Leaders who possess personal power as well as positional power (power that comes from their job) are able to achieve far greater results than someone we follow just because he is the department head or the vice president.
Effective leaders don’t get caught up in a sense of their own importance, and although they may be great delegators, they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. If they espouse hard work and cost cutting, then they work long hours and fly coach. The CEO of a management-consulting firm once told me, “If everyone is working on a project and someone needs to make copies, then I make copies.
Leaders lead by their competence as well as by their character or their charisma. When others see their leader as willing to work side by side with them when the need arises, that action inspires commitment. An employee of a construction materials company once described the the company president with these words: “He will do anything to support us in doing our jobs. More than once, when we were working on a bid on a huge project, I’ve seen him empty the overflowing wastebaskets in our offices. I’ll do whatever he asks me to do, because he is always there to help us.
Whether you lead a multi-national corporation or a team of five, leadership effectiveness is decided, not by the leader but by the response of the followers. Incorporating these five principles into your leadership behavior will go a long way toward achieving your individual and organizational success.
