Leadership Strategies: A Historical Perspective!

A Message From Bob

Watching the lively battle for the U.S. presidency brings to mind one of the most important focal points of Dale Carnegie Training – the importance of leadership.
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain all are vying to lead this nation. The winner may well be the one who most consistently exhibits the qualities and attitudes of a great leader.

But how do we, the voters, judge those qualities and attitudes? How do we know what to look for? How do we know what’s important – and what’s not?
As with so many other crucial issues, we look to the past. We learn about the great leaders of yesterday, about their thoughts and deeds, their motives and desires. The lessons we learn from history may still be applied today, because the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Take Dale Carnegie. He started teaching leadership skills almost 100 years ago, and Dale Carnegie Training students today are applying the same principles he taught then. The times may be different, but human nature is the same.
Leadership is about motivating people. An effective leader influences those he leads and focuses ..ing them reach their goals, while leading by example. Leaders do not dictate; they inspire!

But leaders are made, not born. And leadership development training is designed to transform people from managers into leaders. Here are some ways to become a better leader by coaching your employees:

Listen. Get to know your employees. Ask them about the high points and low points in their lives, and how they coped with the low points.
Ask insightful questions. Whenever workers finish a project, ask them to list three things they accomplished and one area in which they can improve.
Don’t avoid the negative. Solicit input and ideas from employees, and don’t ignore feedback that is negative or contradicts your own statements. This type of feedback can yield valuable insights.
Don’t pretend you’re perfect. Sometimes you have to give constructive feedback to employees, and this is a good time to discuss your own experiences with similar issues and problems. Focus on the behavior or action, not the individual.
Build self-esteem. You must boost confidence among the people on your team, and the best way to do that is to recognize their achievements and tell them how valuable their work is.
Believe in what you do. Be a strong leader and you can move your team to work wonders.
In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, historian and best-selling author David McCullough discussed the qualities that leaders need to cultivate. He highlighted a sense of history, the ability to spot talent, a willingness to learn, the skill to listen well, and the ambition to excel.
You may not be running for the presidency, but you can benefit from developing your leadership skills no matter what your station in life. Take the time to learn more about the great leaders of the past, and then strive to incorporate the lessons they offer into your own life. You’ll be glad you did!

Click here to read the article mentioned above from David McCullough!

Bob

Dale Carnegie of Western CT Website

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