And finally… something for the boss

At PA Life we’re devoted to bringing you the very latest news, tips, advice and recommendations on a whole smorgasbord of topics that we hope are of interest to you in your professional lives.

Since our most popular stories seem to be those that provide suggestions on how to engender a better working relationship with your manager, we thought we’d ensure you get even more brownie points by bringing you a selection of news items of interest to the boss. In this edition, we look at advice for aspiring leaders.

Be the best follower you can be; be authentic in your actions; and learn how to motivate others to do a good job are three top tips on the art of leadership from HR Director, management coach and university lecturer Alan Utley. He believes there is a thin line between following and leadership, so if you can’t be a great follower, you might struggle with being a leader.

Leaders who try to imitate the actions of other trailblazers often end up coming across as less than genuine and people can see right through their act. On the other hand, says Utley, when leadership comes from an honest place, it inspires staff to act on the manager’s directions.

When the going gets tough at management level, the tendency is often to retreat into our comfort zone and concentrate on doing the job that got us promoted in the first place, whereas we need to remember that’s not what we’re paid to do any more. What leaders need to focus on is getting the best out of others by guiding, mentoring and developing them – and then celebrate their achievements.

Read this and other blogs by Alan Utley at alanderekutley.com