BlogZynergy - Part 23

Relativating: thinking from a dual perspective

It is often stated in managers’ profile: a perspective on work. This means that you can approach the problems in your work in a resilient way. You are enthusiastic and committed and you strive for the best results. You have faith in your people and you give them all the space they need.

But at the same time you also understand the art of letting things go when things go wrong. You will not be discouraged if it turns out differently than you had hoped. You do what you can, but don’t get frustrated by setbacks. You manage to pick up the thread again quickly.

Don’t be difficult, the art of putting things into perspective can be learned gradually. You enjoy going to work, working with your colleagues and achieving success on a regular basis. At least I assume that. I also assume that you do not cheer every day and that it does not always go so well. There is often a lot of stress involved in letting the noses point in the same direction and achieve seemingly simple goals.

Communication is not always smooth: there is misunderstanding, frustration and excitement. Your advice is ignored, you get criticism of your decisions. Employees compete for their interests and their equal. The atmosphere can sometimes be cut. The offers that you had set your mind on are rejected and hopeful projects fail. Occasionally you are completely through it and you have the idea of being on your own. Sometimes it seems that everything and everyone is bothering you.

Frustrating? No, because you master the art of putting things into perspective, you don’t make them crazy anymore. Note: Shit happens! You no longer get excited about any sleepers and setbacks, because they are part of it.

You no longer get angry about the things you can’t change. And you will no longer be annoyed if choices have been made for which you are not responsible. You learn to approach every situation with maximum effort, but at the same time to be indifferent to the results.

You can once again learn and master the art of putting things into perspective.

GOOD TIMES DON’T LAST FOREVER

You can’t see round the bend. For that reason, the sole thanks to predict the longer term is to check the past or extrapolate what we all know to be true these days. However what if revolutionary changes occur or external events blindside you? The actual fact is, once time is smart, you think that they’ll continue forever. However statistically speaking, smart times don’t last forever.

People assume smart times can last forever…until they don’t.

When was the last time you found yourself oral communication, “No one’s about to knock United States out of 1st place. My job’s entirely secure.” Or, “My health is usually smart.” However would you’re feeling if one amongst those situations modified tomorrow? The reality is, there are belongings you will do to organize for that natural event — and you ought to. However you’ll ne’er actually recognize what it’s wish to face a private natural event, or however you’ll really respond, till you face robust times.

Business Plan: 6 Key Questions to Ask Before You Start a Business

With the accessibility convenience that the Internet provides, it’s also easier than ever before to start your own business. Many times, you can even do it from your own home.

But, just because it’s easier than in the past to start your own company doesn’t mean you don’t need to be cautious.

In fact, there’s a handful of questions you need to ask yourself before you dive in.

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we got you covered.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about what you need to consider while creating your business plan.

1. “What Problem Can My Business Solve?”

This is one of the most important questions you can ask, and it’s important that you be honest with yourself.

If what you offer to your target audience solves a problem or makes their lives easier, they’ll likely pay money for it. But, if it doesn’t bring them much value, you may find that your company’s performance will struggle.

The good news is that the answer to this question isn’t always complicated.

It could be as simple as an app that helps budding musicians find open mic nights in their city, or a platform that lets people hire local petsitters.

2. “What’s My X-Factor?”

So, you’ve found what problem you’re going to solve. That’s great!

Except, it’s likely that plenty of other people have the same mission.

While competition isn’t inherently bad, it can make things a bit difficult as a business owner. This is especially true when you’re just starting out.

So, you’re going to have to find a way to stand out from the crowd if you want to get your audience’s attention.

Ways you can help differentiate yourself include:

Provide above and beyond customer service
Develop a powerful culture around your brand (Nike, for example)
Have a relatable cause or story behind your business
Be weird and unconventional

The more effort you put into being unique as a business, the better off you’ll be.

3. “What Resources/Funds Do I Have Available?”

This is another one where you’ll need to be completely honest with yourself.

If you don’t have the proper funds and resources (or can’t definitively secure them), don’t get too caught up in bringing an end-game vision to life.

For example, there are people out there who dream of having their own office and a dozen employees working under them. But, there’s no need to spend money on renting a workspace if you’re just starting out in most circumstances.

Instead, focus on what you can realistically obtain with what you have access to.

Even you only have a few thousand dollars or only know a couple of people in the industry, it’s important to accept that you’ve got some work to do before you start scaling your company.

4. “How Well Do I Know the Market?”

You wouldn’t set out to sea without checking the weather, would you?

The same applies here when entering a market for the first time.

You could provide the best product or service the industry has ever seen, but introducing it at the wrong time could spell the end for your business.

Similarly, you’ll also need to consider unexpected factors, such as unforeseen costs and how your audience reacts to your branding/marketing.

Put simply, you need to put in the time and research everything you can about the industry you’re about to enter. This means analyzing your competition, your audience, and the performance of the market itself are all crucial.

5. “How Do I Create My Marketing Product/Service?”

Yet another one of those make-or-break questions.

How you market your product or service is just as important as what you’re actually offering. But, it’s not quite as daunting as it seems to come up with a strategy.

To get started, consider what is known as the Four P’s of marketing:

Product- What you offer and how it will stand out among other products. Also, consider who you want to buy it.
Price- What you charge for what you offer. Pursue the ‘sweet spot’ in terms of price that will optimize sales.
Promotion- How you frame your product or service. For example, it could be marketed as a premium purchase or something that is intentionally barebones.
Place- How you reach your audience. Essentially, this is your chosen method(s) of making sales (online store, phone, retail, etc.).

Flesh out each answer as thoroughly as possible and you’ll end up with a solid marketing plan.

6. “What Is My Exit Strategy?”

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. That’s why inventions like seatbelts and lifejackets exist.

The same applies when starting your own business. Unforeseen circumstances could very easily cause your company to enter a downward spiral, such as an imploding market that leaves no need for what you offer.

So, you need to come up with a plan to cushion the blow as much as possible (or eliminate it entirely).

Common exit strategies include:

Selling your company to another business owner
Shutting down all operations and liquidating
Merging with another company that provides similar products or services

Think of what the ideal solution to an emergency scenario would be, and then plan for it.

That way, you’ll be one step ahead when the need for a way out arises.

Coming up With a Solid Business Plan Can Seem Difficult

But it doesn’t have to be.

With the above information about developing a business plan in mind, you’ll be well on your way to giving your company the best chance of success.

TEN Signs of Long-Term Work Team Success…

As the owner of a company, you can put together a collection of the most talented employees in your area. But if you aren’t able to get them to work together as a team, it’ll all be for naught.

You can encourage your employees to work together by appointing a strong manager to guide them along the way. You can also do it by posting inspiring quotes about teamwork all over your office.

But it’s ultimately going to be up to your employees to decide whether or not team success is something that’s important to them. Working together as a team requires each and every employee within a company to sacrifice a little bit of themselves for the greater good.

Are your employees working well as a team right now? Here are ten signs that’ll let you know your team is operating at a high level.

1. Your Team Understands Their Purpose

When you bring a group of employees together and turn them into a team, it’s important for you to let them know what their specific purpose will be. Their purpose might be to:

Help increase your company’s sales
Generate ideas for new products
Launch a service in a new area

Regardless of what your team’s purpose is, they should understand it and, to a larger degree, understand the importance of them working together to serve their purpose. As long as they’re able to do this, team success should follow.

2. They Set Goals and Work to Achieve Them

In addition to understanding their purpose, your team of employees should also come together to set goals for themselves. They should work hard — and work together! — to achieve them, too.

You can provide your team with some general goals that you want them to achieve. But they should be able to come up with more specific goals that will allow them to reach their end goal sooner than later.

3. They Assume Clearly Identified Roles

LeBron James is an amazing basketball player. He could very well go down as the best basketball player of all time.

But can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if someone were to clone him and put five LeBron Jameses on one basketball team? A team with five LeBrons just wouldn’t work!

Likewise, your team isn’t going to work if everyone on it is trying to be the business equivalent of LeBron. You need to find employees who are able to slide into different roles on your team and play their position without getting upset about it.

4. They Know How to Make Collective Decisions

It doesn’t matter if your team consists of five employees, 15 employees, or 50 employees. Anytime you ask more than one person to make a decision together, things tend to get messy.

The best teams know how to come together and make decisive decisions quickly without arguing over them too much. That doesn’t mean that everyone on a team is going to agree with every decision that gets made. But a good team will find ways to come to agreements as a whole.

5. They Employ Winning Strategies to Deal With Conflict

You don’t want the employees on your team to spend all day bickering with one another. That’s not going to lead to team success.

But a little bit of conflict within a team is healthy. Your employees will gel better as a unit when they face conflicts and figure out how to deal with them accordingly.

6. They Celebrate One Another’s Individual Successes

Even though your goal is going to be to have your employees work together as a team as opposed to working as individuals, there will be times when certain individuals stand out.

You’ll have an employee who comes up with an idea that’s so good that you can’t help but recognize them for it. Or you’ll have an employee that closes a huge sale on their own and gets a well-deserved bonus for doing it.

Good teams will celebrate one another’s individual successes without showing the slightest bit of jealousy. They’ll understand that there are going to be times when one team member does something that deserves individual accolades.

7. They Motivate Each Other During Stressful Times

When your team is placed under a great deal of stress, how do they react?

Do they turn to one another for support and figure out a way to deal with a stressful situation collectively — or do they freak out and worry only about themselves during the tough times?

Great teams work to motivate each other during challenging moments. They continue to push one another forward, no matter how hard things might get.

8. They Ask for Feedback and Adjust Their Approach to Doing Business

No team is perfect. There is always room for improvement as far as teamwork is concerned.

Your team should ask you for feedback on a regular basis and take any suggestions you provide for them to heart. They should also be more than open to taking part in online team assessments to evaluate their overall performance as a team.

9. They Genuinely Enjoy Working Together

Does your team enjoy working together so much that they spend time together outside of the office? This is one of the true measures of team success!

That’s not to say that your employees have to spend every waking hour together to be a successful unit. But it does mean that teams that enjoy spending time together both inside and outside of the workplace often function better as a team.

10. They Welcome New Team Members With Open Arms

In a perfect world, you would create a team within your business, turn the team into a success, and then keep the team together for decades to come. But of course, that’s not how business works!

Your team might stay together for a few years. But most people only stay at a job for about four or five years before moving on. As a result, your team is likely going to have team members coming and going all the time.

A truly special team will welcome new team members into the mix with open arms and help them find the role that suits them best.

Make Team Success a Top Priority at Your Company

At this point, sayings like “There’s no ‘I’ in team” and “teamwork makes the dream work” have turned into cliches. But they’re true!

Your company needs to achieve team success if you’re going to be successful. Spend time putting together the perfect team and then keep tabs on them to make sure they’re working well together. It’ll be beneficial for your business in so many ways.

Always on the move to create useful content for the World…

Positiv+ Leadership, & Hot It Is Creating Positiv+ Organisational Attitudes

Since its appearance at the end of the last century, positive psychology has greatly influenced a significant number of all the conceptual and theoretical models developed in the field of psychology.

Psychology progressively stopped focusing on what makes us unhappy and unproductive, focusing instead on what mitigates suffering and increases people’s happiness and positive outcomes.

In parallel, organizational behavior is applying as an extension, the principles of positive psychology. The scientific community on organizational behavior is focusing on the study of positive organizational behavior structures and formulas to ensure the success of economic, political, and organizational systems leading to a positive optimization of processes and results.

And positive leadership is one of the most vital factors within positive organizational psychology. The flourishment of all the positive dimensions of the human being and the promotion of organizational and occupational well-being and health, both at the individual and collective levels.

But what does it take to be a positive leader? What makes it somehow different from regular leadership?

According to Wooten, L. P. and Cameron, K. S. in their article “Enablers of a Positive Strategy: Positively Deviant Leadership,” positive leaders are those whose behaviors show an orientation towards the positive extreme, based on the existence of a continuum, on which any leader can be situated. Under this light, positive leadership has specifically, three necessary components:A focus on people’s strengths and abilities that reaffirm their human potential;An emphasis on results and facilitates above the average individual and organizational performance;A field of action concentrated on the components that can be seen as essential virtues of the human condition.

The conceptual framework of positive leadership has deepened into different forms of positive leaders (transformational, servant, spiritual, authentic, and ethical). With a common denominator on the priority of encouraging and maintaining optimal levels on followers’ performance, through the promotion of virtuous and eudaimonic behaviors, Avolio B. J. and Gardner, W. L. have also identified five common components to all these forms: a positive moral outlookleader’s self-knowledgepositive modeling of the followers’ behaviorpersonal and social identification of followers with the leader and the grouppositive social exchanges between the leader and the followers.

1. Transformational leadership

The model of “transformational leadership” was introduced for the first time as opposed to the traditional concept of the “transactional leader” as the one formulating the exchange of rewards contingent to the followers producing several desired behaviors.

Transformational leaders otherwise are described as capable of motivating their followers to transcend their own individual interests, to guide their behavior to achieve collective goals.

According to Bernard M. Bass in his study on the field, the transformational leader integrates four essential factors: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and the individualized consideration of the followers. Bass extensive studies on the field have led to the development of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire much used for understanding the effectiveness of leaders in organizations. There is extensive research on empirical evidence pointing out how behaviors related to transformational leadership have a positive effect on individual and group variables, such as employee engagement, motivation and the efficient execution of tasks as well as variables related to the overall organizational effectiveness and performance of a company.

2. Servant Leadership

According to its conceptual father Robert K. Greenleaf, the servant leader is one who places the needs, aspirations, and interests of his followers over his own; the deliberate choice is to serve others to achieve their development and the success of the organization. This way, the theory of servant leadership emphasizes the concept of service to others and the recognition that the role of the organization is to enable the formation of individuals who can help create a positive organizational environment.

3. Spiritual Leadership

Inspired by the ideas of Greenleaf and a context in which conventional leadership is not sufficient to meet the needs of individuals in the organizational environment, Gilbert W. Fairholm defined in 1996 the theory and model of “spiritual leadership.” Based on a number of identified qualities such as the presence of set life goals, deeply rooted moral convictions, high intellectual ability, social skills and a unique orientation to the development of values in others, this model incorporates elements associated with the capabilities, needs and interests of both the leader and their followers, as well as the objectives and goals of the organization.

4. Authentic Leadership

Avolio and Gardner, the most prominent authors of this field, defined authentic leaders as those endowed with deep moral convictions, whose behavior is strongly inspired by these ethical principles for the benefit of the group. Greatly aware of their thoughts, emotions, skills, value system and perception by others, they possess high doses of confidence, optimism, hope, resilience, and moral strength and avoid behaving inconsistently even when these might be uncomfortable for their followers. Authentic leadership theory and model emerged in response to the many examples of unethical behavior experienced on the that have political and business environment.

Authentic leaders have positive psychological capital, moral perspective, self-knowledge, and self-regulation of behavior. They are characterized by a positive process of influence with easiness for personal and social identification, modeling positive behavior, emotional contagion, and social exchange based on reciprocity and consistency. Through closeness and exposure to authentic leaders, the followers develop self-awareness, self-regulation, and personal flourishment. And it is the interaction of all these components what creates a sustainable organizational competitive advantage with positive psychological results for all its members.

5. Ethical Leadership

Despite the ethical dimensions being present in the transformational, servant, and especially the authentic model of leadership, some authors are trying to develop the concept of ethical leadership as an independent construct. Still, under in-depth research, ethical leadership seeks to promote normatively appropriate behaviors, in the followers, through personal actions and interpersonal relationships between them and the leader, using a reward system and transparent communication.

ALERT FROM THE CARIBBEAN BLOG AUTHORITY: PAHO warns Caribbean countries of heat waves

Dear Readers,

As the Caribbean Blog Authority, I am making an exception to write this blog.With this blog I like to reach policymakers/governments from the total Caribbean region so they can start to prepare for what is coming. Read further and feel free to share this information.

The Pan-American health organization (PAHO) has urged the Caribbean countries to prepare for heat waves. While Europe is experiencing heat waves, North America, Central America and the Caribbean are also at risk. The situation could deteriorate between July and August, with a negative impact on human health, says the PAHO.

Given the current heat waves in Europe and the predictions that this phenomenon will affect different parts of America, the PAHO urges countries in the region to prepare. The organization warns of the impact that the heat waves could have on people’s health, including the risk of death.

During the summer of the southern hemisphere of 2018-2019, seven countries in North and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay) were hit by heat waves, a phenomenon that has never been in the region before perceived. The heat waves that had the greatest impact since 2000 were those in Brazil that caused the death of 737 people in 2010, and those in Argentina in the summer of 2013-2014 that caused 1,877 deaths. The heat in Argentina left 800,000 people without energy, which increased the heat stress in this group. According to health authorities in the United States, heat waves are the natural phenomenon that causes the highest number of deaths in that country.

Weather forecasts for North America, Central America and the Caribbean predict heat waves during the summer (July / August) of 2019. This can cause drought-induced stress, lead to forest fires and have harmful effects on human health.

Due to the situation, the PAHO has developed a guide to help countries in the region formulate emergency plans to tackle heat waves. This guide provides recommendations that the health sector and meteorological authorities can implement to prepare for and better respond to this threat, promote health, prevent the harmful effects of heat waves, treat affected people and save lives.

The document emphasizes that emergency plans for emergencies must be able to determine the extent of the threat, with activation procedures for alerts, a description of roles and functions, and coordination mechanisms within and between authorities. The document also emphasizes that countries need to strengthen the epidemiological surveillance of heat-related morbidity and mortality, the capacity of health services (staff training, improvements in the design of new hospitals and equipment of existing hospitals in high-risk areas). Improving the actions of local authorities, the media and communities in terms of response measures between agencies, prevention measures and self-care should be improved.

Heat exposure causes serious symptoms such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke (a condition that causes faintness, as well as dry, warm skin, due to the body’s inability to control high temperatures). Most heat-related deaths are due to deterioration of the circulatory system, kidney, hormonal, and psychiatric disorders. Other symptoms include fluid retention in the lower limbs, heat rashes in the neck, cramps, headache, irritability, lethargy and weakness.

People with chronic illnesses who take medication on a daily basis run a greater risk of complications and death during a heat wave, as well as the elderly and children.
To prevent the harmful effects of heat, the PAHO recommends:
– Stay informed of weather warnings and forecasts;
– Avoid sun exposure between 11 o’clock in the morning and 4 o’clock in the afternoon;- Do not leave children or elderly people in parked vehicles;
– Do not train or do intense outdoor activities without proper protection;- Drink water every 2 hours, even if you are not thirsty;
– Keep the house cool by covering windows during the day and using air conditioners or fans during the hottest hours.
– If you have a chronic illness and are taking medication, consult your doctor.

Improve by one percent at a time

For people who would like to improve on a personal level, there is a widely used Japanese method: Kaizen. Kaizen revolves around the small steps that must be taken to realize the biggest plans. AllTopStartup founder Thomas Oppong puts it this way: “Getting one percent better every day is a simple, practical way to achieve big goals.”

Kaizen spread to the rest of the world thanks to American experts such as Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Frederick Winslow Taylor. They were already at the forefront of research into effective work in the 1920s and their knowledge was the basis for Kaizen. In post-war Japan, a way was sought to increase the effectiveness of employees. This way was found in the idea of Kaizen, freely translated: good change, or continuous improvement.

More than just improvement

Kaizen has a goal that goes beyond just improvement. It is a daily activity and a process that can make people more human. It eliminates unnecessary work and teaches people to see wastes and remove them. A commonly used definition is ‘disassembly and reassembly in a better way’. What is taken apart is usually a process, system, or service in a company. In personal development, an action or habit will be reassembled.

Accessible

Continuous improvement works by sticking to three conditions. Set a goal for one percent improvement. Decide how often you will work on the goal and stick to that plan, focus on the one percent improvement. Stay with this process until you reach the end goal. By not focusing on the end goal but on the one percent goal, improvement can be achieved in an easily accessible manner. By working in small steps you build a solid foundation for a great future.

If the amount of work suddenly doubles

Sometimes the circumstances force you to take on more work than you can actually handle. How do you cram twice as much work in the same time….

In my student days it was a frequently used assessment, the card catalog. The applicant receives an enormous amount of information and does not get enough time to go through it. How the applicant deals with it says a lot about his ability to prioritize. But what if your entire working week is a large card catalog. If you have chronically too much work?

You can be busy and you can be busy. In one case you are focused all day, do lots of work and at the end of the day you have a very satisfied feeling about yourself. You fixed that nicely.

Behind the facts

In the second case of being busy you follow the facts. Every mail that comes in feels like an extra amount of work, colleagues who drop by to ask something(s) are unwelcome , and if someone asks how things are going, you can only produce some sort of incomprehensible murmur. Not feeling satisfied at the end of the day, just the question of what you have done with your time all day. What you were so stressed out, you can’t even reproduce anymore.

It is that second form of pressure that leads to burnout. Because if something leads to stress, it is the loss of control, the feeling of being lived.

It’s hard enough to keep control of your own work. Books have been written full of techniques to increase your concentration, set priorities and close yourself off for distraction. But what if the circumstances are just not going well? What if the amount of work suddenly increases, for example because a colleague is sick who is not being replaced? If a big new project comes in and the people are not in favor of it or if a lot of extra work is just put down for you?

No more hours

Whatever the reason may be, many people have to deal with increasing amounts of work and keeping up with that can be difficult. So how do you prevent this by working more and then buffering in the evening and at the weekend, and in this way working yourself into a burnout? A few simple steps can help.

The first step is to stand still and see how you stand. Are you unmotivated, do your colleagues snub and are you actually always tired? Then there is a good chance that you are already well on the way to a burnout. If that is the case, you must change your habits as quickly as possible. For more about recognizing a burnout in time.

Larger whole

Then it is important to zoom out to get the bigger picture back in sight. Accept that you will not get everything done. So don’t start doing things like a headless chicken, but take the time to set priorities. The chance is small that there are things in it that you can skip, but start with the most urgent things.

Then it is good to remember that you are not alone in your company and that there are people you can ask for help. Even though it’s not what you want, and it feels like you’re failing, it’s your boss’s job to make sure you can do your job well. So make use of that. Nobody can do anything about it if you fall over because of the stress because you did not ring the bell in time.

The team

To prevent you from feeling that you are lazy or to moan, it helps to frame the reasons that you do not want to do extra work in the interest of the team. With all the work you get put on your plate, ask yourself: am I the best person to do this, and who on the team can help me with this?

And an important lesson that I am now learning: no is also an answer. So is there a colleague next to your desk with a request for something he could do well himself? Does your boss have a nice plan again that will give you a lot of extra work? Just say no. That not only works best for you, but also for your team. If everyone knows where he stands, you will get further.

Dunham and Pierce’s Leadership Process Model

The Dunham and Pierce Leadership Process Model doesn’t necessarily seek to define leadership, but it does the job indirectly. This model addresses all of the key elements that play a role in leadership, and helps the manager to understand how each part affects the other parts of the equation. Leadership will never be simple, but using this model is a good way to ‘get your head around’ the various moving parts and hopefully bring it into better focus in your mind.

Learn the Four Factors
According to Dunham and Pierce, there are four factors that play a role in the leadership process. Those four are the Leader, the Followers, the Context, and the Outcomes. Naturally, the Leader is the person in charge of a project or team, regardless of what their title may be. That person may be referred to as an owner, a manager, a V.P., or any other title that confers power and responsibility. The important thing is that they are the person who a group of others answer to, and it is their performance that we are worried about with this model.

The Followers are then, obviously, the people who are being led. Generally, these will be employees of the company in question. Most commonly, the Followers for a specific manager fall within a group or division of the company. The performance that the Leader is able to coax out of the Followers will largely be responsible for the outcomes that are achieved.

The Context is an interested element to this model, and one that is skipped over in some other various leadership models and discussions. Context refers to the circumstances under which the Leader is managing his or her team. Whether it is a project that will run for a predetermined length of time, or simply employees working on a day to day basis, the context of leadership play an important part in what style of management is going to be most successful.

Lastly, the Outcomes portion of the puzzle refers to the results of any project or task that has been worked on by the Followers under direction of the Leader. For example, if a well-defined project has been worked on for two months, the success or failure of that project will be considered an Outcome. Above all else, leaders tend to be judged on their Outcomes because they usually have the most direct influence over the bottom line. If you are a manager within an organization, it is probably your Outcomes that you spend most of your time concerned with.

It’s All Connected
If this model has one overreaching theme that you should take away, it is that all of the aspects of leadership are interconnected in one way or another. It is obvious that your actions as the Leader will affect your followers, but it is more complicated than that. Conversely, the actions of your Followers are likely to affect you as a Leader and your management style. If you are able to learn from your team and how their actions dictate the Context and the Outcomes, everyone will have a better chance at success. The leadership model, then, is not so much a linear one as it is a circular one.

So what does this have to do with management from a practical sense? It should serve as notice that everything done within the context of a leadership situation is important, and it all comes around in the end in one form or another. Things that are done to help the team and empower the individuals on a team can serve to improve future outcomes, while any negativity is likely to manifest in unwanted ways. Taking a holistic approach to management can be powerful when it comes to guiding a team toward long term success.

Some of the Highlights
This model has plenty to teach leaders and managers in a variety of settings, but some of the most important lessons can be found below.

• Grow relationships within the team. Since this model of leadership is circular in nature, it only makes sense that growing relationships well help everyone perform better. When the relationships are strong from the top down, communication will benefit and the team should work more efficiently as a whole.

• Let people do what they do best. This is key for any leader, no matter what context they are working in. When people are able to spend time working on projects that they feel comfortable with and that match up with their skill sets, they tend to be happier (and perform better). When leaders fails to consider the skills of their people, it should be no surprise the results lag.

• Offer feedback. This point goes along with the point regarding relationships among the team. Feedback is valuable because it helps to steer the members of the team in the right direction, in a positive way. Opening the lines of feedback helps the Followers learn what is expected from them, and also gives them an opportunity to provide feedback to the Leader – which can be invaluable.

• Act Ethically and Honestly. The circular nature of leadership dictates that it is vitally important to act with a high degree of honesty on a regular basis. When deceit creeps into the system, it is likely to spread and have a negative effect throughout the organization.

Leadership is complicated and sometimes messy, but the Dunham Pierce Leadership Process Model does a good job of highlighting the key points and identifying how they all affect one another. For the leader who is trying to keep a variety of different interests happy throughout the term of a project, this model can help to sort things out and keep them moving in the right direction.