Perspective of Leadership

Leadership gurus offer multiple perspectives of leadership.  To make it easier, a synopsis of many of these giants ranging from John Maxwell, Ken Blanchard, Steven Covey, Simon Sinek, Tom Rath, Warren Bennis, John Kotter, etc. will make it easier.  This may make it easier to decide on the books and presentations you seek to gain a deeper understanding.

Self-Definition of Leadership

The first of the four components of leadership is self-reflection.  The basis of your definition may stem from your values, beliefs, ethics, experienced in different forms, or witnessed.  A beginning step is taking time to reflect and write out personal definitions.  This process is like the act of finding “you are here”, which will allow you to begin the leadership journey. 

Characteristics of an Effective Leadership

Effective leadership is not management.  While there is some overlap, basic leadership characteristics include the ability to motivate, inspire, counsel, identify directions, communicate clearly, and keep up the enthusiasm.  As Covey offers, leaders understand the need to focus on proactive systematic thinking and not get bogged down in the weeds.  Burns’s vision of leadership is an overriding goal and purpose that inspires leaders and followers to enhance the dignity of society and the individual.  Simple terms for the difficult process to become an effective leader

Role of Emotional Intelligence

The role of emotional intelligence (EI) is understanding, predicting, and utilizing behaviors as an essential skill set.  Thus, the reason it is better to have a higher EI than a high IQ.  This section will provide the five pillars of EI and how to improve one’s abilities to communicate, motivate, and lead more effectively.

Communication as a Leader including Feedback

Feedback is key to effective communication.  Feedback is a confirmation process if communicating observation of prior behavior so that modification of the behavior in a manner resulting in the desired result.  The following information will provide guidelines for improving feedback, especially since poor communication is a major cause for conflict.

Fostering Team Building and Staff Development

Leadership requires the ability to build a new team or “jump-starting” an existing team.  A process for helping organizations foster team building is the Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing technique.  The following will provide practical strategies to employ for the successful development of the team, individual, and how to create a succession plan.

Conflict Resolution

As stated earlier, a major cause for conflict resolution is poor communication.  However, a second major cause is emotions.  Leaders do not shy away from conflict, they embrace it.  Although conflict is a normal, but if the issue is not addressed appropriately, the effect of the conflict will compound.  The following will provide strategies to appropriately address conflict with a co-worker and subsequently raising the trust between each other.

Cultural Humility

In these times, leaders must possess a level of cultural competence and demonstrate this understanding in their daily lives.  With a working knowledge of cultural competence, a leader can utilize associated advantages from practicing cultural humility throughout the organization.  The following will offer how a leader can initiate the journey for cultural humility and strategies for the organization to address the effects of intersectionality.

Organizational Values, Mission and Vision

Simon Sinek pushes organizations to know their “why” before the “what and how” to achieve desired results.  By guiding the development of the values, mission, and vision statements, leaders can establish the “why”.  The following will provide guidelines to capture what the organization seeks to represent from a value perspective, how to build on the values by describing the fundamental purpose in the mission statement and exclaiming the goal the organization wants to achieve in the vision statement.  Vision for an organization will let everyone know “you have a dream”.

Creating and Managing Innovative Change

As an effective leader, you have laid the groundwork with proactive communication, fostered team building, provided good feedback, and articulated the vision.  But great leaders understand the need to provide a safe environment to stimulate innovation to solve problems or expand current abilities. The following will provide strategies for initiating the process, developing the mindset of team members, and how to manage the progression of the collective mindset.