Leadership Journal
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It is very common for business people to say they need more leaders in their organizations. They easily offer many good reasons. The enormous amount of change and turmoil that continues to occur, opportunities from mergers or acquisitions, the need to grow in fundamentally new ways, tougher competition - these are just some of the impressive pieces of evidence used to build the case for more leadership. What is not as easy for people to describe is what a more effective leader is, or what he or she does that separates them from a good manager or good producer. When we ask this question to senior executives, the answers are often surprisingly vague or worse yet, rather typical auto-responses. Sadly, many of their comments do not seem to be very thoughtful. So how do you answer the question? If you are trying to strengthen the leadership capabilities in your organization, what are you looking for? Do those aspiring to be better leaders know your criteria? We frequently hear people describe their desired future leaders in terms of values or achievements. They have to be honest, have integrity, be good communicators, be collaborative, and so on. And of course, they have to have a demonstrated track record of producing results. Nothing wrong with any of these. But could not the same answers also be used to describe really effective team members, good managers, or top performers for the future? (They often are!) So what then, distinguishes leaders? Along the way, we have come across some viewpoints that are helpful. In paraphrasing one CFO with whom we work:
That is not the entire answer, but it certainly provides a lot more clarity. Other helpful descriptions we would like to pass on about future leaders include:
Whether you subscribe to some of the descriptions above or develop others that better fit your situation, be sure you are clear in your own mind about what truly constitutes a leader, and be as specific and descriptive as you can in communicating your determinants to others. By doing so, you will be taking a giant step forward in producing and attracting the kind of leaders you really desire for the future. |