EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP

Introduction

How effective you will be in life and ultimately how successful you will be in life is determined by two things

1.?????Your level of spirituality

2.?????Your level of leadership ability

Your level of leadership ability is fundamentally determined by how much of your leadership potential/capacity you have to discover, develop and deploy.

Your leadership development journey begins with the discovery of yourself and your purpose in life. It is the discovery of yourself and purpose in life that leads to the development of your leadership which ultimately positions you to empower others to become their potential i.e. a leader in their own right.

Everybody i.e. every single individual in life is born with leadership capacity. However, this capacity remains in its potential and dormant state until you become aware of it, activate it, cultivate and then utilize it to actualize the fullness of its potential. It is a pity that quite a several people never become aware of their leadership capacity in life, some are aware of it but never do anything about it, some do so little about their leadership capacity while others endeavour to stretch so much to fully discover, develop and deploy the leadership capacity to its maximum.

The central responsibility of any leadership activity is people development. The ultimate aim of leadership is people/human development. Therefore, leadership is all about empowering people in the process of getting the job done or in the course of accomplishing the assigned task to record a sustainable impact.

What is Leadership?

Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration generated by a conviction, motivated by a passion, produced by a vision that is birthed by a purpose – Myles Munroe

Leadership is self-discovery to serve others to influence them to solve problems by empowering them to reach their potential to make maximum and lasting impact on people places and things – Fatile Ayobami

?All the highlighted words are the elements or components of leadership i.e. all these things make up leadership.

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Qualities of Good Leaders

1.?????Personal development: this is a pivotal tool for gaining and sustaining your power as a leader. Every leader must engage the principle of CANEI - ‘Continuous And Never Ending Improvement’ to become and sustain their leadership. Leaders are developed through the process of self-development over time through diligence, experience and training. Leaders are readers but not all readers are leaders. They read vast and wide to stay abreast of their situations. They develop themselves through exposure by reading, interacting with those ahead of them and attending seminars, trainings etc in their field.

2.?????Vision: this is one of the potent qualities of a good leader. Leaders are men of vision. They see far clearer than everybody else. You become a leader when you develop a vision of your life and your team. Leaders can project forward into the future and develop a clear picture of where they want their organization to be positioned. You must be clear about what you want to accomplish and how you want to go about accomplishing them. Vision is the template that leaders work with to access and navigate the path of the preferred future.

3.?????Communication: leadership rises and falls on communication. Leaders are intentional in whatever they say or do. They can share the vision of a preferred future with others and gain other's commitment to make this vision a reality. They know how to inspire and spur people to action with their words and actions. Leaders are good listeners because they know that listening is the most important part of communication. Leader not only listen with their ears, they also listen with their heart. They listen for the unspoken part of what others are telling them and they respond based on what they hear. They also know how to ask questions to find out and clarify issues before they respond. Leaders do not assume for people, they know that assumption is the lowest level of knowledge. Leaders are intentional role players and actors. Leaders always walk their talk i.e. their words and actions align. Leaders say what they mean and always mean what they say.

4.?????Teambuilding: According to John C Maxwell, one is too small a number to achieve greatness. Leaders must have the right sets of people on board and appropriately place these talents in their proper place on the team. Leaders surround themselves with people who are complementary to their strengths. The people they synergise with have the potential to be better than they are, if not better than they are. They are never intimidated by the potential and qualities of others they love to associate with and encourage people who are uniquely different from them. Leaders are aware that ‘Together Everyone Achieve Much’ so they leverage on the possibility of a TEAM.

5. Problem-solving: the fastest way to leadership is through problem-solving. The fastest route to solving problems is volunteering, continuous learning and commitment to solving the challenges at hand. A leader solves his problems and then helps and empowers others with the models and strategies he uses to solve their problems. They use their wealth of knowledge, experience and skills to empower others to find lasting solutions to the problem of the team and personal problems.

Quotes on Leadership

??The successful leader is first and foremost a successful person

??The best leaders are first and foremost managers. They make things happen. They get results. They organize people, allocate other resources; implement strategies – whatever it takes to get things done.

??Leadership is all about empowering people in the process of getting the job done

??Leadership develop daily and not in a day – John C Maxwell

??The true measure and the hallmark of leadership is succession

??The value of your leadership ability is determined by the problems you solve through your gifts/endowment i.e. everything you have at your disposal

??Treat each person around you as if he is competent, valuable and important. This is the key to gaining the loyalty and commitment that you require as a leader

??Everything rises and falls on leadership and leadership rises and falls on communication - John C Maxwell

??The very best standard for a leader is the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” – Brian Tracy

??Leadership is born out of the process of discovery, developing and deploying yourself in the pursuit of your purpose in life

??Passion is the driving force of leadership

??Leadership as a concept and role has its foundation. Your leadership is as strong and effective as the foundation upon which it is based

??A leader leads well when he says what he does and does what he says

??Positions don’t make leaders, leaders make their position.

??Leaders must realize that everything they say to or about another person is magnified

??In simple terms, the role of the leader is to take responsibility for results – Brain Tracy

??Leadership is a role that one plays in a particular position. It is the role that is attached to a position that defines the position.

??A leader is the person that makes the toughest decisions.