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Effective Leadership - The Way To Do It

Have there been times when you have been so frustrated by the lack of leadership at your office or even in non-office situations? Have you felt that you would like to take over and handle the situation. The fact is that nothing is stopping you from doing it.

It is quite typical for most people to follow the leader and be content. But maybe you are different and there are leadership qualities within you that make you want to take the lead and achieve results.

Just feeling like taking charge is not enough. Even if you think you naturally have some qualities of a leader, you still need knowledge, practice, drive, tenacity, experience and enthusiasm to be a good leader.

To be an effective leader, one must be able to influence others to accomplish goals, to contribute to the organization and cohesion of a group. Leadership is not about using positional power to drive people to meet objectives. It is the ability to bring together the team so that they can see the value of the end result that needs to be achieved. This way the actions they take are driven by a bigger purpose.

There can be no leader without followers. The people must want to follow you. How can you achieve this?

You yourself must know the vision of the organization. Having a clear sense of hierarchy, knowing who the bosses are, who to talk to, the organization's goals and objectives, and how the organization works is the only way to show others you know what you are doing.

Being an effective leader is not about what you make others do. It's about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what you want your subordinates to be.

There is also the concept of servant leadership originally written about by Robert K. Greenleaf. He says that its central meaning is that the great leader is first experienced as a servant to others, and that this simple fact is central to the leader's greatness. True leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others.

If the team has trust and confidence in you, they will go that extra mile. This can only be built on good relationships, trustworthiness and high ethics. The way you deal with people will decide whether you get the team's trust and confidence. Servant leadership is very effective in achieving this. The team will know that you will not ask them to do anything that you yourself will not do.

Good communication capability is important for good leadership. You must be able to clearly state the end result desired and the steps required. It also includes the ability to listen and respond accordingly to the team. Communication to the users or customers and to management is also crucial. There will be good and bad news to be communicated to the different parties. You need to have the capability to tactfully handle especially the bad news.

Situational leadership is another aspect where you need to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons and make decisions. You need to use critical thinking skills and make judgment calls to solve certain issues. As you make effective leadership decisions, you will win your team's respect.

Leaders do not have to know everything and neither should you claim so. While you may have some skills, you should know and effectively use the skills and talents of your subordinates. This takes time and patience. You may be tempted to take certain actions yourself as your subordinate takes a longer time. Remember though that you are taking time from your leadership responsibilities and also taking away your subordinate's opportunity to gain experience.

Being an effective leader takes time, patience and tenacity. You can start right away at whatever position you are at. There are people who will be happy enough for someone else to do the leadership work. They, however, may want the glory. Give it to them because you will be the one to get the experience.

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