Five Practices of Effective Leaders

Perhaps the greatest issue that many of us face in our career is the challenge of leading people. People are complex. People are multi-dimensional. Each person is unique and requires a different type and amount of interaction and support. But as the current issue of Sales and Marketing Magazine notes, if you are a manager – a leader – then you need to “Lead or Get Out of the Way.”

See the five key practices of effective leaders…

Gino Wickman and Rene Boer, authors of “How To Be A Great Boss,” say the word “boss” comes from the Dutch word “baas” which is a term of respect used to address the person in charge. Wickman and Boer suggest you wear the designation with pride and accept responsibility to be a great leader.

Interestingly, the authors suggest there is a distinction between a leader and a manager.

“Leadership involves working ‘on’ the business. It entails providing clear direction, creating an opening for people, and taking time to think.”

“Management, on the other hand, involves working ‘in’ the business: creating clear expectations, communicating well and ensuring that things get done.”

You can, they say, be a great leader without necessarily being a great manager – and vice versa. But while the two concepts don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, they offer five leadership practices that create an accomplishment environment. Those practices are:

Five Practices of Effective Leaders

1. Give clear direction – “Great leaders are masterful at providing a clear direction…” To do this, you must be able to offer a compelling vision – and provide clarity around “your culture, your core focus and your goals.”
2. Provide the necessary tools – It is critical to provide your team with the tools they need to succeed. These tools include: “training, technology, additional people and your personal time and attention.” That last tool is often the most difficult to provide.
3. Let go of the vine – The authors provide a humorous story to demonstrate this practice, but suffice it to say that once you’ve provided the clear direction and tools to succeed – let them go to achieve their goals. Don’t micromanage, but make sure you have the right people.
4. Act with the greater good in mind – You must “walk the talk” and set the example. In effect, you are the living embodiment of what you’ve communicated as the company’s goals.
5. Take clarity breaks – Great leaders take clarity breaks…time out of the office and away from the daily pressures of business to reflect and work “on” their business. This is the view from 30,000 feet to make sure you’re still on the right track.

See the full article here…