Effective Leadership: Do You Have the Right Stuff?
You asked for it, so here you go, leaders!
Being a leader is no joke and not for the faint of heart, so I challenge you to read on and be conscious, cognizant, and self-aware of whether you have the right stuff to lead.
Are you currently serving in a leadership role, position, or thinking about stepping up to do so?
Do you have a formula, method, or series of questions that need solid answers before you make the decision to lead, or do you automatically jump right in and hope you figure it out along the way?
These questions only scratch the surface of the necessary steps of a self-reflective and effective leader. Different things motivate us to lead: to make a difference, fill a need, perceived power or attention, connection to the organization and/or its individuals, control, past experience, desire to effect positive change, and plenty more.
But, the most important question is, “Why do you lead?”
If you can’t put your finger on it, give yourself time to reflect on your leadership effectiveness. A great leader once said, “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all by himself or to get all the credit for doing it.”
That leader was Andrew Carnegie.
Before you make the decision to take on a leadership role, apply the following five factors to your current lifestyle. Take it one step further and jot down these factors with positives and negatives for a visual reminder of your decision:
- Stress (emotional, mental, and physical health)
- Passion for the organization and others in it
- Energy for personal and organizational responsibilities
- Ability to adjust and be open-minded
- Time
If you had even one hard “no” for any of the factors above, you may need to seek outside advice from a trusted mentor, colleague, or friend who can provide some heart-to-heart, unbiased decision-making counseling to support your leadership journey.
Now on to the good stuff.
If you’re good to go with the above factors and feel you have the right stuff to be an effective leader for your organization, you’ve already empowered yourself.
Know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that “every leader has a limited capacity; good leaders are those who tap into their key strengths that can make a difference,” according to one of the world’s most renowned leadership authorities, Richard Daft.
Richard Daft developed three lessons for influential leaders to apply to their leadership style:
- Continually invest in strengths. Great leaders develop and focus on the strength of their followers. This will build confidence, buy-in, and motivation.
- Maximize the team. The absolute best leadership teams have a coalition of people with a combination of strengths in four areas: executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking.
- Understand followers’ needs. When 10,000 people were asked what they want and need from a leader, four basic needs stood out: trust, compassion, stability, and hope. No matter what an individual leader’s strengths are, they can apply them in a way to build trust, show compassion, provide a sense of stability and confidence, and inspire others.
Now that you have the right stuff, make sure you know the organization and the people within it. Identify the needs to support your leadership direction and effectiveness. Set goals, prioritize, and evaluate your leadership plan with timelines. Be open to surveys, advice, and input from others to build a coalition dedicated to the growth of your organization.
Once you devise a plan to move forward in your leadership role, possess the flexibility to adjust course according to your organizational needs and make sure to read the upcoming Effective Leadership: The Leader and Follower Relationship for an in-depth relationship analysis between a leader and a follower.
