Encouraging individual achievement as the basis of collective performance

Most, if not all, managers worry about how to bring the best out in their people. There are a number of ways you, as a manager, can encourage achievement.  Here is a list I was given many years ago.  Unfortunately the source is unknown so I cannot make the normal acknowledgements.  And I do not claim the ideas as my own!  They, however, have proved to be helpful (especially the tips on what to avoid!)

The Do’s for fostering high achievement in organisations.

1.     be prepared to develop, and recruit, followers who will exceed you in performance and achievement.
2.     remember to provide a role model of how to function in your business.  Assign a mentor or provide opportunities for mentoring.
3.     delegate tasks but don't delegate people contact.
4.     set quality standards, but don't be afraid of mistakes.
5.     acknowledge personal achievement and/or meaningful group achievement.
6.     give as much responsibility as possible.
7.     remove as many controls as possible, but maintain accountability.  Encourage self-assessment.
8.     provide opportunities for creativity and growth in personal ability.
9.     practice participative management.
10.  encourage an active break during the day - the ability to concentrate declines dramatically after four hours.  Aerobic exercise will reverse this trend.  Food alone will not.
11.  set difficult goals but maintain high expectations - expectations influence performance.
12.  allow space for calculated risks for innovative action. 
13.  set clear goals.
14.  provide a short  purpose statement.
15.  remember, managing yourself is a pre-requisite to managing others.
16.  respect staff as individuals who have commitments outside the workplace.

The Don’ts for fostering high achievement in the organisation setting.

1.     don't push too hard when people are under stress.
2.     don't use manipulations, threats or coercion, implied or actual.
3.     don't mistake quantity of working time for quality of working time.
4.     don't be constrained by rules or conventions.
5.     don't communicate only to delegate or criticise.  Positive appraisal is a powerful motivator.  Criticism without appraisal is a demotivator.
6.     avoid role conflict and ambiguity.

If you’re a little bit down it may help you make better decisions: depression and leadership

Winston Churchill struggled with depression, and that may have made him a better leader.

Referring to Churchill, Nassir Ghaemi, professor of psychiatry in Tufts University School of Medicine, states: “The depressive leader saw the event of his day with a clarity and realism lacking in saner, more stable men.”  (Johansen, 2012, p.50)