How to Turn Yourself Into A Powerful Leader

Do you talk, or listen? Do you demand, or motivate? Do you want to be a boss, or a leader? Leaders make great bosses but sadly, not every boss makes a leader. The fact that someone is in a position of authority doesn’t mean that they are respected or followed.

We can all name quite a few ‘bosses’, managers and small business owners who are tolerated, ignored or openly disrespected by their employees. As soon as they end up in the “my boss is a jerk” category, the company’s productivity plummets, the sales drop, and employees start sending out their resumes during work hours.

Fortunately, with the right knowledge and a little bit of effort, every boss can turn into a powerful leader.

Here are 11 tips that will help you turn yourself into a powerful leader who is followed, respected and admired.

When it comes to body language, a ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ principle works wonders in boosting your self-confidence and feeling more powerful. There are three quick changes you can make to your body language that will noticeably improve your self-image and send the right message to those around you:

Make eye contact. Look people in the eye when you speak to them. If you find yourself in public places or social situations, scan the room and look at people. Don’t stare though…it’s unnerving!Smile! Yes, powerful leaders do smile. They don’t frown. They don’t have an icy expression that sends shivers down people’s spine. And they certainly don’t look like they have just smelled a dead skunk. A smile is not a sign of weakness. It’s a message that says you are friendly, approachable and confident.Strong posture communicates confidence and authority, so straighten your shoulders, raise your head a little and stand tall.

Often it is not a leader that people follow, but the powerful vision that they communicate. Make sure that you are very clear about your goals and verify if everyone is on the same page as you. It is your job as a leader to make it simple for your team to understand the mission and know their part in achieving it.

It is very easy to get distracted by new trends, new markets, and new projects, and lose sight of the big picture. Achieving and maintaining success takes discipline, focus and being clear on what the priorities are. When you extend yourself too far or start to micromanage, the quality of your work suffers across the board. Which brings us to the next point…

Anthony Robbins said it best, “A true leader is someone who inspires others to become more of who they truly are.” It is the responsibility of a leader to inspire, recognize and channel people’s talents in the best way to meet larger goals.

Sometimes, the greatest leap you can make as a powerful leader is stepping aside and putting more trust in your team. It is surprising what people can achieve when they are given responsibility and freedom to make their own decisions.

The ‘right’ people, in this case, are not the ones who think and act exactly like you. It’s actually the other way around. The best strategy for success is to hire people who are diverse, passionate and smart – and then listen closely to their perspectives.

It may be hard on our ego to accept that the best ideas don’t always come from us and that people in lower positions could actually be more talented or more experienced than we are, but powerful leaders, unlike wannabes, are more focused on getting results than making themselves look good.

This tip is pretty self-explanatory: nobody respects a leader who doesn’t deliver on their promises. What you do speaks much louder to people than what you say. Besides, your word is only as valuable as experience shows it to be. So practice what you preach and don’t ever give someone a reason to doubt your abilities.

Common sense and conventional wisdom work great in day-to-day situations for most people. The thing is…leaders aren’t most people and there is nothing ‘conventional’ or ‘common’ about breaking out of your comfort zone and taking a different route.

It would be naïve to believe that as a leader you will never encounter opposition or resistance from other people. There will always be somebody who believes that implementing new ideas is too risky and trying a different approach to business is a sure-fire way to fail. It’s perfectly normal. Be prepared to defend your point of view and challenge the status quo. It was Aristotle who said, “There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” And he mentored Alexander the Great, so we should assume that he knew a thing or two about powerful leadership.

In order for people to follow you, they should believe that you are competent enough and more skilled than they are. It should be your priority to stay on top of things by constantly improving your skills, expanding your knowledge and gaining an edge on the latest trends and technology in your field.

Being able to discuss your work, confront your ideas or ask for advice from someone whose opinion you respect is beneficial for every leader – even a CEO. Passion needs to be balanced by wisdom that only comes with years of experience and repeated failures. You can wait to gain this experience, or you can find a mentor who will help you see things in a different way, and possibly prevent some costly mistakes.

Every successful person – every great leader – has always had a mentor. You should have one too!

There will always be people who will bring problems to your attention. It’s just the way it works. But as a leader they will expect you to have a solution ready. If you want to become a powerful leader, you have to train your mind to stay positive and focus on solutions. It doesn’t mean that you should be bubbling with joy and excitement all the time. But it’s important not to fall into the other extreme and lose your cool when the pressure rises.

Follow what I call the “PRST” Rule. That stands for “Praise – Recognize – Say Thanks”. Psychologists studying productivity at work discovered that in order to improve employees’ performance and motivation the ratio between positive and negative remarks should be kept at 3:1. It means that it takes three praises to neutralize the damage made by one negative remark. The same, by the way, is true for personal relationships and marriage (only the positive to negative ratio should be 5:1).

Make sure that you pay attention to your offhand remarks and make an effort to recognize people’s efforts. The U.S. Department of Labor says that the number one reason people leave their jobs is because they “don’t feel appreciated.” What does it cost you to say “Thank you,” or to praise someone’s efforts? Don’t take people for granted and they will appreciate you more as well.

What are your thoughts? What steps have you taken to become a more powerful leader?

It takes great leadership style to build great teams. 5 Leadership Styles that Help You Build a High Performance Team

Featured photo credit: Art by MarkACvia Flickr

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What’s new with TED’s iPhone app? Q&A with our developer and project leader

TED iPhone developer Matt Drance at TED2011. Photo: Robert Leslie

At the launch of the TED iPhone app, the TED Blog sat down with project leader Thaniya Keereepart and engineer Matt Drance to talk about working together, building new features and what’s coming next from our mobile team.

Thaniya Keereepart: I work for TED, I do product development here. My role on this project has been spearheading the mobile initiative, trying to get TED on mobile devices, and making sure that the experience on the mobile device is as good as the one we have on the web. Pretty much just being the advocate for the user.

Matt Drance: I’m from Bookhouse Software, which is my company, and I led the engineering effort for the iPhone, coming off of the iPad project that we did together.

From the iPad app — how much of that ported over to the iPhone?

MD: Well, a lot of the experience ported over. What we learned building the iPad app had a great effect on what we built for the iPhone, but they really are two separate projects. You really have to think different for a smaller device when people are on the go, between train stops, versus something like the iPad, where someone is more likely to be sitting on their couch for 20 or 30 minutes at a time. How we expect people to use the app is much different between the two cases. So actually very little of it translated directly.

What’s something you had to really rethink for the iPhone?

TK: Screen real estate (laughs).

MD: Definitely. Good one.

TK: Yeah, it’s, what, four times smaller than the iPad? So we can’t really have this larger screen, big beautiful pictures, all that stuff goes out the door. And with the limited screen real estate that we have, it’s important to make sure our entire talk collection is available and accessible within a few taps. We can’t overwhelm the user with a list of 1,000 things. We want to make sure that the things that are new are prominent, and make the list very easy to use.

MD: One of the major differences between iPad and iPhone as far as user experience is concerned is, the iPad user experience tends to be much more open-ended. Wherever you are on iPad, we’re always pointing you to something else. We’re always making a recommendation of what to watch next. And that’s with the idea that you’re going to be sitting down with your iPad for a while. We don’t have as much of that on iPhone, because when you’re on your phone, you’re probably on the move, or maybe sitting on a subway, and you don’t intend to use the app for 20 minutes at a time. So the iPhone app is much more focused on getting the right information into people’s hands as quickly as possible.

TK: Also, we put a lot of focus on the use of audio on the iPhone. Unlike the iPad, where someone is always looking at the device, there is a very valid use case for people who are using the iPhone to put their phone in their pocket. So we introduced audio tracks for each of the talks, as well as what we call TED Radio, which is essentially a linear stream of whatever TEDTalk is playing at the moment. These two features are unique to iPhone right now. We introduced them for the phone because the use case is very strong: plug your headphones in, put the phone in your pocket, walk around, and there you have it!

Are there other new features we’re rolling out with the iPhone?

TK: Oh yeah, the bookmark! Want to talk about that, Matt?

MD: The iPad app allowed people to download talks so they could watch them offline, if they’re getting on a plane or going to be without a network connection for an extended period of time. The iPhone app has that feature as well, but we also have a lighter-weight feature called bookmarking, which is literally that: you decide you want to watch a talk later, it looks interesting to you, but you don’t necessarily have the time or the bandwidth to download the whole thing. So you bookmark it.

It’s another quick, easy-access feature for people who are using their phones on the run. When they see something that looks interesting, they can just tap a button and then come back to it later, without any other needs or requirements.

TK: This is one of the features that had been requested in the App Store reviews. We take a lot of time in reading through the reviews, and there are a series of feature sets that we introduced onto the iPhone as a result of suggestions. This is definitely one of them.

And a bunch of these things that we are introducing onto iPhone will eventually be woven into the next iPad app. This is a universal build, so every time we build, it’s part of both devices. So in the next release for the iPad, we’ll be focusing on adding some of the features from the iPhone.

MD: Yeah, I’m really excited about coming back around to iPad with that stuff.

How will this project inform how we develop apps for other mobile platforms?

TK: In terms of feature set and experience, this project will be the benchmark for other mobile devices. The iPad was the first mobile app we’ve done, and it was very, very well-received. I’m going to guess we did something right [laughs]. So it will definitely inform a bunch of other projects. As far as from an engineering perspective, of course, they’re completely different projects.

Tell me more about the development process. What are some features you’re most proud of?

MD: One thing that I really was happy with on the iPhone project was how we were able to condense the “Inspire Me” feature onto a small screen without losing any of the experience. That was initially a large challenge for us, thinking what we wanted to do for the Rolex feature on iPhone versus on iPad. And I think initially we were trying to think about how to do something totally new because of the screen size. But we ended up coming up with something that looked and felt exactly the same, that was just smaller! And that required a lot of clever work. Making this feature, how do I say it, “resolution-independent,” was an interesting challenge. And it ended up making the iPad side of the code better in the process.

Another thing we did is, we changed the talks database that was sitting on the device. We brought in Marcus Zarra, from Zarra Studios, who’s a noted expert on Core Data, which is Apple’s database technology, and we ended up with a model that was much faster, much cleaner. And we’re looking forward to bringing it over to iPad as well.

TK: One of a key hidden features that I really like about the iPhone is that its audio integration is done really well. If you leave the app, you can still use the main iPhone audio control to control the volume and play, pause, all that stuff. It blends right in — you can mulltitask.

We also put in AirPlay support as well; there’s a lot of really cool nifty little features, so it feels seamless.

MD: Yeah, the audio feature — investigating that and coordinating with the server team to make the streaming radio feature work — was very interesting, and once again we’re looking forward to bringing that to both platforms.

It sounds like this project involved a lot of reaching out and working with different groups.

TK: For the streaming radio, we worked with Michael Glass from TED and with Rogue Amoeba.

MD: Oh yeah! the guys at Rogue Amoeba were very helpful in getting IceCast to work in the way that we needed it to to support TED Radio. I knew them before this project, and it was wonderful to get their help. They’re awesome.

TK: [TED engineer] Mark Bogdanoff also chipped in quite a bit as well, as usual. And on the design front, we started the project with Eric Hope. He was a fantastic designer. And then we picked up Brian Wilson, from Reason Interactive, who worked on a good chunk of our original iPad design, to help us out on the tail end of the project. I picked up bits and pieces on the design side as well.

MD: And Will True from TED helped with QA.

TK: And I think Matt Curtis did a very good job in managing expectations with our partner Rolex in the work we’ve done with iOS, with the “Inspire Me” feature. The whole project was underwritten by Rolex, and we were able to strike a very good relationship. They’re supporting our initiatives, and obviously they want their brand to be present but not intrusive. It was just phenomenal; we could have free rein to do a lot of the things that we wanted to do, all the while being able to support what Rolex wanted from the partnership agreement.

MD: And we do need to thank the folks at Apple because they did give us a lot of support over time through their support mechanisms, their support avenues. It’s always great to work with them. And it’s always wonderful to work with TED.

TK: Oh, we’re never letting you go.

What’s next for mobile?

TK: As far as roadmap, we’re quite ambitious. It’s not over-the-top things but things that resonate with users. As mentioned, we want to bring the features from the iPhone over to the iPad, so that’s the next phase; we believe very strongly that the audio, TED Radio, is going to be quite popular, so in the next release we’re looking to give the user more control: Start from the beginning, skip to the next track … So those are a few things on the immediate horizon.

Longer term, what’s on the docket is making the video load a little faster, as well as localization: subtitling the talks as well as localizing the app itself, with all the little details in a series of different languages and distributing them in their respective markets worldwide.

TED iPhone project leader Thaniya Keereepart at TED2011. Photo: Robert Leslie

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StandOut: The Groundbreaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution

StandOut introduces the next-generation strengths assessment from Marcus Buckingham, co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths, the book that launched StrengthsFinder.

The product of a massive data set and rigorous statistical testing, the StandOut assessment unveils your two key strength roles and shows you how find your edge and win at work. Where other assessments stop at description, StandOut takes the next step and provides practical advice on what to do to make the most of the strengths you have. Each of the nine possible strength roles is fully delineated in the book, with a wealth of detail, including:

• Where you will be at your most powerful,
• How you can make an immediate impact
• How you can win as a leader, manager, salesperson, or individual contributor.

While the book and assessment are invaluable for people at every level of an organization, StandOut offers new insights and powerful tools specifically designed for managers in the optional Manager's Team Report. This tool gives any manager an overview of her entire team's strengths and provides a "cheat sheet" and coaching guide to help get the best performance from each team member.

Whether you're an individual who wants to find your edge, a manager trying to fully understand the strengths of your team, or a leader in an organization looking to stay on the cutting edge of the strengths movement, you need StandOut. Marcus Buckingham's latest work is essential for anyone who cares about using strengths to win at work.

Price: $22.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

7 Simple Tips That Will Turn You Into a Powerful Leader

You don't have to be in a position of authority to be a leader. Conversely, just because you have authority doesn't mean that people will follow you. You must be a leader to get others to follow you.

There are many books on leadership. They can have lots of great examples and in-depth explanations, but sometimes you just need something simple to help you focus on the essentials. This article intends to do just that. These are the habits that will help you and your team achieve great things if you focus on them.

Goals
Make it simple and easy for your team to understand the mission and to understand their part in achieving it.
Concise Goals. Keep them simple and easy to understand.
Focus your team on as few goals as possible.Communicate the team's goals often and through various means (team meetings, individual meetings, emails, posters, slogans). And then do it some more.
Track progress on goals.Involve team players in tracking the goals so that they own the results.

Motivating People
What you reward gets done. It's that simple.
Incent team players to do the tasks that are most critical for reaching the team's goals. Make sure the rewards are meaningful to people. Understand each player and what they want from their job and in life. That's how you'll know how to reward them.Praise, Thank, and Recognize big and small contributions by individuals. Do this often and then do it some more.Set High Expectations. People will live UP to or DOWN to the expectations you set. Set them high and you're saying, "I believe in your ability to do great things!"Empower people by delegating responsibility.
Celebrate team accomplishments often.Encourage Fun. Make the work place a fun place to be. Yes, work needs to get done but short fun breaks can make all the difference in the culture of your team.Pride. Foster a sense of pride in your team. As a team you could establish a mascot, create a team chant, and have a meeting that is focused solely on each individual's strengths and the team's overall strengths.
Walk Your Talk
You need to practice what you preach. This is how you establish trust and credibility.
Model the Way by participating in the team's tasks as much as your position allows.Be Honest. Deliver on your promises. Actions speak louder than words.
Challenge Yourself. Do your best (and then some) just like you ask your team to do their best.Speak Up. Just like your team members sometimes need to let you know what they've done in order for you to be able to recognize and praise them. They, in turn, need to know what you've been working on and what you've accomplished. So find ways to communicate this, modeling this key behavior.
Stay Sharp. You need to be competent for others to follow you. If you're not improving, you're falling behind. Always be learning and keep on top of the latest skills, technology, and knowledge in your field.
Inspire through a combination of
Unwavering Positive Future Vision
Commitment to Improve things along the way that will make that positive vision a reality.Ability to Bootstrap as necessary when resources are tight.
Process Power
Good process is like having a high performance machine. Sloppy process makes things fall apart. So be sure to establish these key habits with your team.
Establish Routines. Do this for the team and also work with each individual to come up with their own high productivity routines. These are routines that dictate what work is done when.
Establish Processes for all the tasks that are done repeatedly. It takes time to set up at first, but after that it will pay off in saved time and less errors. Processes describe how work is done and might involve systems for doing the work.
Task Assignment. As much as possible, assign tasks according to the strengths of each teammate.
Change
Embrace change by seeking it out. This will tread a path for your teammates to follow.
Change Routines Quarterly. Look for better ways to achieve the team's goals.Take Risks. Don't be afraid of failure. No one ever reaches great heights without a few failures. Learn. Learn as a team from failures. "How can we improve it the next time?"
Encourage team members to take smart risks too by making it safe to fail. Focus on learning from past experiences and building upon them to find better solutions.
Advocacy
Support your team and they'll support you.
Promote your team members. Make sure others outside your team know about the individual team members' successes. You want your team members to excel and even graduate away from your team possibly. Don't worry. If your team is great there will be plenty of others who will want to join! This natural turnover of team members is like the renewal of cells in your body. It is necessary and healthy.
Promote your team. It's your job to market the great accomplishments of your team in order to get the rewards, recognition, and resources that your team deserves.Fight for the most important resources and changes that will benefit your team and the organization overall. Remember to pick your battles wisely.What else do you think is essential for a good leader? Got a good story? Please share in the comments. We'd love to hear from you!

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Martin Luther King Jr. as leader: A TEDTalks playlist

This coming Monday in the United States, we’ll celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader. Listen to him deliver one of the greatest speeches ever: “I Have a Dream.” The soundbites we all know are amazing, but if you have the time today, watch the full speech and feel the chill-inducing power of this legendary text.

Dr. King was an activist, an orator, a thinker, and — as several recent TEDTalks have pointed out — a visionary leader. These three speakers touch on ways in which King’s passionate style galvanized a movement whose time had come.

Midway through her talk at TEDWomen last month, Elizabeth Lesser points to Dr. King as an example of “ubuntu” in action. To define the term, she quotes him: “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.”

In his TEDxPugetSound talk about leadership, Simon Sinek expands on Dr. King’s power of leading others by sharing his own beliefs. The result? “People who believed what he believed took his cause, and they made it their own.”

And Benjamin Zander, in a brief aside during his 2008 TEDTalk, makes a powerful statement: “It’s one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he’s leading to realize whatever he’s dreaming. Imagine if Martin Luther King had said, ‘I have a dream. Of course, I’m not sure they’ll be up to it.’”

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