Leaders are 10 a penny, but - and it is a big but - effective leaders are few and far between. The world is hungry for bosses who have what it takes to leave a positive legacy, but to do so they must display certain key characteristics.
As a result, it is important to state upfront what effective leadership is not. It is not about:
- A position or title. There are many effective leaders out there who do not have a big job title;
- Academic accolades or CVs. These bits of paper inevitably fail to reflect the dark side of so many bosses - arrogance, impatience, indifference, shaky integrity and so on.
Instead, effective leadership is heavily (but not solely) based on who you are as a person.
Attributes of an effective leader
Great leaders become great because they are loved, trusted and respected. But that love, trust, and respect does not just appear
In other words, not compromising your moral principles in pursuit of your dreams will actually help you to achieve them. The higher your level of integrity is, the more confident and powerful you will become. Nothing boosts confidence like having a closet with no skeletons in it. Trying to salve your conscience only disturbs your inner peace and, therefore, your ability to lead effectively.
Listening skills
The higher you climb the corporate ladder, the more you should be listening to the people who report to you as, despite moving from the frontline, you are still accountable for results. It is worth bearing in mind that when you talk, you demonstrate what you know and so learn nothing. If you listen, you could well learn something you did not know.
But listening is about more than just keeping your mouth shut. It is, in fact, all about soaking up and evaluating what the other person is saying. Listen with:
- Your ears so you hear both their words and their tone of voice. Is there anything telling about that tone?
- Your eyes in order to see body language and demeanour. Do you see signs of anxiety, tension, anger, mistrust?
- Your heart for that emotional component. Is there a11 eloquent silence? People rarely put their emotions into words so learn to read between the lines.
“Big people monopolies listening. Small people monopolies talking." (Dr David Schvvartz, The Magic of Thinking Big)
Contained ego
Ineffective leaders do not know how to handle success. On climbing the corporate ladder, they send out the self-destructive message that they no longer need other people.
But this is a dangerous tactic. Fires seldom last long without a combination of logs from a number of trees, all burning together. You may reach a point in your career where you feel that you are "hot" property, but you will lose your "heat" if you become self-focused, self-absorbed and cocky.
Instead be humble. Zip up your ego. Be the kind of person that people can associate with easily for the simple reason that people love to deal with people they like and respect.
It may feel good to believe yourself important, but it is more valuable to be nice. Life will give you back what you put into it to be warm and respectful if you want to be treated in the same way by other people. If needs are, fake it until it becomes second nature. But remember: good, and bad, deeds are like chickens - they always come home to roost.
Ability to criticise constructively
An effective leader always deals with acts of misconduct in an appropriate and timely fashion. Failure to do so opens the floodgates to anarchy. But unlike ineffective bosses, effective leaders are careful not to point out errors or deficiencies by acting “ rough and tough”, being sarcastic or throwing insults and threats around. Belittling and patronising subordinates rather than leading, guiding, mentoring and nurturing them has a number of repercussions. It:
- Leads to malicious compliance;
- Confuses and upsets people whose wisdom, passion, innovation and creativity you need to succeed.
When it comes to correcting bad behaviour, it is more effective to attack the problem rather than the person. In other words:
“For me, the bottom line is not just to be a boss, I must also be a friend, someone who listens and cares about what happens to my staff At the same time if they mess up, I'll land on them - but I'll do it nicely”. (Virginia Hollis)
Mary Bosiu is a motivational speaker, trainer and author of three books on personal development, including her latest Success Fundamentals Vol. II A lawyer by background, she also acts as a mediation and arbitration consultant.
Leaders are 10 a penny, but - and it is a big but - effective leaders are few and far between. The world is hungry for bosses who have what it takes to leave a positive legacy, but to do so they must display certain key characteristics.
As a result, it is important to state upfront what effective leadership is not. It is not about:
- A position or title. There are many effective leaders out there who do not have a big job title;
- Academic accolades or CVs. These bits of paper inevitably fail to reflect the dark side of so many bosses - arrogance, impatience, indifference, shaky integrity and so on.
Instead, effective leadership is heavily (but not solely) based on who you are as a person.
Attributes of an effective leader
Great leaders become great because they are loved, trusted and respected. But that love, trust, and respect does not just appear
In other words, not compromising your moral principles in pursuit of your dreams will actually help you to achieve them. The higher your level of integrity is, the more confident and powerful you will become. Nothing boosts confidence like having a closet with no skeletons in it. Trying to salve your conscience only disturbs your inner peace and, therefore, your ability to lead effectively.
Listening skills
The higher you climb the corporate ladder, the more you should be listening to the people who report to you as, despite moving from the frontline, you are still accountable for results. It is worth bearing in mind that when you talk, you demonstrate what you know and so learn nothing. If you listen, you could well learn something you did not know.
But listening is about more than just keeping your mouth shut. It is, in fact, all about soaking up and evaluating what the other person is saying. Listen with:
- Your ears so you hear both their words and their tone of voice. Is there anything telling about that tone?
- Your eyes in order to see body language and demeanour. Do you see signs of anxiety, tension, anger, mistrust?
- Your heart for that emotional component. Is there a11 eloquent silence? People rarely put their emotions into words so learn to read between the lines.
“Big people monopolies listening. Small people monopolies talking." (Dr David Schvvartz, The Magic of Thinking Big)
Contained ego
Ineffective leaders do not know how to handle success. On climbing the corporate ladder, they send out the self-destructive message that they no longer need other people.
But this is a dangerous tactic. Fires seldom last long without a combination of logs from a number of trees, all burning together. You may reach a point in your career where you feel that you are "hot" property, but you will lose your "heat" if you become self-focused, self-absorbed and cocky.
Instead be humble. Zip up your ego. Be the kind of person that people can associate with easily for the simple reason that people love to deal with people they like and respect.
It may feel good to believe yourself important, but it is more valuable to be nice. Life will give you back what you put into it to be warm and respectful if you want to be treated in the same way by other people. If needs are, fake it until it becomes second nature. But remember: good, and bad, deeds are like chickens - they always come home to roost.
Ability to criticise constructively
An effective leader always deals with acts of misconduct in an appropriate and timely fashion. Failure to do so opens the floodgates to anarchy. But unlike ineffective bosses, effective leaders are careful not to point out errors or deficiencies by acting “ rough and tough”, being sarcastic or throwing insults and threats around. Belittling and patronising subordinates rather than leading, guiding, mentoring and nurturing them has a number of repercussions. It:
- Leads to malicious compliance;
- Confuses and upsets people whose wisdom, passion, innovation and creativity you need to succeed.
When it comes to correcting bad behaviour, it is more effective to attack the problem rather than the person. In other words:
“For me, the bottom line is not just to be a boss, I must also be a friend, someone who listens and cares about what happens to my staff At the same time if they mess up, I'll land on them - but I'll do it nicely”. (Virginia Hollis)
Mary Bosiu is a motivational speaker, trainer and author of three books on personal development, including her latest Success Fundamentals Vol. II A lawyer by background, she also acts as a mediation and arbitration consultant.
