Defining Leadership

Leadership What is leadership? Essential leadership traits and skills Characteristics of leadership What leaders are successful?

Some Definitions of Leadership …process of influencing group activities …influencing, guiding in direction …building cohesive and goal oriented teams …persuading others to pursue a common goal

Traits/Skills of Successful Leaders Adaptable to change Alert to social environments Achievement oriented Assertive Cooperative Decisive Energetic Persistent Competent Inspiring Skills Intelligent Creative Conceptually skilled Analytic Good judgment Good communicator Diplomatic, tactful Persuasive Motivating Socially skilled Organized

Characteristics of Effective Leadership Vision Goal Setting Adaptable to Change Influence Establishing Trust/ Community Culture Team/Relationship Building Decision Making/ Problem Solving Effective Communication Knowledge of Self Knowledge of Others

Vision Effective leaders establish strong visions. They are able to effectively communicate that vision to others, both inside and outside of the organization

Goal Setting Great leaders are effective at translating a compelling vision into a set of explicit goals and corresponding priorities

Change Ability to execute change very important. Leaders must know what their priorities are, and what they want the change to accomplish, if they are to be able to effectively change the direction of their organizations

Influence Leaders with influence have the ability to communicate their beliefs and ideas so that others are influenced directly or indirectly Effective leaders develop a deep familiarity with the organization and are able to influence others to work in innovative ways.

Trust/Community Culture Effective leaders build trust, which comes from their own visible integrity, the fact that they say what they truly believe and behave in a consistent manner. Through consistent behavior, effective leaders create an environment of mutual trust, respect, and open lines of communication. They commit to being open, honest, and forthright in their interactions with all stakeholders

Team/Relationship Building Effective leaders build strong teams. They choose a leadership style that reflects a concern for people while focusing on task completion. They develop talented people They understand that people on the team must feel that their talents and work are well aligned to the priorities of the organization. Performance assessment and consequences

Decision Making/Problem Solving Identifying the problem Gathering and analyzing Information Brainstorming and prioritizing solutions Making decision Implementing Reviewing and evaluating decisions.

Decision Making Clarifying decision-making roles and processes very important

Effective Communication Using effective communication strategies, leaders empower the team, enabling them to feel comfortable in discussing problem issues and taking initiative to provide suggestions. Using effective communication strategies, effective leaders seek feedback from the team, an important aspect of effective decision making.

Effective Communication Great Leaders are effective at communicating priorities throughout their organizations. Active listening is integral to effective communication.

Knowledge of Self Effective leaders have a firm idea of what they believe, realizing that they live by their beliefs. Also, they develop an understanding of how their beliefs influence their behavior and the behavior of others.

Knowledge of Others Effective leaders develop an understanding of stakeholders. Through that understanding they build strong interpersonal relationships throughout the organization.

Effective Leaders – Conclusion Effective leaders stand on principles and base their actions on those principles. Effective leaders strive to create an environment that accepts and promotes individual differences. As a result, they empower the entire organization.