my gift to you today at no cost!

Meanwhile, here are some quick tips for relieving your stress:

* Focus on your breathing and breathe slow, deep and deliberately.  Picture a peaceful scene in your mind.

* Exercise regularly.  Exercising releases tension from your body.  Find something you enjoy that gets the major muscle groups going.  Jogging, walking, swimming or bicycling are all excellent choices.

* Count to ten slowly and deliberately.  This helps you to pause and relax before reacting to a stressful situation.

* Do some stretching exercises several times during the day.  Stretching relaxes the muscles and reduces tension.

* Have a friend massage the back of your neck, shoulders and upper back.  These muscles get especially tense when you are stressed.

* Take hot showers and baths.

* Listen to relaxing music.

* Talk to your family and friends about what is causing you stress.

Seek help when you need it.  If you have recurring headaches and neck or upper back pain, and are having problems sleeping, you should see your doctor.

Stress is a normal part of working life, so it is important to learn how to manage it.

Learning how to relieve stress, and putting these methods to use are critical your overall health and happiness.  Try to learn to accept what you can’t change.  Not everything is going to happen the way you want it to – and not everything will turn out to be as bad as we sometimes imagine it might be.  Train yourself to look for the good in what appears to be a bad situation, talk to others about your troubles, and try to mentally remove yourself from the situation then evaluate it from the outside looking in.

For some really practical information on how to manage stress you might like to join my Stress-Free Course at http://stressfreecourse.com/ – my gift to you today absolutely free!

Do you have a favourite tips for relieving stress to share with other readers?  Please share it by posting a comment below.