The essence of effective leadership

This, in my view, requires leading courageously and being able to know what tools to use to get desired results.

Some of these tools require that we maintain our characters which has been said is the foundation of leadership.

It also requires that you maintain the right connections because these are the glue that will ensure the work we do remains intact. 

In addition, ensuring that we are consistently working on how to master the craft of leadership is what will ensure we are always on top of the game.

I believe a leader’s character usually comprises their values and is often the moral compass that they use to make decisions and guide them on the leadership trail.

It was Mahatma Gandhi who observed that, “A man of character will make himself worthy of any position he is given.”

As we lead and contribute to building up other leaders, it is imperative that we share both the breakthroughs we have had on the journey of leadership and the brokenness that has led to those breakthroughs.

This I know will encourage others to know that when you are a leader with character, there are often both highs and lows on the journey and that you embrace both dimensions and use them to grow and become a better leader.

Sometimes this requires that we work more on growing our integrity more than the image we want others to see.

Let us also keep in mind that the first person we lead is ourselves. It is thus imperative that before we require others to be a certain way, we ourselves must ensure that we have walked that journey.

Sometimes, this will require that we first identify our boundaries and work on ensuring that we will not cross those boundaries and can courageously defend them or stand up to any competing forces. 

Another trait of courageous leadership is maintaining connections. We know for sure that the heart of leadership is service. True leaders aim at serving and adding value to others, thus leaving them better than they found them. This often calls for asking the value adding question, which is “what can I do for others to enable them succeed?”

In addition, as we lead, we need to keep in mind that when we start by leading others from the heart, we can do so with empathy and keep their views in perspective. 

When leaders focus on building connections, they are more proactive and work on ensuring they provide their teams with what will help them succeed. This in turn creates an environment that fosters collaboration and high performance.

Leading courageously also calls for building one’s competence and having a growth mindset. Here, we refer to not just the leadership skills required to get results, but also the continuous investment in personal growth to ensure that we become better people who are growing daily.  

Competent leaders can gain and maintain the credibility of others and meet the challenges they face as they lead mostly because of what they bring to the table. 

So, whether it is ensuring our characters align with our actions, or building trust among those we lead, or working on acquiring skills like emotional resilience which enable us to remain composed, these three traits are bound to help us lead better, build trust, and make courageous decisions.

Ms Rosette Wamambe is a transformational leadership coach with the Maxwell Certified Leadership Team    [email protected]