Leadership The Dale Carnegie Way

“This is a hurried age we’re living in. If you’ve got anything to say, say it quickly, get to the point and stop, and give the other man a chance to talk.”
– Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie, a strong believer in the power of professional development, founded the Dale Carnegie Institute in 1912 and in 1936 published one of the most successful books of the modern era, How to Win Friends and Influence People. 102 years later, the institute bearing his name operates in over 80 countries, and more than 8 million people have completed some level of its training.

Recently, CDFL associates Chris Myers, Matthew Buchanan, and Jessica Warren completed Dale Carnegie’s day-long leadership seminar. Here are their takeaways.

Chris Myers – The Importance of Time Management

In an eight or nine hour day it’s impossible to maintain a consistent level of productivity, so finding a way to produce in an efficient manner is key.

Personally, my mind is most clear and my energy is at its highest during the first few hours of the work day, so I try to keep those hours available for critical thinking and planning. I save more menial tasks for the early afternoon, when I’m starting to get groggy.

Here are a few other tips I learned that can help you to effectively manage your time.
Control interruptions: If something comes up that can wait, write it down and continue with what you were doing.
Don’t solve other people’s problems: A good leader empowers to others to solve their own.
Set daily goals. And weekly. And monthly. It’s hard to measure productivity without a ruler.

Matthew Buchanan – Delegation & Accountability

The transition from following to leading presents many challenges, and the switch from producing to managing work can be especially difficult to navigate.

At times, I fall victim to feeling that it’s easier to perform the task myself instead of taking the time to explain, teach, and lead someone else to do it. However, I am constantly reminding myself in order to make better use of my time and perform my other tasks, I must take the time to teach and lead others.

Benefits of delegation for the manager are:
Has more time
Plans better
Less stress
Develops people

Benefits of delegation for the employee are:
Learns a new skill
Expands comfort zone
Gains experience
Becomes more committed

When all these benefits are realized, we all become more productive and more successful.

Jessica Warren – Strengthen Relationships

Paul Phillips, businessman and seminar facilitator, spoke at great length about interpersonal skills and their importance in the workplace. Attitude plays a major role in one’s production, and leaders have the responsibility of creating an environment conducive to the highest level of production. The ideas presented may seem simple but their implementation can have have a major effect on the work place.

Simple ideas that have a powerful impact on relationships:
Don’t criticize, condemn or complain
Give honest sincere appreciation
Become genuinely interested in other people
Smile!
Remember that a person’s name is the sweetest sound in any language
Be a good listener
Talk in terms of the other person’s interests
Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.