Strong teams have effective leadership

Over the years I have consistently noticed that effective leadership plays a huge role in the overall success of work teams. My picture of a leader is like a conductor of a great orchestra. The leader is the one who leads all the individuals in the team to produce a unified and beautiful sound.

Here are just some of the characteristics of effective leaders. Effective leaders are people who:

*know where the team needs to go. If the leader doesn’t know where the team should be going then the team will stagnate and start to go backwards. Leadership implies intelligent forward motion.

*can inspire others to “go for it” and to have hope for the future.

*actually lead people and not just have a sign on their desk. Having a leadership position or title doesn’t mean that the person is actually leading others and the organisation. Just like simply standing in a garage doesn’t make you a car, so having the title doesn’t make you a leader.

*show integrity and care. If there is no trust then the work will go much slower as people may question and be suspicious of the requests made of them and the motives of the leader.

*lead without becoming dictators. Leadership is positive influence. Great leaders know how to inspire forward motion without yelling and barking out orders. On the other hand, they aren’t so relaxed that they just sit in their bean bag asking for people’s opinions all day long.

*believe in the power of the team. They are not “lone rangers”, but they work with team members bringing out the best in everyone.

*keep their egos in check. No need to say more…

*are allowed to lead. In many organisations, great leaders are being held back by antiquated organisational structures and too much red tape. Putting unnecessary restraints on visionary leaders will kill their spirit.

How are you going in developing these attributes?

Who are the leaders who have inspired you the most in the past and what were their attributes that you appreciated the most?

“Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things” Peter. F. Drucker

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