Question

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP NO PLAGIARIZE. THIS IS A WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Answer 1

To be an effective leader I

must be the kind of person others want

to follow. Otherwise we’re sort of on a

long walk by ourselves. This is true

whether I am taking on radical, bold change or gradual, incremental change. As a leader

it’s my responsibility to produce positive change. In the business world that means

improving the value of my organization by communicating an inspirational vision, setting

clear priorities to achieve that vision, and promoting a culture that enables success.

Think for a minute about some of the most

difficult, troublesome people you have had

to work with in your career. Think of

people who may have been a big problem

for you and/or your organization to deal

with. Now ask yourself this question: Do

you think they saw themselves as a

problem? Chances are they didn’t despite

the fact that nearly everyone around them

could see that they were a problem. This

phenomenon actually has a name: self-

deception. Self-deception has been

studied extensively for years by

academics and clinical psychologists. It

has surprisingly powerful implications for

leaders and for organizations, and in our view it is the common thread that runs through most chronic, vexing organizational

problems including:

1. Leaders who actually inhibit success rather than enable it

2. Poor teamwork

3. Weak commitment

4. Lack of accountability

5.Lousy results

In a hyper competitive global economy where

survival depends upon adaptation and

continuous improvement how can this be

achieved when the individuals most in need of

improvement feel no need to change and

improve?

Now imagine an organization made up of

individuals whose primary focus is doing

what’s best for the organization. Where each

individual’s first choice is to actively help their

colleagues achieve shared goals. Where

personal agendas and politics don’t exist, and

where teams, departments, and entire

business units cooperate enthusiastically to

help one another succeed. Impossible?

Organizations that which have created such an environment have selected, promoted

and invested in developing leaders who have the qualities of follower-ship.

Follower-ship requires the mastery of six seemingly simple, yet deceptively challenging core leadership

principles:

1. Focusing on my team’s objective while avoiding self-deception

2. Building and sustaining strong relationships with my boss and my peers

3. Building and sustaining strong relationships with my team

4. Actively teaching and enabling others to achieve shared objectives

5. Providing effective performance feedback

6. Taking decisive corrective action

Each of these principles is a prerequisite for the next, and all are highly inter-dependent.

For example, to build successful, healthy relationships with my team requires that I build

similar relationships with my boss and my peers. This is because if I don’t know what it is

to be a good subordinate or a good peer, it’s very unlikely I will know what to expect of

my people. Similarly, to build good relationships with my boss and my peers requires my

primary focus to be our shared objectives while not being self-deceived. Only then can I

lead and participate effectively without being preoccupied with trying to prove what a

great leader I am, or how valuable I am to the team.

Moreover, if I am struggling with any of these principles the solution resides in the former

principle. For example, if I’m not perceived as being effective in providing feedback and

tasking corrective action, it’s likely I’m not effectively teaching or enabling others to

achieve the team’s objective. Similarly, if I’m an ineffective coach or teacher it’s likely my

relationship with my team members is poor. It’s like building a house – you can’t work on

the roof if the first level is unstable, and the foundation is weak.