- Good Leaders Have Effective Communication - Fotosearch
A company's success or failure is directly related to the effectiveness of the leadership. The problem is that ineffective leaders aren't called to the carpet until a company is in trouble and that may too late to turn things around.
The better approach is to teach people how they can be effective before they take the reigns. Here are the three essential components of a good leader:
Communication
Good Communication is key for anyone in the workplace but it's absolutely essential for someone in a leadership role. A leader must convey their ideas in a way that others can understand and appreciate. Beyond that, communication requires listening and understanding others as well as providing valuable feedback. Many people fail at communication because they're only concerned about what they have to say. However, the circle of communication can only be complete when the communicator listens and lets the other person know that they have been heard and correctly understood.
Motivation
Effective leaders move people to action. In the book Hope is Not a Strategy (Dog Ear Publishing, 2008) by Ted Gee, the author insists that effective leaders instill confidence in the people under their authority so that they are convinced that the direction he or she is moving toward is correct and achievable. Instilling confidence is certainly one way to motivate people, but there are alternatives. People can also be motivated through competitive pay or other rewards. In addition, people can be motivated through fear, which could come in the form of "do what I say because I'm your boss." While this tactic may work initially, it could also backfire in the long-run as people exercise their disapproval through passive aggressive behavior or creating a hostile work environment overall.
Teamwork
People need people to achieve their goals, particularly in the workplace. Effective leaders see their staff as an asset rather than a liability. They realize that they can't succeed without the support of their subordinates and they appreciate their team's participation and contributions. This mindset requires a significant amount of trust on the part of the leader because operating as a team means that certain tasks will be delegated to others who may be more equipped to meet the challenge. At the same time, the leader is freed up to take on the responsibilities that is the best fit for his talents.
So what if someone finds that they are weak in one or all of these areas? No problem. Fortunately, there are loads of leadership training programs available online. Simply type "leadership" in any search engine for a list of educational resources. There's also the American Management Association (www.amanet.org), the organization has a host of seminars and resources on leadership as well as other business areas.
Becoming a good leader can be in anyone's reach as long as they are open to improving their communication, upgrading their ability to motivate, and being willing to replace self-reliance with team reliance. It really is that simple.
Monique McKenzie - Monique Brown McKenzie, MBA is currently president of Small Business Boot Camp, a company designed to provide small businesses with ...
