Quint Studer - The Busy Leader's Handbook

4 Section I The Leader in You: I The Leader in You: Key Skills and Behaviors These chapters are all about the mind-set, attitude, and capabilities the best leaders possess. We all need to become the best leaders we can be before we can bring out the best in others. When we master these skills and behaviors, we lay the groundwork for a thriving organization. 1 Strive to Be Self-Aware and Coachable 2 Invite Feedback from Others and Don’t Take It Personally; Instead, Take Ownership Taking Ownership: Eliminating Excuses 3 To Be a Good Leader, First Learn to Be a Good Follower The Best Leaders Actually See Themselves as Followers Note 4 Quiet the Ego and Lead with Humility First, Diagnose: Do You Have a Humility Problem? 5 Let Values Be Your Guide 6 Be a Good Communicator 7 Know How to Get Things Done: Note 8 Get Intentional About Time Management Some Thoughts on Delegation 9 Grace Under Fire: 10 Change the Way You Think About Change Don’t Let Change-Resistant People Block Progress Note 11 Embracing Discomfort: 12 Clarity Counts: 13 Face Conflict Head-on: 14 Reaching Resolution: 15 Drill Down on Generalizations

5 Section II Optimizing Employee Performance 16 Creating a Positive Workplace Culture 17 The Secret to Strong Relationships: Get to Know Employees Through Rounding 18 Positive Recognition Changes Everything: Hardwiring a Thank-You Note System 19 Meaning, Purpose, and Engagement: What Kind of Leaders Drive a Sense of Purpose, Meaning, and Engagement? How to Be a “Best Odds” Boss for Engaging Employees Note 20 Help Employees Understand the Meaning of Their Work Note 21 Psychological Safety: Note 22 Know What the What Is for Others (and Communicate Your Own What ) 23 Don’t Resort to We/Theyism; Don’t Let Others Practice It, Either 24 Create a Culture of Ownership Inside Your Company 25 Mentors Matter: How to Be a Great Mentee 26 Reducing Workplace Drama: 27 Make an Effort to Become a Millennial-Friendly Leader Note 28 Be a Positive Ambassador for Your Organization—and Teach Others to Do the Same

6 Section III Strategic/Foundational Topics 29 The Case for Structure: 30 Define and Live Your Mission, Vision, and Values Note 31 Set Big, Bold, Clear Goals and Communicate Them to All Employees 32 Put “Official” (Written) Standards of Behavior in Place 33 The Power of Metrics: 34 The Middle Manager Impact: Tips for Developing Your Middle Management Team Note 35 Hiring the Right People: A Few Things Not to Do The Interview Process: Peer Interviewing and Behavioral-Based Questions What to Look for in the Candidates You Interview 36 Retention: Set the New Employee Up for Success by Showing What Success Looks Like Keeping Your Great New Hires 37 Create a Training and Development System That Motivates Employees to Learn Note 38 Performance Reviews That Make a Difference 39 Customer Satisfaction Starts with Employee Engagement: 40 Put a Well-Run Meeting System in Place: How to Get the Most Out of Small-Group Meetings 41 Focus on What Right Looks Like: Note

7 A Final Thought:

8 Acknowledgments

9 About the Author

10 Index

11 How Quint Studer Can Help Your Organization. . . and Your Community For Organizations. . . For Communities. . .

12 End User License Agreement

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Thank you for reading The Busy Leader’s Handbook. It’s meant to be a quick and easy resource for leaders at all levels. Knowing how overloaded and overwhelmed leaders can be, we purposely kept chapters short and to the point. Each one features high-impact, granular, “how to” tactics that leaders can start using right away. These tactics work. I’ve seen them get outstanding results over and over throughout my career.

This book has three sections. Section 1 delves into some key leader skills and behaviors.Together, these chapters capture the mind-set, attitude, and capabilities the best leaders tend to possess. We put them first because they are the foundation for everything else. We all need to become the best leaders we can be before we’ll be able to bring out the best in others.

Section 2 is about optimizing employee performance.It explores what exceptional leaders do (and don’t do) to create a positive, productive, engaging workplace culture and inspire people to consistently put forth their best efforts. Great leaders create environments in which people grow, thrive, and find a powerful sense of meaning. They lead teams in a way that creates results far greater than the sum of the individual efforts. A leader who masters these practices will set up their people to truly shine.