Effective Leadership Skills and How to Acquire Them

Introduction

As Schyns and Schilling (2013) show, organizations thrive on effective leadership and suffer in numerous ways from bad leadership. Leaders are responsible for projecting the vision and values of an organization and for making decisions based on good judgment that will ultimately benefit all stakeholders in the long run. While there are many styles of leadership—from transformational leadership to democratic leadership to servant leadership—there are certain characteristics that are common among all effective leaders.

This paper will examine leadership characteristics and show how they can be developed in tomorrow's leaders.

What Is Leadership? A Leadership Definition

Leadership is defined as the ability to "empower followers" (Conger 17) through guidance, example, and encouragement. Leaders vary in terms of style: some are bold and transform their followers by instilling in them a vision of what they can achieve and how to achieve it. Other leaders are humble and inspire their followers by serving them, identifying their needs and ensuring that those needs are fulfilled. In either case, the objective is the same: leaders seek to motivate their followers to reach their maximum potential. A leader is one whose primary concern is with the positive and progressive direction of the organization of which he is a part; his concern is not with his own standing or achievements but rather with the success of those around him. If a leader is not focused on helping his followers succeed, then he is more likely to be a destructive leader than a constructive and effective one.

Leadership is not a new idea. Civilizations throughout history have recognized leaders and celebrated good leadership in a variety of forms. Generals like Julius Caesar, statesmen like Solon and Pericles, artists like Wagner and Shakespeare, religious figures like Augustine, philosophers like Socrates, and social justice advocates like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.—all have been lauded as possessing the qualities and characteristics of leadership. What is it that sets them apart? The "Great Man" thesis posited that leaders are born—yet as ideas of leadership have evolved over the centuries, especially in the modern era, new theories have formed that raise new questions about leadership and shed light on new aspects of leadership development. For example, many researchers are now focusing on how leadership skills can be promoted among adolescents (Morton & Montgomery, 2013; Larson & Tran, 2014; Marshall, Parker, Ciarrochi & Heaven, 2014). Their studies indicate that youth leadership programs can be helpful in providing adolescents the tools and experiences they will need in order to develop leadership traits. These same studies have shown that family stability and self-esteem also play a large role in helping young people grow leadership qualities such as emotional intelligence, good judgment, boldness, and creativity. At the same time, not everyone possesses the same congenital gifts and talents, and some individuals are more predisposed to embracing leadership positions than others. Thus, even though research shows that leadership styles, skills, and characteristics can be learned, evidence still exists that some leaders are born with a natural talent for leadership.

Boldness, Good Judgment, and Effective Leaders

Leaders can perform a number of services for organizations, groups, firms, and followers. Some of what they are expected to do—regardless of the environment or context of their role—consists of the following criteria, as noted by Zenger and Folkman (2015). Leaders should:

Challenge, Create, Achieve, Inspire, Energize, Assess, and Decide.

These seven characteristics help to define the concept of the leader. At the heart of this concept are the elements of boldness and good judgment. Together, these elements support a leader's character and ability to execute the other aspects of leadership. Boldness helps a leader to challenge the status quo, to turn standard operating procedure on its head, and to look for new and innovative processes that can more effectively achieve organizational aims. Boldness helps a leader to be creative, to think outside the box, to collaborate with others, and to imagine possible solutions to problems. Boldness helps a leader to achieve success, to keep driving toward the goal despite setbacks and obstacles. Boldness inspires perseverance, dedication, commitment, and creativity in others. It energizes a group of followers, who can draw emotional, intellectual, and social support from a positive leader who is willing to give feedback, advice, guidance, and assistance whenever necessary—but who is also willing to listen, include, consider, and reflect.

These latter qualities are part of the good judgment side of an effective leader. Good judgment stems from one who is reflective, who is thoughtful about what goes on around him, who considers the viewpoints of others including all stakeholders, and who listens so as to better understand the facts. Good judgment helps a leader to make an accurate assessment of a situation, to gather all relevant information and data, and to read the lay of the land. Good judgment then enables a leader to decide on the right course of action—to try a procedure that makes the most sense given the information presented. Together, boldness and good judgment form the heart of good and effective leadership.

Effective leaders are ones who can harness the skills and abilities they possess in order to marshal their followers toward the achievement of the organizational goal. That goal should be clearly defined for followers, with a vision of the process by which the goal may be achieved so that followers have a concrete picture of what is expected of them. For a leader to be followed, he must be clear, concise, and comprehensive.

A leader must also be one who is trusted by his followers. This means a leader should possess qualities that support trust in a relationship—such as honesty, integrity, and transparency. A leader should have the ability to communicate well with others: his body language should express confidence but also empathy and genuine interest in what his followers are doing. Emotional intelligence is a major component of effective leadership (Sanders, 2006; Cacamis & El Asmar, 2014). It is the tool whereby an individual is able to read another person's emotional output and respond with the appropriate words, gestures, expressions, or ideas that help to support, stabilize, and develop that person's emotional state. Empathy enables an individual to put himself into another person's shoes—to see the world through that person's eyes and obtain a feeling for what that person is experiencing at the moment. In nursing, empathy is important in providing optimal quality care. In management, empathy is important because workers need to know that they are appreciated, respected, supported, and understood—otherwise conditions for resentment, ill will, and neglect can develop. A leader who demonstrates emotional intelligence will work to create a positive organizational culture based on mutual respect, appreciation, and consideration.

Conclusion

In conclusion, leadership is an integral part of human life. Leaders are evident in families, in schools, in workplaces, in churches, in social groups, and in one's own personal journey. Indeed, everyone must be a leader of his own life as he matures into an adult and makes decisions for himself. What makes a person successful in this regard is his ability to challenge, create, achieve, inspire, energize, assess, and ultimately decide what is best for both himself and for his followers.

Leaders must be bold, but they must also have good judgment. They must be able to communicate effectively and they must be capable of empathy. They must demonstrate emotional intelligence and be sufficiently reflective to consider multiple points of view and see how both they and their followers can benefit from objective criticism. Leaders must be focused on growth according to principles that inspire and motivate others to achieve clearly defined aims and objectives. For these reasons, leaders are essential to organizations and can help transform an organizational culture that is depressed and dysfunctional into one that is positive, rewarding, inclusive, and successful.

Leadership skills can be developed from an early age and are shaped both by natural talents and abilities and by personal experiences. Schools and youth programs can help train children and adolescents in acquiring leadership skills. Families and peers offer a social structure in which young people can practice and demonstrate leadership qualities, growing into responsible adults capable of gathering information and making sound judgments.

Works Cited

Larson, R., & Tran, S. "Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity." Journal of Youth and Adolescence, vol. 43 (2014): 1012–1017.

Sanders, Tim. The Likeability Factor. NY: Three Rivers Press, 2006. Print.

Schyns, B., & Schilling, J. "How Bad are the Effects of Bad Leaders? A Meta-Analysis of Destructive Leadership and Its Outcomes." The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 24 (2013): 138–158.

References

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Morton, M., & Montgomery, P. (2013). Youth empowerment programs for improving adolescents' self-efficacy and self-esteem: A systematic review. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(1), 22–33.

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