Humor - Credibility = Doofus 12 Back to Basics Leadership Principles Ebook

So your manager just promoted you to be team leader of your group . . . Or you’ve just agreed to lead a group of volunteer parents to put together a PTA fund-raising auction . . . Or maybe you’ve just been asked by one of the higher-ups to lead a special task force to solve some particularly thorny issue . . . After the euphoria has worn off, reality sets in and you think . . . WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? Leading teams of people to accomplish a project or tasks is tough stuff. Team members are looking to you as the team leader to provide leadership and guidance. When done well, the team loves you, your customer loves you, and you can revel in the satisfaction of a job well done. When done poorly, not only have you failed, but your team won’t want to follow you the next time something needs to be done. Your team expects you to lead. While you may be able to delegate work to your team members, you can’t delegate leadership. The role of team leader falls squarely on your shoulders and in the end you either get the kudos or take the bullet. Through my 20+ years as a team leader and project leader I’ve had a lot of success but have also screwed up royally more times than I can remember. I’ve made just about every mistake possible and have learned most of my lessons the hard way. In fact, I’ve written two books based in large part upon my screw-ups: The Project Management Advisor (Prentice Hall, 2004) and The Truth About Getting Your Point Across (Prentice Hall, 2006). As I look back at my biggest screw-ups, they weren’t because of a complex business problem or a deep technical issue, they were due to me losing focus as a team leader and forgetting the basics. But let’s face it; you don’t have 20 years. You need to get your team moving and on the road to delivering results. In fact, if you’re like many team leaders or project leaders you don’t have time or want to spend the money to attend a fancy leadership seminar. You need something you can put into motion right away. That is precisely why I wrote the ebook Humor minus Credibility equals Doofus: 12 Back to Basics Leadership Principles Anyone Can Follow. Each easy-to-read chapter focuses on a key leadership principle presented in simple, easy-to-understand terms. No heady or complex theory here, just straight talking facts based on experience for the team leader or project leader.