Excellent leaders are made as well as born. To be the best, learn the essential skills of leadership through formal training courses as well as on-the-job training.
The aim of leadership is to help others to achieve their personal best. This involves setting high but realistic performance goals for yourself and you staff, finding ways to improve operations and procedures, and striving for total quality in all areas.

Setting standards:
Before you or your staff can achieve quality goals, you need to be very clear about your own expectations regarding how things should be done and the standards of performance that must be reached. Once you have defined these expectations you can communicate them clearly to staff, emphasizing your own commitment them clearly to staff, emphasizing your own commitment and the fact that achieving excellence is everyone’s responsibility.

Applying Standards:
Work closely with subordinates to set measurable quality standards that they can seek to achieve or exceed. A leader discusses possible areas for improvement in standards of work.

Raising Standards:
Maintaining and exceeding standards is an ongoing process involving everyone. Encourage staff to analyze problem areas and to work together to find solutions. Involve them in looking for ways to improve products, processes, and performance, and, if extra skills are needed, arrange the necessary training. This approach not only generates ideas and innovation, but creates an atmosphere of participation and increased motivation, which in turn results in raised quality standards!

You should always strive to teach quality and practice improvement.. You should also ensure that you involve all staff members in quality improving programs!

Nancy J. Phillips, CPC

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