Like the other L word, this one means different things to different people. But I think it is safe to say that one question sums it up in a universal way: “Who’s in charge here?”. Leadership is a field of study all on its own. Numerous tomes have been written on the subject, everyone has an opinion on it and it is often blamed when things don’t turn out as planned.
I’d like to weigh in with my own thoughts on the topic.
• I believe that leadership can move mountains.
• I believe that more people are comfortable being lead than are comfortable being leaders.
• I believe that there is most definitely a role for someone to define and articulate a vision and get a team on board to make that vision a reality.
• I believe that a good Leader ought to ensure buy in from stakeholders
• I believe that there is a role for a final decision maker. I believe that a single person ought to be held accountable for the final outcome.
• I believe that the role of the Leader is to facilitate constructive conflict and then allow the best ideas to prevail
• I believe that the Leader ought to coordinate execution activities
• I believe that the Leader ought to encourage and deliberately seek to build Leadership among the team of followers
That being said, I also believe that there are some character and personality traits that are common to effective leaders:
• Integrity
• Mental agility
• Articulate by nature
• Salesmanship
• Understander of human nature
• Open minded
• Good listener
• Decisive
• Unafraid of confrontation
• Good negotiator
• Visionary
Imagine an organization where conflict is encouraged, allowing innovation to flourish…
Imagine an organization where your boss can integrate information quickly and articulate an end game that both challenges and inspires… Imagine an organization where all personality types feel as if they are really part of the team… Imagine an organization where decisions are made in a transparent manner in the best interest of the organisation, sooner rather than later….