Management Training Tips:
Ten Benchmarks of Effective Leadership

By James A. Baker
Houston, Texas
Management Training Institute
October 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.