The Challenge of Successful Leadership

Which of these statements do you most agree with?

1. Leadership based on fear lends itself to creating long-lasting relationships.
2. Leaders must sacrifice short-term friendship for long-term respect.
3. Personal power is more effective in motivating employees toward high performance.
4. It is best to be both loved and feared.

These statements address the different approaches that leaders take. The struggle is to determine which approach generates the best results. Is it just one approach? Or do employees react to a combination of the different approaches? Do certain employees react better to certain tactics?  

The key is incorporating these attitudes into your leadership style and the effect it has on your employees. This awareness allows you to make the necessary adjustments to improve employee relations — and your company performance. Just for fun, ask your employees about their reaction to these statements.

Mike Moore is the HVAC Training Director at HVAC Learning Solutions, an HVAC industry expert in sales, technical, and business training. Visit Mike’s blog for more insights. Mike can be reached on Twitter @hvaclearning or on Google+ at gplus.to/hvactraining.