How do you equate value in leadership? How do leaders provide value? I think we can agree that there is more than one way to lead effectively. Jack Welch's leadership style is different than Jeffrey Immelt's. Warren Buffet's management style is certainly different than Carl Icahn's. Steve Job's management style I am quite certain varies greatly to Bill Gates' management style. All these leaders have been hugely successful. All have their own personalities and styles to match. Leadership takes on many different characteristics and components and the value at the end of the day in most companies is measured by profits. Here are some of the important characteristics I value in a leader. I certainly recognize the list can be as long as you want to make it, but these are some of the important characteristics that I value.
Great leaders recognize talent and cultivate future leaders. A succesful leader must provide vision and direction. They must effectively communicate this vision and give their staff the tools to do their jobs effectively. Great leaders have the ability to visualize the goal and impart that vision so that others can see it, believe it, and achieve it. Here are some famous quotes related to leadership that I have enjoyed:
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
- Jack Welch
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
- George S. Patton
Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.
- Sam Walton
People want something to believe in. They want to work for someone that shares common goals and beliefs. They want to work for someone that they believe will treat them fairly and others fairly.
This certainly does not equate to a homogeneous work place, on the contrary, a very diverse work place with people sharing the same moral and ethical ideals is incredibly effective and desirable. Break through changes are often made by people thinking outside the box and looking at a problem differently. What better environment to develop break throughs than a place where employees are encouraged to express their opinions, to voice their concerns, and to know that they will be heard. Strong leaders are able to attract diverse talent and mold a strong team that work well together. The team is able to learn from each other and the complement of the peices make the sum of the parts much stronger.
A good leader is someone you believe in and want to follow. The value that is derived from the confidence that the leader is moving in the right direction, that the employees will be supported, that the employees believe in what they are doing is hard to put a price tage on. However, the results are usually quite tangible.
When people make purchasing choices, they do so because whatever they are buying meets a need. Whether it is emotional or financial, there obviously are many reasons why people buy something. I like to explore the buying experience and how people impact the experience. I will discuss why people make the choices they make. I hope you enjoy my posts and join the discussion.
