Do you hear a lot of complaining in your leadership team about "they" and "them"? Maybe you spend time talking about how the younger "they" don't have the work ethic of the older "they?" Or you might be stuck on how "they" are not as productive as before or "they" are dispirited since the layoffs last year or "they" gossip and complain too much, leaving you feeling more like a babysitter than a manager?

There is a saying in the leadership development field: You may have the followers you deserve. If you lead a team that is not performing well or bogged down in conflict, gossip and politics, take a look in the mirror. When a workgroup experiences a breakdown in productivity or function, look first to the effectiveness of leadership.

Effective leaders get results
Other than just fulfilling your job description, effective leaders deliver:

• 12 percent greater gross margins
• 8 percent stronger net operating contributions
• 5 percent greater sales
• 12 percent more profit

Better leaders also don't wear down staff resulting in a lower burnout rate.

If you have to look in the mirror -- whether you are a new supervisor or long established leader -- welcome to technical leadership. Most people who transition from technician to leader spent six plus years of higher education and at least a decade perfecting their technical skills. But nearly everything you learned on your way up doesn't apply as a leader. The good news is that you can apply the skills of learning to become a more confident and effective leader of people.

Your brain is different
A technical leader must move from being focused on highly skilled, technical work to someone who leads a team of others. When you do technical work, most of what you do in your job are called Results Competencies. This includes understanding the technical or functional aspects of your work, accomplishing goals and eventually moving up the ladder to self-actualization. All of these skills work great as a technician. As soon as you move to producing results from others, you need to add Leadership Competencies. This includes interpersonal effectiveness, knowledge of how to manage people, your organization's overall strategy and humanistic traits such as encouraging people and helping build strong affiliations. It is a big shift not only in skill, but in how your brain works.

The wiring of technical leaders
For right-handed people (it is the opposite for left-handed people), the right side of their brains handle integration and synthesis. This includes stories, images and metaphors and seeing the big picture. Emotions and stress are often centered here, as is the interpretation of nonverbal communication. Right-brained people don't tend to enter technical fields.

The left brain is in charge of linear and sequential functions, including linguistics, lists, labels and literal thinking. The left brain is focused by an accounting education.

Brain versatility was not rewarded during your education and early years in accounting. It is difficult to switch priorities to look at the big picture, encourage team work and motivate people. Change is tough -- it takes a strong intention and reward, some guidance and the willingness to put yourself out there.

Be willing
If there is "they" behavior in your workplace, can you make a difference? You might need a leadership program trainer or coach who can work with you on specific issues.

It is about feelings
You should be able to understand your own feelings and reactions, understand the feelings and reactions of others and learn how to motivate yourself and others. Effective leaders know that people make decisions based on emotions.

There are two emotional missteps common to technical leaders. One is pretending that there are no emotions in the workplace and the other is pretending there are only positive emotions. Both missteps generally come from wanting to avoid a difficult situation.

If that avoider is you, dig into what might happen if you face a situation head on. Be still for a moment and experience the fear you feel. What are your physical sensations? Does your stomach clench, your heart race or your neck tense up? These bodily reactions alert you to avoid the situation -- the correct response when avoiding sabertoothed tigers. However, extra stomach acid is not a good reason to avoid firing the bad apple on the team. Leaders learn how to deal with their emotions. They learn how to stay calm when others display emotions. Good leaders do not use fear to avoid or delay decisions.

Looking in the mirror will jump-start your team for new results. Look at leadership as an ongoing process of learning that is at least as challenging as anything you have done before. Leigh Bailey is founder and a principal at the Bailey Group. He can be reached at 763-545-5997 or lbailey@thebaileygroup.com. Wendy Nemitz is founder and a principal at Ingenuity Marketing Group. She can be reached at 651-690-3358 or wendy@ingenuitymarketing.com.