5 Management Lessons From History’s Greatest Leaders

Written by Jackson Rawlings – 14.11.12

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Throughout history there are certain figures who stand out as naturally great leaders. It is always useful for managers to focus on the qualities that made these people great and try to emulate them.
You can learn how to develop these qualities and much more on our leadership and management courses.
We recently gave some tips for managing a start-up but in this post we will focus on the more general skills that can apply to anyone in a leadership position, whether your business is just getting off the ground or you’re an established manager with years of experience. And we’ll be having some fun with it too… hopefully.

John F. Kennedy – Aspire to Greatness

JFK was perhaps the most youthful, vivacious and daring president there has ever been (and we’re not just talking about his extra-marital exploits here).  While this sometimes got him into trouble (*nearly caused the apocalypse) he will be remembered as the man who dreamed of putting a man on the moon, reversing the centuries-old persecution of African-Americans and bedding Marilyn Monroe!
Dare to dream like JFK. Aim for the stars and still land on the moon, aim for Mila Kunis and still land on…actually, I think we’ll leave that analogy there. Aspiring towards greatness instills a confidence in your employees in both you, and themselves. Be like JFK. Be remembered. Be great.

Abraham Lincoln – Control Your Emotions

Apparently he was the first world wrestling champion too.

Lincoln was the don. Freed the slaves? Yup. Won a civil war? Of course. Kept America from disintegrating as a country? All in a day’s work. Oh and apparently he killed a few vampires too!
You’d think all this being a superhero lark might cause Abe to get short with people; flash his temper at his sub-ordinates. Not quite.
Ol’ Abe did indeed get angry but he had a great little technique to stop it from ruining his professional life, and that was to write a letter to anyone that had wound him up, and then never send it. He’d keep these letters filed away and then when he felt comfortable enough,(and if the person was aware they’d got on his nerves) he’d actually write a letter to that person expressing how he in fact held no grudge toward them.
Talk about being the bigger man! You don’t necessarily have to do a Lincoln and write a letter, but it is useful to find a way to release your emotions without screaming at employees. Whether that’s playing squash or relaxing with a glass of wine, finding an outlet for your pent-up anger and disappointment will make your relationships at work much nicer. Unless you work with vampires, in which case go ahead – be as angry as you like!

Nelson Mandela – Be a Fighter

Now you’d think that being locked up for quarter of a century would turn you into a bitter and twisted ball of rage. Not for Mr.Mandela. How did he respond to being incarcerated? He became President and sought to continue changing the system that had been so cruel to him. He didn’t see himself as a victim, but as a fighter.
As a leader you will have to fight for your beliefs – and no I don’t mean landing a right hook on the MD’s chin each time he shoots down your great idea.
Being able to stand your ground but adapt when necessary is a vital trait of great leaders. Knowing when to plough headfirst into battle and when to stand back and let things take their course is important too.

Martin Luther King JR – Communicate Well

“I have a dream that every manager in this great country will be able to get their point across clearly and effectively”. MLK was one of history’s greatest orators: he knew how to communicate his grandiose ideas to the general public in a way that would make them stand up and take notice.
Take a note of MLK’s charismatic speech but also remember that each person is different. Giving instructions in one way may work for one person and not for another. Being able to adapt the way in which you explain your ideas is a necessary tool for all managers. Clarify anything anyone doesn’t understand early on and you’ll avoid any major misunderstandings later down the line.

Winston Churchill – Make Tough Decisions

“Are you sure that war is the only option sir?” “Oh yes!”

Had the famous nodding-dog’s namesake decided in 1940 that it wasn’t a good idea to open fire on French warships we’d all be eating sauerkraut together with various other borderline-xenophobic clichés. Instead he decided that enough was enough, that either we sank them or they’d be taken into Nazi hands. He made a choice that he knew could lead to the deaths of over 1000 French sailors but that he felt had to be made, to prevent the deaths of potentially millions of innocent people. The rest is history.
Be bold. Make those hardest of choices and be secure in your decisions. A truly great leader will make a life-changing decision and not spend days worrying about whether it was the right choice. Do the same. Pick a path and stick to it. Fight on the beaches. Fight on the landing grounds. Fight in the fields and in the streets. Fight in the hills. Never surrender.

Corey Hart – What Churchill would have been like in the 80s…probably.

 http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/blog/management-lessons-from-great-leaders/

How to Manage Natural Leaders

Written by Andy Trainer – 25.06.12

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Every natural leader needs guidance...

A manager’s role is to be able to effectively deal with all the types of individuals they may have to manage during their career. For a group of people to work as a team, their various personality types and skill sets must be nurtured and developed.
Some people are trickier to manage than others, but this doesn’t make them any less valuable to the organisation – sometimes those who may initially seem hard to deal with can become one of the team’s strongest assets and a source of great support to their manager.
In some cases, such as with natural leaders, traits which initially present as challenging behaviours can be turned into strengths. Or, looking at it a different way, the things you find most challenging in some people are so interlinked with their strengths that to try and eradicate them would be to lose the good stuff as well.
When it comes to managing natural leaders, it’s very important to be aware of the difference between a leader and a manager. Managers need good leadership skills as well as knowledge of how to manage. Similarly, for a strong leader to become a manager, they’ll need management training just like anybody else.
This article will help with what to do when the first signs of leadership show themselves in a member of your team – and how to make it work for you rather than against you.

Recognise the Leader

As it says above, the unrecognised traits of a natural leader may at first be challenging – they will ask a lot of questions and make suggestions for how to improve processes. Other signs of leadership are that others will go to them for advice and guidance, and that they will instinctively guide and advise others.
Remaining aware of the signs should be enough to give you sufficient chance to notice their potential in time to develop their buy-in and use their influence to move the team forward.

Earn Their Buy-In

The number one benefit of the natural leader is the influence of their buy-in. It’s always important to remember that they are questioning and making suggestions because they care about doing the right thing in the right way. Once convinced of the vision, they will work harder than anyone else to achieve it.
This may mean challenging your own thought processes. All suggestions about how to do something better should be considered as potentially useful and time-saving, no matter who presents them. These people are not being difficult on purpose, they really believe in what they are saying, and real damage can be done if they are quietened.
It’s your role as a manager to first of all, listen carefully to their suggestions and questions. If they’re valid then brilliant – use them to move your processes forward. If their ideas are misguided then make sure they know why they won’t work and why the current objective or process is better.

Use Their Influence

Just as the natural leader will find it hard to sit back when they have questions and suggestions, they will not be able to stop themselves talking to other team members about their opinions. Trying to stop your team from discussing their opinions of work is not an option, even if you feel it cultivates a negative or complaining atmosphere. Instead, it’s up to you to manage them so they don’t feel the need to complain!
Similarly, the leader will find it hard not to get involved when they see others making mistakes or losing motivation – they have a natural instinct to support those around them. This plus the tendency for others to go to them for help and advice can be challenging for a manager.
The fact that others on the team value their opinion means you should too. You can encourage them to give help, within the boundaries you set, and ensure their influence improves the team rather than damages it.
The most important thing to remember is that natural leaders are forward thinking and want things to be better. With the right management, they can be a strong force behind positive change. By learning to identify the early signs of a natural leader, you will be able to make sure they can fulfil their potential and benefit your organisation.


 http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/blog/how-to-manage-natural-leaders/