Workplaces need leaders

Traditionally, business leaders were chosen for their technical skills and for their ability to “get the job done.” What we now refer to as ‘people skills’ were very often low on the list of sought-after competencies. Today, however, it is more common for a leader to be an effective communicator, a motivator, a coach and a mentor. Leaders are expected to be able to bring out the best talents and skills in their staff.

Sometimes people complain about the lack of leadership in organisations. And there may be some reason for such complaints. However, being an excellent leader is not a simple activity. Some of the concepts and issues that an active leader has to come to terms with, include:

• Understanding diversity in the workplace,
• Leading performance;
• Effective communication;
• Delegation;
• Guiding the change process; and
• Team development.

Of course, leaders need to be sure that their organisation’s values are clearly identified and effectively communicated not only to all staff members, but also to suppliers, customers and the community in which they operate.

To be an effective leader, it is critical to passionately believe in these values and model them. More than anything else, it is in the modelling that others are then motivated to do likewise.

Very often, the problem with lack of leadership is that few organisations have clearly stated values. After all, one cannot believe in a messenger if one does not know what the messenger believes. It has been said that you cannot know if you have arrived if you did not know where you were headed.

In excellent organisations, leaders promote a consistent set of values instead of one set for the public and another for their internal consumption.

Obviously, as a matter of logic, leaders must come to terms with personal leadership. Before they can lead others, they must learn to master themselves.

For budding leaders, mastering themselves means, they must be able to manage their own time effectively and develop their own personal mission and vision. They also need to learn about the importance of setting goals that are in alignment with their mission and vision, and how these can be tied to the company mission and vision.

Beyond personal leadership, the next step in developing as a leader is to build communication skills and learn how to adapt to the communication (or learning) styles of others. Leaders have to develop a style of communication that will lead to a greater understanding of themselves and those around them. Clear understanding and communication is essential to successfully leading others.

The whole question of leadership styles is a major one for many people. Is a control leadership style better than an emphasis on coaching and empowerment? Leaders often look at this as an either/or debate. But it is much better to aim to practice flexible leadership. In fact, one of the challenges for a good leader is to identify exactly when more control is better and when it is time to create effective participation. It is a big question, and it is really only the mature leader who would feel consistently confident about the choices made.

Many people in business talk of management and leadership as if they are the same thing. But that is far from true. The two are related, but their central functions are different. Managers can provide leadership, and leaders perform many management functions. But managers don't perform the unique functions of leaders.

Some of the key differences between managers and leaders can be identified through the following statements:

• A manager takes care of where you are; a leader takes you to a new place.
• A manager deals with complexity; a leader deals with uncertainty.
• A manager is concerned with finding the facts; a leader makes decisions.
• A manager is concerned with doing things right; a leader is concerned with doing the right things.

A manager's critical concern is efficiency; a leader focuses on effectiveness.