Number 1

Looking out for numero uno! Sometimes this is the philosophy of many people. If you are a leader who has that mentality you may be doing yourself, your employees, and your company a big disservice. A leader really needs to have you first me second mentality. It really becomes an issue to make sure you are taking care of those around you before you take care of yourself. If you take care of those around you first you will actually be helping yourself. That may seem counter intuitive but it really works. When you only take care of yourself then people tend to resent you and not respect you. But if you are willing to help others you will find them helping you and doing what you ask this will in turn make you look better.

Here are some steps you can make to take care of number 1 by taking care of those around you first.

• Listen - Listen to the needs of employees and co-workers.
• Empower - Make sure your employees and co-workers have the ability to make decisions and follow through. Empower them with projects and tasks.
• Encourage - Encourage those around you to spread their creative wings. Get them to think outside the box. This can even work in a concrete department like accounting.
• Motivate - Give the words necessary to motivate those around you to reach beyond their goals, stretch their skills and get excited about what they do.
• Communicate - Talk to them. Don't isolate yourself. No one is better than the next person so don't lord your leadership over anyone.

Follow these steps to taking care of those you lead and they will end up taking care of number 1.