Effective Leadership

Many people consider a boss and a leader as one and the same. In actuality, a leader can be a boss, but a boss is not necessarily a leader.
According to the dictionary, the definition of a leader is a person who has influence over others in order to achieve a certain objective or goal. A boss, on the other hand, is stated as being a person in a position of power or authority.

With that definition in mind what are the significant differences between a leader and a boss?

Leaders look at the big picture. They have a long-term objective. A boss, on the other hand, is simply a person who is in charge. They are often placed in that position at the request of a leader.

Take, for example, a war situation with a general as the leader. His objective is to win the war, and although he has to keep track of his men and their movements, his time is too important to get involved with managing the little details. To manage the tasks that make up the complete campaign, he employs captains. The captains would be considered the bosses in this example. They are the ones who carry out his objectives. They are more involved with the mundane details in the process, and they do not necessarily see the overall plan of attack.

A good leader inspires confidence and trust. He has a belief in his objective and a strong sense of conviction that he can pass on to his followers. He has no problem effectively communicating his message and seems to have an effortless ability to make people want to follow him. To be effective, he knows that his aim is to get his followers to share and believe in the same goal or objective. His role is not to tell the people how to complete the required tasks that make up the objective, but rather, to delegate those tasks.

A boss is the one who ensures that the tasks are completed. A boss does not need to inspire or to visualize the end objective; their role is to ensure that the followers are meeting the defined tasks that are presented by the leader. A boss is concerned with all the minor details and the processes by which things are to be done.

Often, followers will love their leader, and yet hate their boss. They firmly believe in the objectives and goals, yet they do not like or appreciate the methods employed by the boss to achieve them.

When trying to evaluate if a person is a leader or a boss, one only has to look at who is the visionary. Which person has the dream and the drive? Who is the one who has the overall group objectives firmly implanted?

A person who is able to get people to follow them readily is considered to be a leader. The best leaders are the ones that inspire their followers to eagerly join and help with their cause. They do not have to employ coercion, manipulation, or fear tactics to accomplish this task.

Truly great leaders throughout history have been able to achieve success using a number of different strategies. Three of the most basic leadership strategies are:

Autocratic leadership

This type of leadership involves the leader making all the decisions. They do not ask for help, advice or input, rather, they simply make all-necessary decisions themselves. In small situations or companies, this style of leadership is very useful and often mandatory. It is also a great style to employ when a quick decision is needed.

Democratic Leadership

As its name implies, democratic leadership is a style whereby a leader asks for advice and input from his followers. He may even allow them to have an actual voice in the decision. In a truly democratic situation, all decisions would be decided by a vote. The voting may be done by a small group of elite followers, or if team size permits, it may entail the entire squad having a vote.

The greatest benefit of this style of leadership is that it gives followers a much greater understanding of the objectives and allows them to feel like they are a part of the process.

Laisssez-faire

This style of leadership will only work if the team is highly educated and motivated. Educated, in this instance, means they have a clear and concise understanding of the vision, and all the tasks required to complete it. The team must also be able to function efficiently with minimal supervision. The leaders must be able to present their overall plan and then be confident that the team and knowledge-workers will see it to completion without a great deal of additional input.

As you have probably noticed, each of the different styles of leadership presented above has distinct advantages and disadvantages. A good leader will be familiar each style, and he will not lock into a one style fits all mentality. Rather, he will employ the one that best fits his current objectives and goals.

Since the days of Plato people have been asking that very question. What is it about one certain person that makes them a leader? What is it that they do, or say that inspires others to follow them? Exactly, why is it that one individual can stand out from the crowd and be recognized?

As we have previously discussed, a leader is generally defined as a person who leads others to achieve and reach a common objective. Countless books and studies have been done on what makes someone an effective leader. Many of these books, of course, are filled with the latest theories and ideas, but overall there seems to be some basic principles that almost all of them have in common.

Interestingly enough, there is even a large debate about whether a leader is born, or a leader is made. Regardless of which theory is correct, most of the research and studies agree that a leader should have the following qualities:

A good leader...

• Must be trust worthy. Nobody will follow a person that they do not trust.
  
• Must have a clear goal or objective.
  
• Must have the drive and conviction to reach his goal.
  
• Must have the ability to adjust and adapt.
  
• Must be intelligent
  
• Must have effective communication skills
  
• Must have imagination
  
• Must be charismatic
  
• Must be persistent
  
• Must have self confidence
  
• Must have an understanding of those he is leading
  
• Must have an appreciation or at least a knowledge of the skills needed to get the task completed
  
• Must have high morals and ethics
  
• Must always lead by example
  
• Must have a clear vision
  
• Must be willing to make sacrifices
  
• Must be willing to change and improve
  
• Must be willing to listen and learn from their followers
  
• Must go down with the ship (Take responsibility for failures)
  
• Must be willing to give credit where it is due

These are some, but not all of, the qualities that can make a person a great leader. it is true that many of these traits are a part of a person from birth, however many are traits and abilities that can be learned and/or improved upon.