The Art of Leadership & Country President's

Day 1,445, 05:02 • Published in Cyprus Israel • by Joe Franco

Friends and dedicated followers of this newspaper, many have asked me to write an article about tips and do-do not's for Country Presidents.

The first misunderstanding is that experienced Presidents make better Presidents automatically. Although they do have experience in being a Presidents, they still can be very unfit to be a President.

In this article I will sum up Leadership Advice and Delegating Tips (delegating is a part of leadership and in eRepublik quite a big chunk) integrated and custom-made for the eRepublik situation.

Leadership Skills

1. Lead By Example.
Do: Be around, show your team how things are done, help where needed and show your Ministers how the desired result will be gathered.
Dont: Give orders like: "We need an exel-sheet with this and that data"

2. Passion.
Passion is the drive that makes people enthusiastic for the cause or for the benefit for the State. Passion + Believe = inspiring other people!

Do: Dare to share your dreams and goals with a drive and spririt
Dont: Bark orders and be short tempered (all the time).

3. Be Organized.

Do: Try to be organized in putting plans and teams. Make sure that progression charts are made and frequent reports will follow. Ideas about reorganizing an Army or the Finance of the country should be documented. Being organized in your administration will also make communication easier. During meetings, make notes and afterwards send everyone who attended a summary with the task-lists.
Dont: Be unscheduled, unprepared and certainly do everything just on chats without documenting.

4. Delegate.

Perhaps the most important point in Leadership, and by far the most difficult in eRepublik situations. In the game we do not have financial incentives or other rewards for Government personnel to give away, so the only reward that can be given away is the "Greater Good For the Country" and Honor of course. Remember you can’t do everything alone! A (great) leader needs to be able to delegate effectively. The key to delegating successfully is giving employees ownership of the work you assign them. They can’t just feel like they own the work, they really have to.

I have decided to give more attention to this point further down in the article. Delegate is an easy word but so difficult to practice in RL, so even more harder in eRep.

5. Take Ownership and Responsibility.

So you delegated your Ministers their jobs and Goals for this period; you followed these points written above carefully and took them in practice. Now something goes completely wrong and unexpected, and believe me, something will! Stand by your Team, in the good and bad times!! Take responsibility for the big picture towards Cabinet and Country.

6. Communicate Effectively.

Together with Delegating the most important trade for a Leader. Everyone knows great leaders have to be great communicators. But communication doesn't mean just a bit talking in IRC.

Communication with your Ministers and Teams; inspire them that their work contributes. It really makes a difference!
Communicating Success! People need affirmation, they want to know and be recognized doing a good job! So "weekly" articles about progress and status of current workforces.

Tip: Be precise! Whether giving praise, providing constructive criticism, or (re)defining goals and to-do lists, figure out how much you want to say and in what order. Again; Be Precise, specific and to the point.

Be online, be on IRC or on MSN (or both) answer relevant questions and prioritize the communication! Keep it short & sweet! Do not troll or be temped to go trolling. Mature and with allure!

Note: Insecure leaders will often ramble in woolly language or articles (together with silly pictures - Poetry is for another time). Uninterested leaders do 2 articles maximum per period and will cut things off too quickly.

7. Be Brave and Honest.

Leaders are brave. And honest. Tell it like it is. Don’t sugarcoat, don’t obfuscate. Don’t be a jerk either. You have to learn how to present things to your Ministers, your Teams and your Country in an honest but balanced manner.

8. Be a Follower.

Great leaders are followers too. If you’re a leader without following, you’re a dictator. And as fun as that sounds… especially in eRep! Being a leader-follower means finding value in your Cabinet & Ministers, getting inspired by them, encouraging your team to communicate, brainstorm and be open. Don't be afraid to ask and seek advice. Make sure you have some solid people around you, who can Advice. But do not be afraid to follow your own path as well.

Delegating; A part of leadership is Delegating!

1. Know What You Want. If you don’t know what you want, you can’t expect anyone else to.

2. Express What You Want Clearly. It’s important to give people a clear vision of what you want. Goals & What needs to be done?

3. Set Expectations. It’s not enough that you’ve told someone or your Cabinet what you want. Make sure expectations are laid on the table. “This will be successful if X, Y and Z happen.” And, “I need X, Y and Z finished by Friday.”

4. Trust. You need to trust those people you delegate to!

5. Let Them Do It Their Way. You do things your way, and everyone else has to do it exactly the same way or else. Right? Wrong. Let people do things their way (See point 4). Flexibility and own insights create even better results!

6. Communicate and Follow-Up. Biggest mistake; Delegating does not mean: This your job and I will see or hear you till its done! Follow-up, communicate about the progression and make sure everything goes smoothly. Communication is Key!
In conclusion: the secret to successfully delegating Government work is to not just make people feel like the work is their own, but to actually give them ownership.

“Nobody Ever Washed a Rented Car.”