Effective leadership will take many forms – but at its core, it necessarily includes the ability to:
- Articulate a vision and overarching strategy
- Establish guiding principles
- Achieve commitment to goals, plans and actions from beginning to end – with good governance enshrined
- Make decisions quickly, efficiently and effectively
- Earn the trust of your people, include them in the process, treat them fairly, keep them informed and accountable
- Engage people, to positively influence by effective, appropriate and courageous communications
- Keep the organisation focussed on the positive outcomes
- Display clearly your own brand of charisma or ‘presence’
- And above all else, when you look in the mirror each morning, remind yourself the buck stops with you – holding yourself accountable, personally and professionally, as leader for not only your career, but your organisation
Therefore a definition of Leadership – “To maximise the expectations, the positive hope of the outcomes that come from change – while minimising the fear of change for those involved.”