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WHAT IS EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP?
Leadership: as a word, it often conjures up connotations of Bible bashing preachers strutting around on stage, with a crazy-eyed sense of conviction. As a concept, however, it is unsurprisingly far more nuanced; there are as many leadership approaches as there are organisations to trial them. What works for one corporation, may be a leadership lead balloon in another. Yet despite obvious business diversity, there are several, key characteristics of influence that receive a favourable reception from staff, and are unanimously admired by all.
In the following article, we explore the facets of effective leadership, including what it is, what it takes, and ultimately, the impact it has on your people…
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In today’s global marketplace, effective leadership is everything. Throughout the course of our lives we've all met managers who have been impossible to forget, both for all the right reasons, as well as for all the wrong reasons. Needless to say, it is the former category we wish to focus on-those leaders that have exhibited strength of character, tenacity and all the key characteristics that are worthy of emulation. So what features do they have in common?
One such trait that instantly comes to mind is integrity. We all want bosses we can believe in, managers who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk as well. It’s all well and good espousing values, but if a leader fails to live up to the hype, employees will, inevitably, spot such fakery a mile off. Put simply, for managers who fail to practice what they preach, employee respect will be relatively short-lived, crushing credibility in one fail swoop (and ruining overall reputation in the process!)
In contrast, an effective leader will engender the respect and admiration of their workforce through actions that align with their words; if you believe in what you’re doing, and convey that message through efforts that are consistent with your values, employees are far more likely to be inclined not only to feel enthused by such authentic passion, but also want to do all in their power to work with you to help you achieve it, turning it into a collaborative adventure from the outset.
CLARITY OF VISION + CARRY THROUGH = LEADERSHIP GOLD
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Another crucial component of leadership is not only the clarity of your vision, but also the strength of resolve to carry it through-even during challenging times, when it all feels like an arduous, uphill slog. Of course, at this point, every sane manager would pray for a stairlift, yet it is at this point you need to very much ’be your own stairlift’and use these tough times to prove capabilities to both self and staff so that they can see firsthand that they are led by a person who is made of stronger stuff, and remains resolutely unfazed throughout. This will, consequently, reaffirm to your team to tackle issues head on, rather than simply burying them under the corporate carpet and hoping they'll remain unnoticed.
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OUT WITH THE BLAME GAME - IN WITH THE OPEN DOOR
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Of course, at this point, it’s important to point out that the aforementioned skill of resilience goes hand in hand with open communication. Your staff need to know and feel that they can be honest and upfront with you about any problems that occur-and also that they will not be personally reproached for them by doing so. In many corporations, the blame game is often the recreational activity of choice. Needless to say, instead of solving matters, it simply leads to reticence on the part of the employee to disclose crucial feedback and information that can ultimately improve systems at a firm, as well as their working practices in general. By promoting an open door communication policy instead, your employees will feel that they can openly share information, enabling you to gain a far more accurate overview of your firm and how it fares, rather than a photoshopped version of how it’s performing.
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IGNORE DELEGATION TO YOUR DETRIMENT
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Although a good work ethic is only to be admired, effective leadership also involves knowing intuitively when to delegate-as well as how to ensure that your workers have the necessary tools in place to tackle the tasks with confidence, developing their competencies along the way. Indeed, it can be all too easy to try and should all the responsibilities yourself-and run the very real risk of burnout in the process. If you feel like you’re juggling more balls than a consummate circus performer, now’s the time to take a step back, breathe-and let your employees prove their mettle in practice!
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MEET THE AUTHOR
NATALIE SNOW
FOUNDER & CEO
