Working with others
A skilled leader recognizes the expertise and input of others. Different things motivate different people, but everyone likes to do work of value, to do it well and to be recognized for it.

The effective leader can help people stay motivated and interested:

::	Achievement: help people achieve work related and personal goals
::	Recognition: give praise when it is due
::	Responsibility: help others take responsibility
::	Advancement: help others train for promotion and learn new skills
::	Self-improvement: provide opportunities for personal development
::	The work itself: explain the value of work, make work meaningful; if possible, allow people to do work which appeals to them, or allow people to pursue special projects or ideas they may have
::	Involvement: when people work hard for an organization or cause they are investing in it, not financially but personally and emotionally; this leads to feelings of pride and responsibility – a sense of ownership

Just as there are ways of motivating people, recognize the factors that may discourage them and create dissatisfaction:

::	Poor personal relations
::	Poor leadership
::	Low pay
::	Unsafe or unpleasant working conditions
::	Inefficient administration
::	Incompetent supervision.

Remember that healthy organizations:

::	Orient new members to the group and the ways the group works
::	Have ways of dealing with challenges, questions, discussions and disagreements
::	Encourage new ideas and efforts
::	Are places that people want to join and to stay.

The staff may have representation from groups in society which may have a history of conflict or be actively engaged in conflict. In a situation like this, the ability to develop and maintain healthy working relationships and a work environment of respect and peace can be an important community health initiative of its own.

Meetings

When groups of people get together for discussion, a formal meeting structure is sometimes adopted. The goal of formalizing communication in this way is to ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to contribute and that there is sufficient time for discussion and decisions. Having a structure can be especially important if difficult or complex issues are being dealt with. Do your homework before the meeting, anticipate questions and have answers and information available. Be prepared.

Effective meetings:

::	Have clear objectives and expected outcomes: people need to know what the meeting is about
::	Have an agenda or a plan of how things will proceed; this can be created by the group but, at the very least, must be agreed on by those attending the meeting
::	Have a chairperson: the role of the chairperson is to run the meeting, not to voice his or her own opinions; in a difficult situation, it may be appropriate for an uninvolved person to chair the meeting
::	Stick to schedule and end on time, proceeding according to the agreed agenda or plan: it can be changed, if necessary, but should not be ignored
::	Are comfortable physically: the space must be neither too hot nor too cold and have enough room for all the people in attendance to participate
::	Are conducted in a way that makes all participants feel welcome and comfortable: use names, encourage input and recognize the work and contribution of others
::	Allow everyone the opportunity to speak: before people speak a second time, make sure everyone who wants to has had a turn to speak once.

Be clear about what you are doing and why: confirm the plan at the beginning of the meeting, allow people to express feelings and suggestions about the meeting at the end, evaluate the meeting and try to think of ways of making the next meeting better: meetings are an expression of how a group works.

Feedback

Feedback is most helpful if comments are constructive in nature and suggest changes in a way that is encouraging rather than threatening. Comments should be very specific and deal with a person’s behaviour rather than expressing an opinion about them as a person. “All your patients get infections; you must be a bad surgeon” is hurtful and not constructive. “You have very good technical skills; perhaps if you would scrub for longer before coming to the operating room, we could decrease our infection rates” is much more helpful. This example is also specific; it gives the other person an idea of what she or he can do to be a better surgeon.

Comments are most helpful when they occur close to the time of an event. While it is important not to speak in haste or anger, it is also important not to leave things so long that they are difficult to remember or are no longer relevant. It is important that comments are given in private in order to respect the privacy of patients and staff and allow for discussion.

Seek out feedback from people who will be honest with you and may be outside your usual circle of friends.

Feedback should be specific, timely, constructive and given in a respectful manner. A culture of communication can grow if those in positions of responsibility seek and gracefully receive feedback from others. This will help everyone feel more comfortable with the ongoing process of improvement. It is not always easy to do, but is well worth the effort.