#TipForTuesday – What is Leadership?

The leadership words for this month’s #TipForTuesday, selected from the Developing the Leader Within You deck of cards, are:

• Perfection – reaches the highest attainable standard, details
• Recognition – giving and receiving acknowledgement for achievements
• Diversity – respecting a variety of cultures/lifestyles

Recognition is such an important part of being a good leader.

My first boss out of college was a big believer in the philosophies of One Minute Manager.  It’s a pretty simple read but the basic premise outlines three techniques of an effective manager: one-minute goals, one-minute praisings (or recognition) and one-minute reprimands.  It is always important to set goals for yourself and your team. When you praise, do it immediately and in front of others and if you need to reprimand, also do it as soon as possible after the incident in question, but do it in private.

Diversity in the workplace is so important.

Although the public relations industry is changing at a rapid pace, we still lack diversity in communication management positions. Many studies indicate that the industry still struggles to attract young Black, Asian and Hispanic professionals to pursue public relations as their career of choice.  Our trade association, the Public Relations Society of America, continues to dedicate resources to this important topic.
By fostering a culture of diversity — the capacity to appreciate and value individual differences — we all benefit.  Although diversity is often used to refer to differences such as ethnicity, gender, age and religion, diversity must also encompass the range of individuals’ unique attributes, experiences, and abilities.

Can we really be perfect?

Perfection is a tough one.  Can we really be perfect?  Can we really attain the highest possible standard?  I don’t think so, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to strive for perfection.