There are more than enough articles, books, seminars and experts examining the topic of effective leadership. Nevertheless, I enjoy studying and talking about the topic and, in particular, I enjoy reading articles featuring people in leadership positions sharing leadership philosophies. The Sunday Business section of The New York Times runs a feature titled "Corner Office" that I find particularly well done. As I always seek to distill issues and topics to their bare essences, I have come to realize that most of what is said and written about leadership share the same themes. In other words, most people are saying the same things albeit in different ways. This has lead me to conclude that good leadership has a simple elegance that can be distilled down to three foundational elements:
(1) Good leadership instills confidence that the future will be positive and good.
People need to believe that tomorrow will be as good if not better than today. They can accept some bruises and bumps along the way but they need to be confident that such bruises and bumps are investments towards a brighter future. If a leader cannot effectively and credibly communicate a vision for a positive and good future then the organization will founder. If a leader fails in his/her actions, behaviors and comportment to embody such confidence then his/her efforts will be weakened.
(2) Good leadership communicates sense of purpose.
People need to understand their roles and responsibilities. More importantly, they need to understand why their efforts matter to the broader vision, purpose and creation of a positive future. I once heard a story that probably isn't completely true but nevertheless highlights this point. Apparently during the Apollo program a janitor was asked about his job and his proud reply was that he was helping to put a man on the moon. Assuming this actually took place, it exemplifies how leadership was able to galvanize an entire organization to work towards a common goal with each and every participant, no matter how menial their task, feeling part of the broader mission.
(3) Good leadership enables people to fulfill their purpose.
People need to have the support necessary for them to execute upon their roles and responsibilities. This doesn't mean that they won't need to bootstrap, be resourceful or innovate in order to get the job done. It doesn't mean that they will be coddled or not pushed to reach beyond what they think their limitations are. It does mean, however, that they are placed in a position to succeed and not fail. Good leaders take care of their people. In return, people take care of their good leaders and great things happen.
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