Management Training Tips:
Ten Benchmarks of Effective Leadership
By James A. Baker
Houston, Texas
Management Training Institute
August 2009
Throughout history, it seems that leadership matters. Every
significant turn of events hinges on a crisis of leadership, a
failure of leadership or – thankfully
– a triumph of leadership. Human
societies, governments, and businesses rise and fall according to
the quality of leadership available at the time.
Traditionally, a person is considered to be a leader because they
have a position or a title. This position supposedly gives them some
kind of authority to give people directions and this giving of
directions has been equated with leadership. Unfortunately, when we
refer to leading this way, we really mean managing. You can be a
good manager without being a particularly good leader. If you get
reports in on time and your team hits its quota for the month, you
are a good manager. However, leadership is not about position or
productivity, it is about taking the initiative and making a
positive difference in the lives and situations of those around you
in ways that might be totally unrelated to your basic job
description.
If you want to take your game and your team to the next level,
ask yourself how you measure up against these ten benchmarks of
outstanding leadership.
1. Visionary – This isn’t as exotic as
it sounds. It simply involves spending time thinking about things as
they could be, even though there isn’t any plan on the table yet
that would bring them into existence.
2. Agent for change –One of the
hallmarks of a true leader is that they invest themselves in
becoming facilitators for positive change. A genuine leader does not
hesitate to advocate for change, no matter where they are in the
management chain.
3. Problem solver –When problems
arise, an effective leader doesn’t assume it is someone else’s job
to find the solution, nor does an effective leader put off dealing
with the situation in hopes that it will just go away. An effective
leader will confront the problem, engage with others who are also
being impacted by the problem, work with everyone to identify
options, and take action.
4. Risk taker –Effective leaders
aren’t afraid to fail. Leaders are willing to experiment, innovate,
and go beyond the defined protocols, not because they are convinced
they have everything figured out already, but because they know that
they have to try something different in order to take things to the
next level. Leaders know that failure is not something to fear; it
is one of the best ways to learn and grow.
5. Motivator –Too often, those in
authority assume that they need to implement some program or policy
that will "motivate" people to perform at a higher level, often by
offering some incentive or even some kind of threat. An effective
leader understands one simple truth: the only way to motivate
someone is to know them well enough to understand what they already
care about, and find ways to help them to pursue and achieve those
things.
6. Coach/Mentor – Too many managers
rely on monitoring performance as the basis for discovering where
team members need to improve, but this approach will not succeed if
you don’t gain the team member’s cooperation and trust. A leader’s
effectiveness increases exponentially when he goes beyond
understanding what motivates a team member and actually comes
alongside that person to provide the regular training, support and
encouragement they need to excel.
7. Unifier – Rather than fostering
competition, good leaders acknowledge the gifts and skills of
everyone around them, and give them permission to express them and
exercise them for the benefit of all. In order to be truly
effective, leadership will result in bringing together a group of
people with diverse needs, goals, values and opinions and empowering
them to focus and work together on a common task.
8. Open Communicator – In management
training, there is a lot of emphasis placed on the importance of
good communication skills, and rightly so. However, there is a
difference between how you communicate (which is where most emphasis
is placed in these training classes) versus what, when, and why you
communicate. Effective leaders tend to communicate about everything,
especially their vision and their desire to receive input and ideas
from everyone. Openness creates trust, trust produces commitment,
and commitment breeds success.
9. Self-control –People who can’t
control their emotions (or their attitudes or their addictions) will
inevitably end up doing or saying things that create disruptive
– sometimes –
destructive - consequences. One thing is certain, people won’t trust
someone who can’t demonstrate self-control, and if you don’t have
their trust, you can’t effectively lead.
10. Integrity – Legal and ethical are
not the same thing. Integrity can be boiled down into two simple
concepts: high ethical standards and keeping promises. Effective
leaders are committed to practicing a new version of the Golden
Rule: Do unto others as they would have you do unto them. Leaders
aren’t thinking of themselves; they are always thinking of how to
serve the needs of those around them. If you are looking for a quick
way to measure the strength of a leader’s character, look no farther
than their willingness to keep promises. People quickly lose faith
in liars, even liars with big visions and great communication
skills. When they lose their faith in you, you are not a leader any
more.
James A. Baker is the Founder and Chairman of Baker
Communications. Baker Communications is a sales training and
development company specializing in helping client companies
increase their sales and management effectiveness. He can be reached
at 713-627-7700.
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