SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP
TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER, THERE ARE SEVEN PRINCIPLES YOU MUST INCORPORATE INTO YOUR LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR AND ACTIVITIES.
1. CLARITY : THIS IS PERHAPS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY. YOU MUST BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU STAND FOR. YOU MUST BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ABOUT VISION AND WHERE YOU WANT TO LEAD YOUR PEOPLE. YOU MUST BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ABOUT THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANIZATION AND HOW THEY ARE TO BE OBTAINED.
ESPECIALLY, YOU MUST BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ABOUT THE VALUES, MISSION, AND PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION AND WHAT IT STANDS FOR, EVERYONE AROUND YOU AND BELOW YOU MUST KNOW EXACTLY WHY THEY ARE DOING WHAT THEY DO AND WHAT THEIR COMPANY HAS BEEN FORMED TO ACCOMPLISH.
2. COMPETENCE : AS THE LEADER, YOU MSUT SET A STANDARD OF EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, FOR THE ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS FOR EVERY PERSON AND FUNCTION IN THE COMPANY. YOUR GOAL MUST BE FOR YOUR COMPANY TO BE AS GOOD AS, OR BETTER THAN, YOUR VERY BEST COMPETITOR. YOU MUST BE CONTINUALLY SEEKING WAYS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO YOUR CUSTOMERS.
3. COMMITMENT : THE LEADER IS ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION AND BELIEVS COMPLETELY THAT THIS ORGANIZATION IS THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS OR WILL BE THE BEST IN THE FUTURE. THIS PASSIONATE COMMITMENT TO THE ORGANIZATION - AND TO SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT - MOTIVATES AND INSPIRES PEOPLE TO DO THEIR BEST WORK AND PUT THEIR WHOLE HEARTS INTO THEIR JOBS.
4. CONSTRAINTS : THE JOB OF THE LEADER IS TO IDENTIFY THE CONSTRAINST OR LIMITING FACTORS THAT SET THE SPEED AT WHICH THE COMPANY ACHIEVES ITS MOST IMPORTANT GOALS OF REVENUE AND PROFITABILITY. THE LEADER THEN ALLOCATES PEOPLE AND RESOURCES TO ALLEVIATE THOSE CONSTRAINTS AND REMOVE THE OBSTACLES SO IT CAN PERFORM AS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE INDUSTRY.
5. CREATIVITY : THE LEADER IS OPEN TO NEW IDEAS OF ALL KINDS AND FROM ALL SOURCES. THE LEADER IS CONTINUALLY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO FIND FASTER, BETTER, CHEAPER, AND EASIER WAYS TO PRODUCE EXCELLENT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AND TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF CUSTOMERS.
6. CONTINUOUS LEARNING : THE LEADER IS PERSONALLY COMMITTED TO READING, LISTENING, AND UPGRADING HIS OR HER PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AS AN EXECUTIVE. THE LEADER SHOULD ATTEND ADDITIONAL SEMINARS AND COURSES TO IMPROVE HIS OR HER SKILLS AND ABILITIES.
AT THE SAME TIME, THE LEADER ENCOURAGES EVERYONE IN THE ORGANIZATION TO LEARN AND GROW AS A NORMAL AND NATURAL PART OF BUSINESS LIFE. THE LEADER PROVIDES TIME AND RESOURCES FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. THE LEADER KNOWS THAT THE BEST COMPANIES HAVE THE BEST-TRAINED PEOPLE. THE SECOND-BEST COMPANIES HAVE THE SECOND-BEST TRAINED PEOPLE. AND THE THIRD-TRAINED PEOPLE - AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT OF BUSINESS.
7. CONSISTENCY : THE LEADERHAS THE SELF-DISCIPLINE TO BE CONSISTENT, DEPENDABLE, RELIABLE, CALM, AND PREDICTABLE IN ALL SITUATIONS. ONE OF THE GREAT COMFORTS OF BUSINESS LIFE IS FOR AN EMPLOYEE TO KNOW THAT THE LEADER IS COMPLETELY CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE. AN EFFECTIVE LEADER DOES NOT CHANGE FROM DAY TO DAY. THE LEADER IS NOT "BLOWN IN THE WIND" BY EACH NEW SITUATION, PROBLEM, OR EMERGENCY THAT ARISES. INSTEAD, THE LEADER IS CALM, POSITIVE, AND CONFIDENT - ESPECIALLY UNDER PRESSURE..
A LEADER IS A STANDARD BEARER
THE LEADER SETS THE STANDARD FOR THE ORGANIZATION. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR ANYONE IN THE ORGANIZATION TO HAVE A CLEARER VISION OR TO ASPIRE TO A HIGHER STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE THAN THE LEADER. FOR THIS REASON, THE LEADER IS THE ROLE MODEL, THE ONE WHO SET THE TONE AND THE MORALE FOR EVERYONE IN THE ORGANIZATION. THE PERSONALITY AND INFLUENCE OF THE LEADER AFFECT EVERYONE BELOW HIM IN THE COMPANY, ORGANIZATION, OR DEPARTEMENT.
YOU CANNOT RAISE MORALE IN A BUSINESS, IT FILTERS DOWN FROM THE TOP, FROM THE LEADER. THE BEHAVIOR OF THE LEADER INFLUENCES AND AFFECTS THE BEHAVIOR OF EVERYONE ELSE. IF THE LEADER IS POSITIVE, CONFIDENT, AND UPBEAT, EVERYONE IN THE ORGANIZATION WILL BE INFLUENCED BY THIS BEHAVIOR AND WILL BE MORE POSITIVE, CONFIDENT, AND UPBEAT AS WELL.
WALK THE TALK
WHEN YOU BECOME A LEADER, YOU MUST DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO BE "LEADERLIKE". YOU MUST WALK, TALK, AND ACT THE PART OF A LEADER. YOU BECOME A DIFFERENT PERSON WITH DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES.
WHEN YOU ARE WORKING YOUR WAY UP, YOU ARE PART OF THE STAFF OR THE SALES TEAM. WHEN YOU BECOME A MANAGER, YOU ARE PART OF MANAGEMENT. THIS MEANS THAT WHEN YOU ARE PART OF THE STAFF, YOUR ORIENTATION IS UPWARD AND SIDEWAYS, BUT WHEN YOU BECOME A LEADER, YOUR ORIENTATION IS DOWNWARD, TOWARD ALL THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE.
PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT BEHAVIOR OF A LEADER IS FOR YOU TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO BE A ROLE MODEL. IMAGINE THAT EVERYONE IS WATCHING YOU AND PATTERNING EVERYTHING THEY DO AND SAY BASED ON YOUR BEHAVIOR.
WHEN YOU BECOME A LEADER YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE LUXURY TO "LET IT ALL HANG OUT". FROM THE TIME YOU ARE PROMOTED INTO LEADERSHIP, YOU HAVE A SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DISCIPLINE AND CONTROL YOUR WORDS AND BEHAVIORS IN SUCH A WAY SO THAT YOU BRING ABOUT THE POSSIBLE RESULTS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION AND FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
SET THE STANDARDS
THE LEADER SETS THE STANDARDS FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S BEHAVIOR QUALITY OF WORK, PERSONAL ORGANIZATION, TIME MANAGEMENT, AND APPEARANCE. IN EXCELLENT ORGANIZATIONS, THE LEADER IS THE PERSON WHO EVERYONE LOOKS UP TO AND WANTS TO EMULATE.
IN MOST CASES, THE LEADER WORKS HARDER THAN OTHERS IN THE COMPANY. THE LEADER APPEARS TO BE MORE COMMITTED, DETERMINED, COURAGES, VISIONARY, AND PERSISTANT THAN ANYONE ELSE. THE LEADER SET S TONE THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO EMULATE.
THE LEADER ALSO SETS THE STANDARD FOR HOW PEOPLE ARE TREATED IN THE ORGANIZATION. WHEN THE LEADER TREATS PEOPLE WITH COURTESY, CONSIDERATION, AND CONCERN, IT QUICKLY BECOMES KNOWN THAT THESE ARE THE STANDARDS TO WHICH OTHERS MUST ADHERE.
SET VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
IN ADDITION TO A CLEAR VISION FOR THE ORGANIZATION, THE LEADER MUST HAVE A SET OF VALUES AND ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE BEHAVIOR AND DECISION MAKING. EVERYONE MUST KNOW WHAT THE LEADER AND THE COMPANY STAND FOR AND BELIEVE IN. THE JOB OF THE LEADER, THEN , IS TO ARTICULATE THIS VISION OF EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE WITHIN THE CONSTANTS OF HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS AT ALL TIMES. HE OR SHE MUST WALK THE TALK AND LIVE THE VALUES AND BEHAVIOR HE OR SHE TEACHES.
THE VERY BEST STANDARD FOR A LEADER IS THE GOLDEN RULE. "DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU".
FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN JACK WELCH WAS THE PRESIDENT OF GENERAL ELECTRIC, HE ENCOURAGED MANAGERS TO TREAT EACH EMPOYEE AS IF THAT EMPLOYEE MIGHT BE PROMOTED OVER HIS HEAD SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE AND HE MIGHT FIND HIMSELF WORKING UNDER THE PERSON WHO IS NOW WORKING BELOW HIM. THIS WAY OF THINKING ENSURED THAT MANAGERS TREATED THEIR STAFF WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF RESPECT AND COURTESY.
