Leadership matters

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Leadership matters. Any one person could have an effect on the behavior of others at any time. The nature and intent of that effect determines the influence, direction and outcome of leadership. Organizations depend on leadership for direction, momentum and a plan for sustainable success. How do we have a tendency to acknowledge leadership exists? How do we tend to develop leadership? How will leadership be measured? These are questions this text seeks to explore.

How do we recognize leadership or know that it exists? Usually, leadership is defined by characteristics and results. Nonetheless formal leadership development nearly forever focuses completely on characteristics, hoping on hope that results can ensue. Sadly, leadership is seldom very measured beyond an intuitive or anecdotal approach.

As an example, an individual in an exceedingly leadership role is deemed "successful." We tend to need to duplicate the leader's success, thus we tend to strive to replicate the characteristics, skills, values, competencies, actions and behaviors of the leader. We have a tendency to edify and attempt to emulate these qualities in others, however we have a tendency to seldom get the identical results. Corporate America is stuffed with "competency-based mostly" leadership development programs, what one would possibly call the "injection-mould" approach. Competency-based leadership development has an result on organizational culture, no doubt, but not perpetually the desired effect. Leaders who somehow "live up" to the desired competencies do not continuously produce desired results.

Ultimately, manufacturing results is the explanation we have a tendency to study leadership, the rationale we have a tendency to get to develop leaders, the very reason we have a tendency to need leaders. Thus it stands to reason that leadership conjointly has been measured based on the results created, irrespective of how those results were achieved. We tend to want look no further than Richard Nixon or Kenneth Lay to recognize the down facet of such one-dimensional measures.

The leader's role is to determine the conditions (the culture, the environment) beneath which others will take right action to achieve desired results. "Desired results" are best defined by the vision, mission, values and goals of the team or organization. Thus, leadership is best measured by the how well followers execute the vision, mission and goals whereas "living out" the specified values. This leads us to a brand new premise: that leadership ought to be measured by the results made and the way they are created, as therefore usually stated. However, there's a critical third element, that is, by whom are the results produced. If it is the leader that produces the required results, then this should rightfully be attributed to individual action without any contributing effect from the behavior of others.

There is an obvious link between communication and leadership -- the basic reason for communication and for leadership is to prompt some type of behavioral response or action. Leaders should communicate by speaking, listening, reading, writing and action. Leaders manufacture results and as alternative authors have stated, "Leaders get results through people." Follower behavior, not leader behavior, defines leadership. This might lead one to argue, wrongly, that there is very little distinction between leadership and coercion. Coercion, or creating an environment using fear or incentives as motivational tools, might work temporarily however is seldom sustainable. Performance declines, conflict ensues or folks leave.

Ultimately, the brand of leadership we have a tendency to get in contemporary life is best defined, developed and measured primarily based on whether intended results are achieved, how they're achieved, the value of those results to others, and whether followers take discretionary action to achieve the leader's vision, mission and goals. Leadership depends on the achievements of followers. Leadership development must be tied to intended results of those who are lead more than competency sets of those that lead. Evidence of effective leadership will be found within the daily attitudes and habits of followers. Ultimately, leadership can be measured by the achievement of discretionary goals by followers.

Mark A. Sturgell, CBC, may be a Certified Business Coach and president of Performance Development Network. Mark helps build the capacity of individuals, groups and organizations ranging from little non-profits to world a hundred companies by helping them achieve the measurable results they extremely want. Mark helps individuals discover their own potential and achieve more. He helps organizations develop cultures where continuous learning and improvement, higher levels of achievement, standards of excellence and exceeding customer expectations prevail…as a result of organizations don't fail, folks do.

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Bob has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Leadership matters, you can also check out his latest website about: Purple Wedding Bouquet Which reviews and lists the best Purple Flowers Wedding Bouquet

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