leadingtoday.org
Copyright 2001 ã weLEAD, Inc.
As we enter the 21st century there is a growing awareness of
the importance and need for effective leadership. A wide recognition of
the critical need for leadership is so prevalent that many universities now
offer graduate programs in its study. It appears that a serious examination
of leadership qualities has come of age and is finally receiving its proper
recognition. There are literally dozens of various definitions of leadership.
We will simply provide one that we feel effectively defines organizational
leadership in virtually all situations.
Leadership
is the ability to articulate a vision, to embrace the values of that vision,
and nurture an environment where everyone can reach the organizations goals and
their own personal needs.
Effective modern leadership is a skill comprised of many
different traits or qualities. Some of these qualities include vision, a
mission, values, commitment, motivation, and consensus building. The lack of any of these important traits or
qualities may greatly reduce the effectiveness of a leader. Here is a very brief definition of these
qualities. Each one will be individually covered in greater detail in future weLEAD
"leadership tips" in this section of leadingtoday.org.
Vision: This is the
meaningful articulation of the mission of the organization in such an appealing
and intuitive picture that it vividly conveys what it can be like in a better
future. Vision instills a common purpose, self-esteem and a sense of membership
within the organization. Traditionally, vision has come exclusively from the
top management or the founder. However, many leaders are now also beginning to
see the value of creating a corporate vision by including the members
who are closer to the work environment and the customer.
Mission or Mission Statement: This typically
describes the purpose of the organization and outlines the types of activities
to be performed for constituents and customers. It should also mention what
unique value or services the organization offers as a byproduct of its efforts.
Mission statements typically contain at least three components. First, a statement of the overall purpose or mission of the company is
declared. Secondly, a statement that indicates the values that employees are expected to maintain in the daily
decision-making process. Third, a declaration of the major goals that management believes is essential to attain the
mission. These goals should be consistent with the philosophical values that
employees are expected to maintain.
Values: These are
the guiding principles that state how the employees, beginning with management,
intend to conduct their business and their behavior. These values will
determine what kind of an organization develops and they become the foundation
of the organizations culture.
Commitment: This is an employee's emotional investment to extend great
effort toward the realization of a decision, outcome or goal. Successful
leaders need to set a personal example of commitment to inspire others
to achieve the organizations established goals, and the ultimate mission.
Motivation: This is the ability
to provide an incentive or reason to
compel others into action or a commitment. Since all individuals are different,
successful leaders know that diverse people respond to different motivators. A
wise leader also knows that money is not the strongest long-term motivator and
cultivating an environment of fear is
the least effective long-term motivator.
Consensus Building: This is the ability of a leader to build an agreement
among differing individuals within a group. A consensus usually occurs when
various members of a group agree that a particular alternative is acceptable
though it may not have been the first choice of each member. Consensus
building can create a greater degree of commitment among group members than a
decision make by a simple majority. However, consensus building requires
additional discussion time and sometimes may not be possible. Eventually the
leader may need to take the initiative, and affirm that the group decision has
been made in order to begin implementation.
The valuable purpose of leadership in our modern age is to
provide vision, direction and motivation for a team of individuals to
accomplish a task or mission that otherwise could not be accomplished by a
single individual. Other members of the group, team or organization are called
"followers." Followers are
those who subscribe to the vision and guidance of the leader. The study of
followership is also of growing interest. However, don't be confused by the
term followers or followership.
This term should never be used in a derogatory or negative setting.
Followers may also exhibit leadership qualities in order to achieve their own tasks and individual roles.
Followership is an important necessity and responsibility! Most of today's most
effective leaders first learned to be good followers before they
acquired the skills, opportunity and experience to lead others. In other words,
learning and appreciating the skills of followership are often the reason an
individual has gained the experience and necessary knowledge to become a
leader.
Wise leaders are beginning to understand that it is their
responsibility to develop followership by encouraging wider
participation in corporate goal setting and objectives. Modern leaders are
viewing followers as partners in the enterprise who should be encouraged
to pursue innovation and given the empowerment to do their jobs well. There is
very little evidence that the so-called
"naturally born" leader really exists. Continuing and ongoing
studies are showing that the concept of a "natural born" leader has
little merit. One reason for this error may be that people often mistake
“charisma” for leadership. It is true that some leaders possess a great amount
of charisma. However, many leaders do not. In reality leaders are not born, they
are forged by many factors. Some factors that often forge effective leadership
traits are education, preparation, experience and opportunity.
Why is leadership important to you? It is important because
the development of positive leadership skills can have a beneficial and
powerful impact in virtually every area of your life! Acquiring leadership
skills can have a constructive influence within your workplace environment,
within your community and in your personal relationships with others. We
encourage you to take advantage of the vast amount of knowledge now available
within the growing study of leadership.
For weLEAD, this is Greg Thomas reminding you that
it was Harry S. Truman, who once
said,
"Men make history and not
the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands
still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity
to change things for the better."
To learn more about leadership go to the weLEAD Home
Page!