Here's what we preach and show your team how to accomplish:
Be Candid
Nothing demoralizes the troops like being fed a line of bull. Whether amongst management, bosses, peers, subordinates or other stakeholders in the company, candor is imperative to profits. If you know something's amiss they know it too. Start your critical meetings with a frank discussion about the company's or division's competitiveness in the marketplace and the capital markets. Show them (don't just tell them) profitability figures, team and individual performance metrics and their product launch metrics versus the competitors'. For leaders, engage your team at the level you're engaged in and watch their motivation and performance jump.
Be Yourself
Engage the troops with the real you. No matter who you are or what you believe let these frontline soldiers see it. Don't dwell on the negatives but be frank about them. Let people know where you came from. Let them visualize the blood, sweat and tears that turned you into the leader you are today. If your team sees you as human they're more likely to follow your lead. If you want a team that's as energized and motivated as you, don't try to put lipstick on the proverbial pig...everyone's been to the farm and pretty much knows their way around.
Be Fair
Sometimes it's hard to be fair when the hard truth is that you'll like some of your bosses, peers, direct reports and horizontal colleagues better than others. It's critical to individual success that you don't subconsciously play favorites. You can greatly improve your organizational performance by learning how to recognize when you're tempted to play favorites. Learn how to keep the playing field level and show people that everyone gets rewarded on innovation and performance...not personal factors.
Give Credit Where Credit's Due
If you take the credit for something good that's been done by someone else, everyone will find out and you'll eventually lose your top performers (stars don't work for phonies). If you praise the 'team' when everyone knows it was Mary in Sales Support that made the difference, you will dilute your own effectiveness. If you give credit for diversity reasons, not performance reasons, you will wind up hurting the undeserving recipient of the credit because his/her peers will know. Constantly be on the lookout for contributions that deserve a 'star' and then quickly hand over the reward. You will build a company attitude and teamwork underpinning that your competitors will envy...and can't duplicate.