by Bonni Carson DiMatteo, © 2006

Now that the holiday is passed and the gifts are put away, it’s time to consider the gifts that make the biggest impact. The best gifts do not come wrapped. They defy the containment of a box or ribbon. They do not arrive on one certain day, are opened and then displayed or put away.

The gifts of leadership are omnipresent and perpetual. They arrive throughout the year at unexpected moments given quietly or with fanfare. They are the gifts that have a perennial effect long after they are given.

The gifts of leadership are the fabric of the culture. They set the tone and the norm for the environment and the standards they want to create and perpetuate. Leaders are in every corner of the company, not just at the top. You know who you are and you know the power you have to give to those around you. The best gift a leader can give is L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P.

Listen to others' ideas, concerns and hopes.

Express Enthusiasm, commitment, and conviction about the future vision.

Appreciate and recognize others for battles won, efforts made, and lessons learned from mistakes.

Develop Leaders: lifting someone from where they are to their future self by training, mentoring, and coaching to create levels of leadership in everyone.

Energizing the culture positively; removing roadblocks that create negativity.

Respond to people, trends, and opportunities so that they can lead their company to the next level.

Simplify the message so that everyone understands the vision, mission, values and goals of the company.

Help people to find their own style of leadership and management and ways of contributing to the solutions that take your leaders to the next level.

Integrity and honesty to be practiced and role modeled as overarching values of the company and its leaders.

Prioritize your the time to connect with staff and colleagues.

The gift of a true leader is given every day in so many ways, and it is a gift that is as rewarding to give as it is to receive. There is a leader in each of you no matter what level you are in the company. Find a way to stretch your leadership impact.

Tip #32: Management
Manage by delegating, not by doing. Excessive "doers" burn out. Be willing to delegate for the growth and productivity of the company. Time used to train others to master the delegation can be time saved for the future and for bigger picture focus.

This tip is from our booklet, 104 Tips on How to Ignite and Optimize Your Business and its Leaders by Bonni Carson DiMatteo. Filled with great tips on Leadership, Managing Others, Communication Skills, Strategic Planning, and Creating and Igniting Change, 104 Tips makes a great gift for vendors and customers alike. You can even have it customized with your logo and business name on the cover. for details and a price list. Fifty percent (50%) of all profits will go to help the survivors of Katrina.

View Bonni's article, "Does Your Company Have the N.O.M.A.R Syndrome?", which appeared in Executive Excellence in Sales and Service in December 2004. The article (yes, it was written before the World Series championship!) challenges leaders to look at themselves and their executive team, and ask the tough questions like Theo Epstein might have to ask to select and groom a winning team. Read the N.O.M.A.R. article (pdf format).

View Bonni's article on Quiet Leadership, which recently appeared in IndUS Business Journal.

Announcement: Bonni Carson DiMatteo has joined the Board of Directors at the Big Brother, Big Sister Central Massachusetts. To learn more about this fabulous organization and its good works, click www.bbbscm.org .

Do you find yourself without a strategy or action plan to keep your business pipeline flowing? This eight-week workshop will get you back on track.

Who: For Professional Service Providers or Consultants: Lawyers, financial planners, management consultants, coaches, etc.

What: An eight-week Business Development Program to expand and strengthen your business

When: Meets every other week for eight weeks
Mondays: 8:30AM-10:00
Tuesdays 5:30PM-7:00
New Groups begin every other month
Next group begins in March.

Where: Wellesley, MA

Facilitator: Bonni Carson DiMatteo, CMC. President of Atlantic Consultants. Bonni co-founded Atlantic Consultants in 1982 and provides coaching, training, and consultation to entrepreneurs and their companies.

Fee: $395

"Executives are focusing on how to build a flexible and responsive organization to more quickly detect and respond to market opportunities," according to Forbes editor John Dobosz and GartnerG2 Research Director Neil McDonald (April 2004).

What are you doing to build your leadership competencies?

• Are you looking for a cost effective solution to developing management and leadership competencies?
• Do you want something that has an impact and extends the learning into the culture of the company and the expectations of management?
• Do you want something that is deeper than a weekend quick fix, that sustains and implements the learning?
• Do you want a guarantee that is based upon an agreed measure of success that you establish?
• Do you know that to replace a key employee is estimated to be 1% to 2.5% of company revenue or between $10K and $100K per employee depending on level? (source: ASTD)
• Do you know that the TRS (Total Return to Shareholders) on training that increases development, communication, and morale is up to 200%? (source: SHRIM)
• Do you know that research indicates that there is an average of 5.7 ROI for coaching key employees? (source: Manchester Group)
• Do you want to retain top talent and groom them for the next level?

Then you want the Next Level Leadership Program. This cutting edge program combines:

• Leadership/management training (3 workshops)
• Assessment of core competencies
• 360 assessment telling people how others see them
• Assessment of personality style and its impact on communication (DISC)
• Goal setting
• Individual coaching to develop and enhance competencies, meet goals
• Group coaching to extend learning and build the team
• 6-month, 8-month, and 12-month programs bring your leadership to the next level

And all for less than it would cost you to send a manager to an offsite three-day leadership program.