Leadership

I'm not an expert in this field, but I am actively attempting to improve myself in this are. Here are my main thoughts on leadership from my perspective.

Leadership Perspectives

I believe a leader should be able to do three things well:

1. Have a vision.
2. Hire good people.
3. Get results.

Implied here are excellent communication skills. You can sell your vision to others if can't communicate it. You can't get things done if you can't foster open avenues of communication.

A leader has to have presence. You should be able to walk into a room and have people take notice. Some might call this charisma, but it's more than that. For me, it means I am focused, aware of the room and all that entails, and appear ready to dive into it, whatever "it" is at the moment.

A leader has to have dual mindsets. One is for the tasks at hand; the other is for taking the long-term view. I've heard this called the view from the balcony.

A leader has to have a balance between the reptile and mammal mindset. Reptiles are good with facts and figures, having those tough conversations, making deals, and keeping focused on the tasks at hand. Mammals are good with people - your compassion and caring comes from here. Mammals are good mentors. You can read more about all this in "The Nature of Leadership," by B. Joseph White.

A leader must reflect on his/her leadership frequently. It's the only way to improve!