Why Your Leadership is so Important

What is Leadership? 

In the words of Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, two of the most recognized names in the field of business, “Leadership is doing the right things and management is doing things right”. This approach also closely ties to ethics, which is knowing the right path and taking it. Robin S. Sharma said that “leadership is not about designation and title”. Sharma's view of leadership is one of impact, influence, and inspiration, impactful in getting results; influential in spreading the passion to inspire others to achieve their goals. 

Management vs. Leadership

Chris Hadfield believes that leadership is all about laying the groundwork for others' success and standing back to let them shine. This is effective leadership. This means inspiring and empowering others to realize their fullest potentials and harnessing the same for achieving common goals. It is often said that management is all about efficiency (faster, better, cheaper), and leadership is all about effectiveness (leveraging talent of others to perform with the least amount of effort for the most amount of return). This is the kind of leadership, as shared by Kruse (2013), which is a process of social influence that takes full advantage of the efforts of others towards achieving shared goals. For an organization to be successful you need both management and leadership. Often these attributes can reside within single individuals, more often these managers and leaders emerge separately.

What is the Impact of Leadership?

According to the 2015 Hudson Leadership Survey, nothing is more essential to the longevity of organizations than leadership. Also, a Deloitte study found that a lack of effective leadership constitutes the most crucial challenge in organizational management. You can manage organizations efficiently, but to grow them effectively you need leaders.

Effective leadership is critical, but the cultivation of it can be difficult. Harvard Business Review revealed that 67% of 195 global leaders in a 2016 study agreed that the top leadership competency for effective leadership is high-ranking ethical and moral standards. Without these as a strong foundation to build an organization, longevity is in question. This may be the reason, according to the Hudson Leadership Survey, almost half of Australian companies are facing a serious leadership crisis due to a dearth of sound leadership strategy.

Action Items to Start Your Leadership Journey:

1.     Describe what your ideal leadership looks like in your work environment.

2.     Compare the gaps to the expert views expressed in this article.

3.     Identify all the practices or competencies to fill the gaps. Prioritize them, with the first one having the most impact on the business.

4.     Pick just 1 that you can do today to make a difference. 

We hope you found this article valuable on Why is Leadership so Important. You can find more Management and Leadership knowledge on our website www.MagnaLeadership.com. We are trusted advisors for executives of small to mid-sized organizations who realize an investment in emerging leaders solves their growth and engagement challenges.

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Dr. Kevin Gazzara — is a senior partner and founder of Magna Leadership Solutions, based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of “The Leader of OZ” www.leaderofoz.com. He is an international speaker and recognized as a Management & Leadership Expert and an Executive Coach. Kevin is a professor at 5 Universities developing and teaching programs to help others achieve their full potential. You can follow Kevin and Magna Leadership Solutions on our website: www.magnaleadership.com, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/doctorkevin or our Facebook Fan Page at https://www.facebook.com/MagnaLeadership

We would be excited to speak with you about your current leadership challenges. Please lick here to connect with one of Magna Leadership’s advisors. https://magnaleader.co/MeetMagna

If you have any comments, suggestions, or ideas, we encourage you to share your thoughts with us and our readers in the comments below.

Thank you,

Dr. Kevin Gazzara

Senior Partner at Magna Leadership Solutions

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References

1. The Importance of Leadership. https://nz.hudson.com/talent-management/importance-of-leadership

2. The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World https://hbr.org/2016/03/the-most-important-leadership-competencies-according-to-leaders-around-the-world

3. What Is Leadership? Kruse, K. (2013). https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/04/09/what-is-leadership/#79866a075b90