Be An Effective Leader: Inspire Your Team Members to Achieve Organisational Goals with Seve "I"

Organisational effectiveness depends on effective leadership. Leaders differ from managers because leaders rely mainly on personal power whereas managers rely mainly on formal power.

Personal power stems from expertise, personality, social skills and ethical conduct whereas formal power stems from the power inherent in a position such as the power to reward, punish and force compliance.

Leaders build long-lasting relationships based on social exchange and relational trust whereas managers build short-term relationship that are based on economic exchange and calculative trust.

Examples of social exchanges are sharing and delegating authority, respecting and seeking input from followers, treating all followers fairly, and showing a genuine concern for the welfare and development of followers.

Social exchanges result in an emotional bond with the leader such that followers identity with the leader such that followers identify with the leader and the leader's vision, and believe that the leader has their best interests at heart and truly appreciates their contributions.

Economic exchanges are short-tern oriented and result in a conditional trust in the leader.

Examples of economic exchanges are rewarding followers in accordance with any agreements made with them and providing them with the technical support needed to effective perform their roles.

Economic exchanges yield calculative trust in the leader because the leader keeps promises and treats followers equitably.

True Leadership
True leadership transforms the norm an seeks goals that are morally sound and beneficial to all stakeholders. One of the key functions of leadership therefore is to influence others so they will enthusiastically accept and commit to the radical propositions of the leader.

When you attempt to influence others, they can resist, comply or agree because they have an emotional connection with you. Or, they can agree because they believe in what you believe in.

Leaders differ from managers because leaders can create an emotional bond with others and make others believe in their visions. Leaders rely on influence tactics such as inspirational appeal, personal appeal and rational persuasion whereas managers rely on pressure, exchange and legitimation.

The Seven "I"
Leaders can increase organisational effectiveness by sincerely and consistently pratising the seven I's because these create an emotional bond with the leader and make others believe in what the leader and make others believe in what the leader wants to achieve.

People who are emotionally connected to the leader and internalise the ideals of the leader are likely to make extraordinary efforts to achieve the leader's vision.

Here are the seven I's

1. Integrity
This is a cornerstone of trust and shows that the leader has a high level of morality, walks the talk, and is an honest and good-hearted person.

2. Inclusiveness
This quality shows people that the leader values them and does not have favourites. Inclusiveness shows that the leader respects the contributions that others make and thus builds an emotional bond with them.

3. Individualisation
This makes people feel that the leader cares about them and facilitates the development of close relationships because the leader is a mentor who willingly shares explicit and tacit informations.

4. Idealism
The leader demonstrates that he has high standards, an advanced sense of morality and seeks a future that surpasses the present. Idealism stems from dissatisfaction with the status quo and an optimism that the future can be better than the present.

5. Industriousness
This means the leader walks the talk and is prepared to do more than what is asked of others. Great leaders work tirelessly towards their vision and this inspires others to do the same.

6. Innovation
Leaders encourage people to reconsider old ways of doing things and create organisational cultures in which people feel safe taking risks and making mistakes. Leaders who act upon the ideas of others are able to facilitate creativity and ultimately innovation.

7. Inspiration
This is an outcome of great leadership and happens when the leader is an admirable role model and creates a compelling vision that excites others and makes them identify with collective goals.

Leaders influence organisational effectiveness directly and indirectly. Leaders who are role models and who work tirelessly and demonstrate exceptional social skills directly influence organisational effectiveness.

However, leaders who practise the seven I's of effective leadership can have a greater indirect influence on organisational effectiveness by exciting others to do their utmost to achieve organisational goals.

[Source: The Star, 26 March 2011]

Boost Your Sales: Improve the company's bottom and be viewed as a top performer

A recent survey by performance improvement company Grass Roots revealed that ineffective sales performance results in businesses easily losing RM840,000 (s$350,000) per store annually, as shoppers take their business elsewhere.

The survey was conducted when 1,400 mystery shoppers visited consumer electronics and IT hardware and software retail outlets. Each mystery shopper would enquire about an assigned product and assess the salesman's response, experience, product knowledge and attempt to close the sale.

The survey was initiated to gain a better understanding of the sales effectiveness within this industry.

Here are some key recommendations to help you close the sales:

1. First impressions count
Frequently, a customer subconsciously decides to buy from a particular retail outlet within the first few minutes of entering the stores. To create a good first impression, you should look to improve factors such as store cleanliness, store lighting, the speed at which customers are greeted and the brand models or signage on display. It will also help a great deal if you are well-groomed.

2. Establish a need for the product
When a potential customer enters your store, after greeting them the first thing you must do is understand their needs. Your questions should assess what they are looking for, their budget and if they are open to purchasing today should they find 3what they are looking for.

Having a good listening ear is crucial bu, more importantly, you need to be able to ask the right questions. For example, if someone wants to purchase a printer, the salesman should find out whether this is for office use, where it will be printing hundred of sheets daily, or whether this is fora family to regularly print out their weekend photos.

3. Meeting the needs of the customer

Once you have established the need for the product, you will be in a better position to meet or even exceed the needs of that customer.

Salesmen are expected to have excellent product knowledge, including the pros and cons of competing products that may not be available within their own retail outlet. So do read up on the latest technology developments in the industry.

At the same time, you should be careful not to overload the customer with information. It is always a good practice to verify that the customer has all the information he or she needs, so that they can make the right decision.

Having said this, most customers appreciate it when the salesman is able to make a brand recommendation, especially if it is based on his own experience.

For example, a comment like this would help to seal the deal: "Of all the camera brands I have shown you, I would recommend brand X, I personally own one, and find it fantastic."

4. Attitude of the salesman

A major contributor to your success in making that sale boils down to your overall attitude and body language. You need to be friendly, informative and, most of all, genuine.

No one feels good being badgered into buying something that they did not really want or need. And even if you succeeded in making this sale, the chances are high that the customer will either come back to return the product, or worse still, they will never return to buy another product again.

It is recommended that the sales staff proactively try to close the sale by making a comment such as, " Is there anything further you would like to look at, or are you ready to proceed?"

Another good tactic for salesmen is to up-sell, by recommending a complementary product. Not only does this boost business, but it also shows that you understand the customers' needs. For example, when a customer has chosen a laptop, ask him whether he would like a USB stick or a mouse?

Through making minor changes in these four areas, you can help to boost sales effectiveness and the company's bottom line. This can lead to you being viewed as a top performer, thus creating career development opportunities within the company you are working for and beyond.


[Source: The Star, 31 March 2011]