22/02/2011
Inspired Leaders are Visionaries able to:
Inspire a shared vision - The main role of any company head is to motivate and inspire people. An effective business leader is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. The leader communicates a vision of the future that she/he wants the other members of the organisation to buy into, conveying her/his optimism about future perspectives, underpinned with strong personal confidence and enthusiasm. This requires the ability to communicate clearly with people at all levels about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback.
Demonstrate Integrity - One of the most important things a leader must remember is to ‘walk their talk’. This earns trust. Good leadership demands commitment to, and demonstration of, ethical practices. Leadership motivated by self-interest does not serve the well being of the company/team. Leadership based on integrity represents nothing less than a set of values others share, behaviour consistent with values and dedication to honesty with self and team members.
Demonstrate Competence - Good leaders know how to set clear goals and objectives, and how to strategically plan to achieve them. Others must believe that that person knows what he or she is doing. Leadership competence does not however necessarily refer to the business leader's technical abilities in the core running of the business. Leaders are judged on their ability to successfully lead others rather than on technical expertise. The ability to challenge, inspire, enable, model and encourage must be demonstrated if leaders are to be seen as capable and competent.
Delegate Tasks - Trust is an essential element in the relationship of a leader and his or her team. You demonstrate your trust in others through your actions - how much you check and control their work, how much you delegate and how much you allow people to participate. Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as leaders and forever remain little more that micro-managers, or end up doing all of the work themselves. "A good leader is a little lazy." An interesting perspective!