A manager need not have image to manage people; but a leader should have image inevitably to manage people and bring desired results.
Images are made not so much by what we say as what we do, especially to and with people, because it is their interpretation of our effect upon them which makes the image.
Our actions generate the stories which express our values and create other peoples' expectations of us.
Words we do not follow through with actions are soon recognized as hollow and are disregarded.
Values have to be enacted, always to create an impact.
The following tips will help build your image as leader in your workplace.
•Make successes known.
If someone acquires a qualification or pulls off an important deal, write about it in the office newsletter.
Write a regular column in the company journal.
•Go and talk to people at their place of work instead of summoning them to your office.
It is less intimidating, so they will respond better, and your visibility is higher.
•Celebrate achievements of your team regularly whether they are big or small.
A milestone in the work or career of an individual must be celebrated in full public glare in the office to encourage them to achieve more.
Open a bottle of wine, award a certificate or souvenir.
It does not matter what, as long as you share some fun and excitement about the achievements you value.
•Network through the organization on behalf of your team as well as yourself.
Beware of your role as ambassador in relation to your boss and the rest of the organization.
Set trails and open doors for your team to use in developing themselves and their work.
•Be loyal to your staff, even when they make mistakes.
You can hold the postmortem afterwards in private - preferably with constructive feedback rather than finding faults.
•Make the resources and time for staff development available, preserve them as a priority and make sure all your team know that.
If you have had to fight hard to increase the training budget or get release for someone, share with them problems you had and how you overcame them.
•Use your time in helping staff development, not just in giving feedback and coaching, but at a deeper level.
Discuss with them an application to join a professional institute, go over a written course assignment with them, give them a 'mock' interview for practice or get a colleague to do so.
•Be demonstrably unselfish in the encouragement and assistance you give your staff in furthering their careers, even if it means you lose them from your team.