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The
ability to lead highly valued, widely proclaimed, but frequently absent in
today’s workplace. Many managers perceive themselves to be great leaders and
motivators, but their perception is usually based on a self-proclaimed
ability to threaten or cajole people into doing a better job. Leadership is
also seen as taking charge during crises, when in fact, leadership is
constant, not just driven by events of the moment.
The actual differences between manage mental. Management is generally
defined as guiding people
 through their current responsibilities. Leadership
is the ability to guide people into the challenges of tomorrow. One can be
appointed a manager, but not a leader. Leadership is authority and influence
by conviction and consistent performance. There is nothing more powerless
than an ex-manager, while true leaders maintain their influence regardless
of formal position.
Six agencies of leadership determine the ability to influence others and
guide then into tomorrow.
1. Communication.
True
leaders are effective communicators, as defined by the quality and depth of
the information they communicate, not just the possession of a motivational
delivery style. They help others clearly understand the totality of what
they are being asked to do. The better people understand the upsides to be
gained and the downsides to be avoided, the deadlines, and short and
long-term time parameters, the more effectively they will perform. Effective
leaders share information early and often with as many people as possible,
even those who will be only slightly impacted by the decisions or change
initiatives.
2. Participation.
Along
with talking great care to communicate the vision and direction they are
asking people to follow (what, why and when), effective leaders invite their
people to participate in determining how the vision, goals, and objectives
are to be achieved. This leadership strategy invites others into the
decision-making process at their greatest level of expertise. If you want
people to enthusiastically support your changes, goals and objectives, allow
them input and influence over how to accomplish them. Becoming an agent of
participation by offering others the opportunity to influence their own
activities and strategies ensures support, increases quality, lowers costs,
and positively impacts job satisfaction.
3. Preparation.
Another critical part of leadership is preparing people to meet the changes
and challenges they face. This means leading by example while
providing the training to enable others to learn new skills.
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Agents of preparation position people to grow and offer opportunities to
increase their skills. Effective leaders do not control people by retarding
their growth; they serve as instruments of development.
Mandating changes without preparing people with additional knowledge and
training is assuming success
merely by proclamation. Introducing change without teaching people to do
things differently is an exercise in frustration and failure.
4. Options.
Leaders help people
to
identify options in solving problems, developing careers, and meeting
challenges. Broadening people’s vision and identifying creative alternatives
helps them to assume increased alternatives helps them to assume increased
control and minimizes feelings of powerlessness or lack o meaningful
influence. Many people slip into perceptions and behavior patterns of
victimization and hopelessness because they do not recognize the power and
influence they possess or the options available to them. Effective leaders
become agents of options and help others to discover and create their own
empowerment. They do not mandate options; they guide others through a
self-discovery process.
5. Closure.
To
achieve closure, leaders help others to move beyond past conflicts, negative
experiences, and perceived injustices. Left unresolved, these issues
continue to fester, impede performance, and block growth. You can’t move
forward, framing the message by saying, “I acknowledge that negative things
have happened in the past. I also realize there is nothing that can be done
to change the past. How can I help you put these issues behind you and move
forward to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow? How can we ensure the
mistakes of the past will not impede the future?” it is a fool who doesn’t
learn from the past and a bigger fool who chooses to live in the past.
Leaders realize that living in the past costs us our future.
6. Celebration.
Dedicating the time to celebrate current and past achievements is an
important
 part
of accomplishing new challenges and charting the future. As they extol
people to improve and get better quickly becomes a negative drumbeat of
“you’re not good enough.” Change is frequently seen as critical of the past
if extreme care is not taken to honor past achievements. Continuous
improvement without celebration is nothing more than continuous criticism.
Celebrations and recognitions are the tools of effective leaders who honor
their people by acknowledge what they do and have done well, along with
identifying areas for growth and improvement.
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