FMD understands that great leaders are praised for their successes. But, ironically, what make good leaders great are the trials and tribulations of failure. FMD appreciates that very often; the lessons learned from confronting fear and uncertainty, and from experiencing frustration, transform good leaders into great ones. Today, leaders who have endured adversity are most likely to be the ones with the resilience and resolve to succeed.
Significantly FMD realises that successful careers are not successful continuously. There are ups and downs, twists and turns, detours and digressions, some triggered by professional events and some by personal ones. And even though it may be embarrassing or painful to discuss how they stumbled, an overwhelming majority of leaders privately admit that that’s when they learned the most.
FMD appreciates that great leaders are created not born, and along the way to becoming a great Leader trials and tribulations will occur, but FMD also acknowledges that in these time of adversity it is essential that Leaders do not become dictators.
FMD share their understanding of how to avoid becoming a dictatorship:
Accountability doesn’t mean a guilt trip
· - Many times in business we feel the correct need to hold people accountable for their work. This is a great principle. Accountability is a key to the success of any business, project, or goal. But it is sad to see these dictator type leaders who don’t do it correctly. FMD understands that accountability does not been public humiliation, ostracizing or making someone else feel guilty.
· Guidelines vs Controlling Mechanisms
Many times managers get too hung up on programs to help control the time of their employees. FMD accepts that many jobs are different, it can be detrimental to your team if they are given strict schedules of when to do things, how to do them, and what to do with their time. Stringent schedules might work great for those with little desire to become great, but for those who are striving to improve, promote, and help in any way they can, these guidelines become controlling mechanisms and might stifle others in their efforts to shine. It’s okay to create general guidelines, but give your employees freedom within those guidelines to think outside the box, make improvements, and find better more efficient ways to do things. Most importantly, allow your employees to think about and solve problems they find, in that there is true power.
· Emphasis on the Team vs Selfish Desires and Motives
· - True leaders look outside themselves to give credit and look within themselves to take blame. Great leaders focus on the success of the team. When the team succeeds they don’t take the credit, they give the team the credit. When the team fails, they take the blame. They understand that the team failed because they didn’t get it quite right.. It is important for leaders to know their team, trust them, and know that you will get 100% of their effort. The team is not there to boost your own goals and get you the promotion you want. Be a leader not a selfish ruler.
· Teaching the Individual vs Setting them up to Fail
Great leaders make sure they have the right people on the bus. Sometimes training does need to occur. Sometimes correction needs to happen. But when all is said and done as a great leader the most important thing you can do is “make sure you have the right people on the bus.” Once the right people are on the bus then you can figure out where to go. Many times leaders over look this simple principle of making sure they have the right kind of employees working for them. The better you can do at evaluating your employees, having them have the same desires for team success as you, and the better you create cohesiveness within the team, the better the team will function and the easier time you will have teaching them. If you don’t have the ability to make sure you have the right people on the bus, then you are setting your employees up to fail, and that just isn’t fair to them.
FMD understands that being a great Leader doesn’t have room for a dictatorship
