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You know how to get things done, how to organize tasks and how to avoid procrastination. You know how to generate energy for projects, to calm yourself when angered. You can make decisions quickly when necessary, but can also slow to consider all the options on the table. Vision. You’re working towards a goal that’s greater than yourself. It could be something small, like the success of the team, or a larger vision like world peace. Working towards a vision is far more inspiring than working towards personal gain. Ability to Motivate. Leaders don’t lead by telling people what they have to do.
Instead, leaders cause people to want to help them. A key part of this is cultivating your own desire to help others. When others sense that you want to help them, they in turn want to help you. Social Awareness. Understanding social neurons and key Influences in that social network is another key part of leadership. Who in the organization has the most clout, both officially and unofficially? Who moves the hearts Of the group? Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.
This definition is similar to Northerners (2007, pa) definition -? Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership knowledge and skills. This is called Process Leadership (Ago, 1982). However, we know that we have traits that can influence our actions. This is called Trait Leadership (Ago, 1 982), in that it was once common to believe that leaders were born rather than made.
These two adhering types are shown in the chart below (Morehouse, 2007, pa): Four Factors of Leadership Leader You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed. Followers Different people require different styles of leadership.
For example, a new ire requires more supervision than an experienced employee does. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees’ be, know, and do attributes. Communication You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you “set the example,” that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to o.
What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees. Situation All situations are different. What you do in one situation will not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective. Are leaders born?
All of our great leaders, whether they are social or business leaders, have trial talent and have spent many years of hard work developing their leadership skills. Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric and arguably one of the world’s most effective corporate leaders, reportedly spends the bulk of his day on GE leadership issues. Although the pending acquisition of Honeywell may pull Wheel’s current attention away from leadership topics, he focused great energy in the 1 sass on GE leadership development. Each April and May, Welch traveled to Gee’s various businesses to review the progress of the top 3,000 executives.
He spent enormous amounts of time with top future GE traders, reviewing outlined plans for their development and fine tuning detailed succession plans. Talent and hard work from the top leader. Often we hear and read about the quality of Gee’s leadership bench. In GEES annual report of last year, under Leadership it read: It’s about the four “Ex.’s” we’ve been using for years as a screen to pick our leaders. “Energy”: to cope with the frenetic pace of change. “Energize”: the ability to excite, to galvanism the organization and inspire to action. “Edge”: the self-confidence to make the tough calls with “yeses” and “nose” – and very few “maybes. And, “Execute”: he ancient GE tradition of always delivering, never disappointing. ” Are Gee’s leaders born with all these attributes? Of course not! It takes many years of practice – trial and error – to hone these skills to a fine edge. That’s why many of America’s major corporations spend time and financial resources moving individuals around the organization to engage in assignments that will help them grow as leaders-and prepare them for more important jobs and responsibilities. As leaders ourselves, we can help with this preparation. Our job is to help the budding leader via a mentoring or coaching relationship.
Mentoring, the act of bringing someone in under your wing, can be very useful for an individual. However, mentoring is somewhat passive. It’s characterized by showing concern, responding to questions, giving advice when sought, providing encouragement, and, of course, acting as a role model. Coaching, on the other hand, is more proactive. Coaching focuses on helping the individual analyze their performance; suggesting ways to improve performance; demonstrating patience, support, and encouragement; and even holding practice sessions prior to demanding tasks.