WHAT MAKES FOR AN EFFECTIVE LEADER?
by
Sandra Larson
Sandra Larson, previous executive director of MAP for Nonprofits, was once asked
to write her thoughts on what makes an effective leader. Her thoughts are shared
here to gel other leaders to articulate their own thoughts on what makes them a
good leader. (See Related Library Topics at the end of this article.)
Passion
An effective leader is a person with a passion for a cause that is larger than
they are. Someone with a dream and a vision that will better society, or at
least, some portion of it. I think a very key question has to be answered: Can
someone who is a charismatic leader, but only to do evil or to promote herself,
be a leader -- especially if she has a large following?” I would say no, she is
a manipulator.
Also, without passion, a leader will not make the necessary courageous and
difficult decisions and carry them into action. This is not to imply that all
decisions are of this nature. But you can be sure, some of them will be. The
leader without a passion for a cause will duck.
Holder of Values
Leadership implies values. A leader must have values that are life-giving to
society. It is the only kind of leadership we need. This then also implies
values that are embedded in respect for others. So often we think of people
skills or caring about people as being “warm and fuzzy.” I think a leader can be
of varying ‘warmth and fuzziness,” but a leader has to respect others. You can’t
lead without it. Otherwise we are back to manipulation. Respect means also that
one can deal with diversity -- a critical need for a leader in today’s world --
probably always has been, although diversity may have been more subtle in the
homogenous societies of the past.
Vision
This is a bit different than passion, but in other ways it isn’t separable. If
one doesn’t care about a subject, an issue, a system, then one won’t spend the
time thinking about how it could or should be different. Yet, one could have
strong feelings about something and not good ideas, particularly if she didn’t
spend a good deal of time studying the topic. Thus a leader has to have some
ideas about change, about how the future could be different. Vision then is
based on two components that leaders also need: creativity and intellectual
drive.
Creativity
One has to try to think out of the box to have good visions and to come up with
effective strategies that will help advance the vision. I’d also add here the
need for a sense of humor. It’s a creative skill that is in great need by
leaders. We should read the funnies more!
Intellectual Drive and Knowledge
I believe a leader has to be a student. In general it is hard for a leader to be
around enough other leaders to pick this up just through discussion, so I think
a leader has to be a reader and a learner. Furthermore, I can’t see someone
leading in a field they know nothing about.
Confidence and Humility Combined
While one can have a great vision and good ideas for change, and even passion
for it, if one isn’t confident, then action will not occur. Without action,
there is no change. Yet, paradoxically, a leader needs to have humility. No
matter how creative and bright one is, often the best ideas and thinking are
going to come from someone else. A leader needs to be able to identify that,
have good people around who have these ideas. This takes humility, or at least
lack of egocentricity. The leader is focused on the ends and doesn’t have to see
herself always as the conduit or creator of the strategy to get to that end.
Communicator
None of the above assets will work for a leader if she can’t speak or write in a
way to convince others that they should follow along, join the team, get on
board. All the above gets to the old adage that a leader knows how to do the
right thing and a manager knows how to do things right. But a leader has to be a
manager, too. I don’t think these skills and abilities can be separated out very
easily. Both need to be in the mix.
Thus a leader has to be some of the following, too:
Planner/Organizer
Someone who can see what needs to be done and help the team plan and organize
the getting it done. Management is getting things done through people. While a
writer or other visionary person may be very influential, even seminal for the
cause of change, this is not quite my definition of a leader. A leader means to
me, someone who is taking action, trying to get others to do something they want
to see done.
Interpersonal Skills
Leaders must have the ability to act in an interpersonally competent manner, yet
they also need to learn the techniques of good listening, honest and open
communication, delegating, conflict resolution skills, etc., to actually get
work done and keep the whole movement/organization/project together.
Other Business Skills
While in some arenas you may be able to get by with only some of these skills or
none of them (if you can hire good enough people to do it for you), generally
speaking you must have at least some skills in financial management, human
resources, information management, sales, marketing, etc.
If I were to sum it all up, I’d say a good leader has to have a purpose that is
larger than she is and the balanced personality and skills to put that purpose
into action.
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