Improving Your Leadership Effectiveness

John Maxwell told a story in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. In a poll published by the London Daily Mail in the year 1996, Princess Diana and Mother Theresa were voted in first and second places as the world’s most caring people. That’s something that does not happen unless you have a lot of influence. How did someone like Diana come to be regarded in the same way as Mother Theresa?

In 1981, 15 years before that poll was carried out, Diana

became the most talked-about person on the globe when she married Prince Charles of England. Before then, Diana was a commoner who had once been a kindergarten teacher. In no time, she started representing the royal family at various functions around the world. Before long, she had made it her goal to serve others and raise funds for numerous charitable causes. At first, she was simply a spokesperson and catalyst for fund raising but as time went by, her influence increased – so did her ability to make things happen. In the beginning, Diana’s title had merely given her a platform to address others, but she soon became a person of influence in her own right.

In 1996, Diana divorced from Prince Charles, she lost her title but that loss did not at all diminish her impact on others. Instead, her influence continued to increase while that of her former husband and in-laws declined – despite their royal titles and position. Can you guess why? It was because Diana had kept improving her leadership effectiveness.

Leadership ability is always the lid on personal and organizational effectiveness. If the leadership is strong, the lid is high. But if it’s not, then the organization is limited. That’s why in times of trouble, organizations usually look for new leadership. When a country is experiencing hard times, it elects a new president. When a company is losing money, it hires a new CEO. When a church is floundering, it searches for a new Pastor. When a sports team keeps losing, it looks for a new head coach.

No organization and business can rise above the quality of its leadership. Today, leadership is a position that must be earned day in and day out; there are important personal choices that both new and experienced leaders must make on a regular basis.

You must realize that Effective leaders are first and foremost Effective People.

Let me suggest to you 10 ways of Improving Your Leadership Effectiveness as suggested by another leader:

• A High Standard of Personal Ethics: Can you remember honest Abraham Lincoln; he walked miles to return a customer’s change. He was a classic example of how personal ethics are reflected in professional conduct. Decisions made under pressure separate great leaders from impostors.
• High Energy: Great leaders are not exhausted from dealing with petty issues. You must care to know right and wrong as well as the difference between what is truly important and what is merely interesting.
• Priorities: You must learn to set priorities and work on them. Many brilliant priority lists end up in the dustbin of life. The difference between setting priorities and working on them is the difference between a dreamer and a doer.
• Courage: The willingness to take risks and accept responsibilities for the outcome is a consistent quality among effective leaders. Either you or your fears will control everything you do. No organization can be bolder that its leader.
• Dedication: Committed and dedicated hardworking leaders will eventually develop dedicated and hardworking organizations, regardless of whom they start with or the experience they bring to the job.
• Creativity: Effective leaders are innovators who get bored easily and prefer shaping tomorrow rather than repeating yesterday.
• Focus: Great leaders have the goal orientation to make tough decisions. Goal orientation produces drive and energy that shield them from the pain of the task. Keeping an organization focused increases efficiency.
• Genuine Enthusiasm: People look to their leaders for enthusiasm. The inspirational level of the organization is directly proportionate to the enthusiasm of the leader: be it high or low.
• Cool Under Pressure: Level headed people make realistic leaders who respond to problems rather than simply react. A leader who can stay cool under pressure inspires confidence among those in the organization and empowers them to do the same.
• Caring: The desire to help others to succeed is the mark of a true leader. Synergy is created when a leader truly invests his efforts in the success of others. Zig Ziglar, a Speaker and leader once wrote; “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”
  
  Whether you are trying to increase your own effectiveness as a leader or are trying to develop leadership talent within your organization, keep studying the characteristics of those you consider to be great leaders and you will get there someday.