Archive for October, 2010
Effective Leaders Focus on Follower Engagement
The posts on this blog have been primarily about effective behaviors of good leadership. But leaders do not exist in a vacuum, and it’s important to remember that much of the work in a high-achieving organization is accomplished by the “followers.” The readings on this site focus on things leaders do to keep those followers engaged and motivated. Let’s take a moment to look at the big picture of follower engagement. I know that sounds like a buzzword, but you can call it whatever you like; keeping people happy, firing people up, making people feel loved, keeping them on your side, maintaining loyalty, whatever.
Yeah, Effective Leaders have “Vision”, but What IS “Vision”?!?
So many believe that leaders are “visionary”. It’s true – but a problem is this:
The concept of vision is “out there”, esoteric, hard to grasp. Aren’t visionary leaders somehow “special” in that regard? How can you “teach” vision?
(If you’ve been a part of a Group Dynamic leadership workshop, please forgive this content; this is an exercise that you’ve done. It may be redundant for you, but feel free to pass this on to someone you think needs it!)
Let’s make this concept easier, more concrete, more actionable, and more “learnable”.
First, a working definition of “Vision” as it applies to leaders:
Effective Leaders Pick up the Phone
What’s your biggest current dilemma? If you don’t have one, then…
What one thing on your to-do list do you keep procrastinating on because you are unsure how to proceed? If you still don’t have something, then…
What is one decision that you have yet to make this week?
Effective Leaders Pause and Listen
This morning, I read an article in T+D by Nance Guilmartin about the importance of cultivating humility in an organization’s leaders. She poses a great question:
“What don’t I know I don’t know?”
Putting the needs of others first, and acting in support of your organization are key elements of servant leadership. That’s basic. But there can be an arrogance there, too; you can assume that you know what is needed – because you’re the leader, and you ought to know. This is what Peter Block refers to as a paternalistic view of leadership — “taking care” of people who “don’t know better” as opposed to a true commitment to learning what is needed.
Example: Read the rest of this entry »
