Leadership Lessons from the Front Line - Your Career Intel

Leadership Lessons from the Front Line - Your Career IntelThe opportunity to serve your country confers important qualities and experiences that corporations can especially benefit from, but often overlook. A quick review of some of the core principles and processes involved in developing military leadership skills can greatly assist job candidates and employers alike.The topics briefly covered here are taken from recently updated US Army doctrinereferred to as Mission Commandand outlined at length in Army Doctrine Reference Publication (ADRP) 6-0. Remarkably relevant to the corporate world, these leadership lessons from the military can strengthen and improve geschftliches miteinander environments as well as aid in job seekers transition to a civilian career.Leadership in the military begins with these six processesBuild Cohesive Teams Through Mutual TrustThere are no shortcuts to building teams. It requires shared confidence between leaders, employees, peers and partners, and this mutual trust will motivate all generations of workers, from Boomers to Millennials, far better than wages alone. Leaders who exhibit professional competence and consistency, and exemplify the goals and values they set for others, will have a cohesive team.Create a Shared UnderstandingFrom carrying out Army Airborne rechenschritts to designing the newest phone displays, military and corporate leaders are challenged to create a shared understanding of goals, limitations and resources that can accommodate for change among theirteams, colleagues and partners. Like their military peers, the leaders and engineers in a corporate setting must also be able to make adjustments as they plan, prepare, execute and assess a project as it evolves.Provide a Clear Commanders IntentWhether the Commander is an Army General or someone at a corporationa CEO, vice president, supervisor or managerthe principle is the same communicate a concise and clear intent to allow for a unity of effort throughout the organization. From an executive office in Chicago down to a call center in Florida, a CEO needs to communicate her companys purpose and goals to all levels and employees, just like an Army General does.Exercise Disciplined InitiativeMilitary leaders empower subordinates to seize the tactical initiative when faced with a situation, good or bad, and develop opportunities from it. Corporate leaders, like Army Commanders, can save their company time and money by giving their supervisors the freedom to handle situations as they arise, even in the absence of a managers direction.Use Mission Orders Mission Orders (or Army Operation Orders) function in many ways like goal-based business plans. The Mission Order assigns tasks, allocates resources, and issues broad and executable guidance to explain how to achieve an intended goal and purpose. In a corporation a CEO may initially decide these tactics, but he or she will not oversee them in daily business. Effective leaders leverage the Missi on Order or business plan. This plan gives employees freedom of action to determine how to best accomplish their objectives.Accept Prudent RiskBoth military and corporate leaders must accept prudent risk when making decisions. There are times when they must be willing to expose themselves to potentially negative outcomes in order to accomplish their goals, whether it involves a military operation or a calculated marketing decision to beat a competitor to annual profits. Being able to accept risk and take action can lead to big successes.These six leadership processes not only drive global operations for the US Army, they have a clear corporate application that may motivate businesses to hire more military leaders.In your experience, what military leadership qualities and skills have been extremely useful in a corporate environment? Please share your comments.

How to Stay Connected to When You Work Remotely

How to Stay Connected to When You Work Remotely How to Stay Connected to the Office When You Work RemotelyThree tips to help you feel part of the gruppe even if youre miles away.Remote work arrangements are growing in popularity as organizations increasingly recognize that the best talent may not exist within the local market. In fact, according to a joint study by Global Workforce Analytics and FlexJobs, 3.9 million U.S. employees work remotely, a figure that has jumped 115 percent since 2005.In an age where technology makes it easier to work from virtually anywhere in the world, remote work arrangements hold appeal for many people, including eliminating the need for workplace attire or fighting rush-hour traffic. However, for employees who choose to work remotely, it can be a challenge to remain in the loop with co-workers and feel included in key projects and decisions. Here are four tips for staying connected when you work remotely.1 Get creative with telephone and videoYour co- workers in the geschftszimmer have the opportunity to collaborate face to face, building relationships in the lunchroom or at the water cooler. However, working remotely doesnt mean that you have to miss out on the gruppe camaraderie. In fact, the creative use of traditional communication tools can help keep you connected.The next time you want to send a quick note to a colleague to thank them for sending over an important file, do it by phone instead. A phone call gives you an opportunity to engage in conversation and build work relationships. When you speak to someone verbally, even if just for a moment or two, theres a higher chance of making a connection that cant be duplicated through email or Slack message.Another way to stay connected with co-workers is to use video calls as much as possible not just for meetings. Where possible, join training sessions, lunch and learns, and other company events by video conference. While your colleagues may be thinking of team get-togethers as something just for employees in the local office, if you suggest joining by video theyre likely to be supportive.Related Use Your Words for Effective Communication in the Workplace2 Be an innovatorYour colleagues have the option of peeking their heads into the department managers office or casually running an idea by a co-worker, and it may feel like youre being left out. However, another way to stay connected with the team and get around this obstacle is to develop a reputation for innovation. When others binnensee you as the source of great ideas and creative solutions to problems, theyre more likely to include you in important discussions and key decisions.Here are some specific ways you can become the team innovator, even from afarNetwork Get to know every single part within your scope of job influence and even those you dont work with very often. Call them on the phone, ask about their work, and build the relationship it makes it easier to call on them for their opinions wh en you have a new idea to pitch to the team.Challenge the status quo Offer up new ways to make the team more efficient, or pick one of the teams pain points and volunteer to re-engineer it. When youre the center of the process, other members of the team are more likely to come to you with their ideas and suggestions.Identify learning opportunities Since change is inevitable in every company, take the lead in helping the team learn a new ordnungsprinzip or process. When you do so, you create opportunities to share with them what youve learned and how you think it can help the team be more productive.3 Find a buddyWhether you call it a friend, a buddy, or a work spouse, you can benefit from having one, especially if you work remotely. Your work friend can introduce you to new members of the team and explain quirks in the office and team culture things that are extremely beneficial when youre not in the office to see them for yourself.Research conducted by Gallup found that having a f riend at work helps you perform better. In the same study, they found that women who have a work buddy are 63 percent more engaged and connected to their work than those who dont have one. Some of the other ways a work friend can help you feel more in tune with the rest of the team areThey can help you get recognized Perhaps many of your co-workers dont know how hard you work or how committed you are to the success of the team. Yet, your work buddy probably knows. Whether in a meeting or via team email, a good work friend will be willing to highlight your successes for the rest of the team to see.They share office buzz Every office has a culture made up of various employee personalities and ways of doing things. When youre not in the office, you may not pick up on whos having a bad week or the general mood of the department. Your office buddy can clue you in on new initiatives, who just resigned, and other news that will keep you in the know and feeling like a part of it all.Working remotely has its benefits and challenges, but you dont have to feel left out. With the right approach and a friend or two to help you can stay connected to the office and feel like youre right in the middle of the action.Click on the following link for more advice on how to get ahead.Not sure if your resume is doing the job? 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