1. Careful Planning:

• The beginning is the most important part of the work
• Leaders spend 80% of their time planning and 20% executing
• Leaders plan carefully to ensure the success of their desired outcome
• Some of the methodologies used are: SDLC, Lean Six Sigma, DMAIC…

2. Organization:

• A leader is organized
• He keeps only what he needs in his drawers and on top of his desk
• Every day he prepares a list of everything he wants to do
• A leader knows how to prioritize his action items

3. Goal Setting:

• There is no success without goals. A leader plans time for his family, reading, relaxation, business, personal development…
• A leader balances goals to have a better life

4. Decision Maker:

• A leader is trained on how to make decisions easily
• A leader doesn’t wait for things to happen
• A leader takes decisions to make things happen

5. Risk Taker:

• A leader is not afraid of taking risks, he knows in order to improve his performance, survive the competition, he needs to take some risks
• A leader knows how to mitigate the risks

6. Communication Skills:

• A leader knows when to talk and how to deliver his message
• A leader is an excellent listener who never interrupts people when they talk
• A leader creates rapport with everyone

7. Manage Change:

• A leader welcomes change versus resisting it
• A leader doesn’t like routine
• A leader anticipates market changes and acts accordingly

8. Managing Stress:

• A leader understands the danger of stress
• A leader educates himself on how to master it
• Some leaders choose to join health clubs, community centers…

9. Delegation:

• A leader believes in others and value his time
• A leader trusts his team and knows when and whom to delegate to get the job done

10. Vision and Creativity:

• A leader has an excellent business vision
• A leader can see things that others can’t
• A leader is very creative and is renowned for his great ideas

10 more characteristics will be shared with you in the next posting. Please keep visiting!

Leadership is made up of 2 words: LEADER-SHIP. It’s the captain of the ship! Leadership is not a process. It’s a way of life. Leadership needs discipline, commitment, and persistence to keep it growing stronger until it becomes second nature to you. There is a major difference between a leader, a manager, a boss, and a doer.

1. Boss:

• A person who gives orders
• Believes he is always right
• Blames people for doing things wrong
• Always declares: “I’m the boss!”

2. Doer:

• A person that doesn’t trust anyone around him
• Spends his time doing the job himself
• Constantly complains about how hard he works
• Lacks confidence in people

3. Manager:

• Follows the management process very closely
• Relies on the system for controlling and maintaining his work
• The company policy is his “bible”
• Very result-oriented

4. Leader:

• Can take a task, improves it and makes it LEAN, puts it into action and gets the desired results
• He’s a trainer
• He’s a motivator
• He’s a team builder
• He’s a great communicator
• He’s an effective listener
• He’s a problem solver
• He’s a risk taker
• He’s a decision maker
• He makes things happen!
• A manager does things right; a leader does the right thing (Fortune Magazine)
• The science of NLP states that if anyone is capable of accomplishing anything, it is possible for anyone else to achieve it as well. You can learn swimming, cooking, martial arts… anything that has already been done by another human provided that: YOU MUST WANT TO DO IT NOT SIMPLY HAVE TO! You need to know how it’s done and start doing it in the exact same way. This is called MODELING.

Our next post would be about 20 most effective characteristics of a true leader. Until then, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Discover the essence of life coaching and how it can change your life! Please fill out the form on the side bar and subscribe for a free 1 on 1 session and unleash the power of positive thinking for the power of your mind is unlimited.

As a leader, you must find ways to help enrich people. It is your role to obtain the best from them and to get them enjoy what they’re doing so that you can achieve outstanding results. And remember, especially those that have taken the “Heart Serene” and the Degrees of Ihsan by Ibnul-Qayyim, that everything we do, we must do it with Ihsan.

1. Praise and Recognition:

Have you thanked your employees, coworkers, family … lately? Recognition is one of the most powerful motivational tool you can use.

• You must do it publicly in front of their colleagues, friends…
• Do it immediately after a task is completed
• Be sincere
• Do not exaggerate
• Don’t forget to do it often

When efforts are recognized, people will perform not only better but they will feel good about themselves.

2. Awards:

Awards are also equally powerful.

• Give the person or the employee a Pin of Excellence as an appreciation of their achievement
• Plaque with the employee’s name and his or her achievement
• You can make it more powerful by inviting their family to witness the occasion

3. Contests:

Contest with the prize being a trip or a lunch with the top person in the company

4. 

• Try to promote instead of hiring from the outside
• When they realize they can advance up the management ladder, they will be motivated to work harder

5. Training:

Your success depends great deal on training your employees. The better they are trained, the better they perform and the more confident they become.

6. Trust:

Trust and give them a sense of freedom, you will be surprised how much they can accomplish

7. Goal Setting:

Helping them in setting their goals has multiple benefits. Goal oriented employees are more motivated performers.

• Help them set their Personal Development Plans
• Ask them to put their goals in writing.

8. Achievements:

• Help them set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound) and ask them to visualize that they have achieved them
• Help them to plan weekly and act daily on how they can achieve their SMART goals

9. Decision Making:

• Involve them in the decision making process
• Give them freedom to make their own decisions which will improve their self-confidence

10. Delegation:

Delegating has multiple benefits:

• You’ll have more time to focus on more important tasks
• It helps develop employee’s qualities and prepare them for future advancement
• It motivates your employees and increases their self-esteem

11. Growth:

• Help them grow by sending them to seminars to learn new skills
• Encourage them to continue their education
• Share cost if you can
• Don’t let them perform the same task over and over until boredom sets in

12. Your Attitude:

• Keep a warm smile as much as you can
• Listen to your employees
• Call them by their first name
• Accept full responsibility for your mistakes. Don’t blame everyone
• Treat them fairly; don’t favor one over the other

13. Show Personal Interest in Them:

• Find out their areas of interest
• Find out something common with each one: education, reading, hobby…
• Ask about their families. This gives them a feeling of belonging!

14. Gifts (even inexpensive ones):

• If an employee has a special interest, give him a gift that reflects that interest. That gift would motivate that employee and get him talking about it to everyone

15. Give Them a Challenge:

• Give them an opportunity to learn new tasks or accomplish new goals
• For example, ask the sales team to increase sales by 10% or ask the service department to reduce the number of complaints by 15%

As you may have noticed, money is not mentioned!  Money is a good motivation but not the best one.

Until another post, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Discover the essence of life coaching and how it can change your life! Please fill out the form on the side bar and subscribe for a free 1 on 1 session and unleash the power of positive thinking for the power of your mind is unlimited.

Motivating your employees will automatically motivate you, but you need to be able to motivate yourself. Below are 5 ways that will help you get motivated

1. Goal Setting: set up your life goals with a strong desire to achieve them

• Write a list of everything you wish to have, to do, or to be
• Put them in order of priority
• List the 3 most important goals you want to achieve more than anything in your life
• Put a time frame by which you would need to achieve those goals
• Adopt the one-inch concept: every single day, do something to get you one inch closer to your goal
• Every night before you go to sleep, read your goals and visualize yourself achieving them
• In the morning, rewrite your goals in the present tense: I’m 140 lbs, I’m making 200K/yr, I’m a hafidh, I’m the GM of … and visualize yourself again achieving them
• Do this early in the morning and I can assure you, with the will of Allah, that you will be highly motivated and on your way to making your dreams come true.

2. Personal Development: if you keep doing the same task over and over, you will get the same result

• Get out of the comfort zone and do something new
• Buy tapes/CDs and listen to them on your way to work…
• Read books and magazines for at least 20 minutes a day
• Learn new skills by going to seminars
• Improve your self-esteem and self-worth

3. Special Interest: do you have a special hobby or interest?

• No matter what it is, do it often
• If you don’t have a hobby, try to find one because it’s important to have a balanced life.

4. The Club of Interest: start a club of excellence like an Ameer Club…

• Choose a handful of successful and positive minded Ameers, leaders, managers… and meet once a week. Set the time for the meeting
• Every week, the entire meeting shall be dedicated in solving a participant’s major problem/challenge
• Put hands together until many possible solutions are found. Every week, you will all learn something new and feel motivated

5. The Success Journal

• Get yourself a notebook and every single day write your achievements in it
• Focus on what you did not on what you didn’t do!
• Record them daily because they will become your testament to your power, your abilities, your achievements
• Read them daily and say :”I DID IT” ” I CAN DO IT AGAIN”

You can be highly motivated, all you really need is the desire and the commitment to keep yourself motivated, no matter what happens.

Until the next post, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah

Discover the essence of life coaching and how it can change your life! Please fill out the form on the side bar and subscribe for a free 1 on 1 session and unleash the power of positive thinking for the power of your mind is unlimited.

My name is Riad Ouarzazi, and I’m a certified life coach. Life Coaching is a designed alliance between coach and client where the coaching relationship continually gives all the power back to you, the client. I believe that you know the answers to every question or challenge you may have in your life, even if those answers appear to be obscured, concealed or hidden inside.

I believe that the key to success is turning ideas into actions.

I challenge each client to reach beyond their comfort zone. The only way to find out what you are really capable of doing is to get irrational. You will find that the people who take consistent action, make progress, and achieve new milestones are the people who have a magnificent dream.

Life coaching has personally changed my life to the better and I’m willing to share that experience with you. I approach every new client with enthusiasm because I know I can take them to the next level and beyond… I know if you stick with me, you’ll have what you want in life insha’Allah.

Discover the essence of life coaching and how it can change your life! Subscribe for a free 1 on 1 session and unleash the power of positive thinking for the power of your mind is unlimited.