What does it take to be an effective leader? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do the skills that make you an effective manager\u2014planning, organization, and communication\u2014make you an effective leader?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, does it take something else\u2014something more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Management is mostly about processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leadership is mostly about behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective management relies on intellectual, analytical, and technical capacities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective leadership relies on appropriate attitudes, behaviors, and the ability to connect with people on a human level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective managers recognize that they must support corporate initiatives through the accomplishment of department goals. They must channel their people\u2019s efforts in the appropriate directions in order to accomplish those goals, and in turn, be looked upon favorably by those at the top of the organization. This leads to the notion that the people in the department are there to serve the manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective leaders, however, reverse that notion. They recognize that leadership involves serving the people in the department\u2014not the other way around. They inspire, motivate, and assist their people in the accomplishment of goals rather than direct, demand, or otherwise pressure them to take action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective managers acquire specialized knowledge and skills relevant to managing people and helping them accomplish predictable results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective leaders have an instinctual understanding about human nature and why people act the way they do. They can observe their people\u2019s behavior and then analyze and respond to it in an objective, supportive, and constructive manner\u2026even when the behavior is outside the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leadership isn\u2019t the result of any particular management process, but rather the manner by which the process is implemented\u2014the attitudinal qualities the manager brings to everyday interactions. Qualities such as: honesty, integrity, positivity, humility, passion, compassion, sincerity, commitment, confidence, and sensitivity. Followers are drawn to people with these qualities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leadership isn\u2019t an extension of the manager\u2019s formal authority defined by his or her position in the corporate hierarchy. Attempting to lead by authority doesn\u2019t encourage people\u2019s involvement in or ownership of goals and projects. And, it diminishes their sense of control over their work. It gives them a lot to resist\u2026which can lead to reduced performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n