Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. They are big, small, young & old. But there are certain things that leaders must do to be effective in leading those in their organization. I am by no means an expert in leadership, but I’ve put together 3 Expressions of Leadership that leaders at any level should be doing…and yes, they are perfectly alliterated! Here they are:
1. EXECUTE: The execution of tasks is understood, but very necessary. This is often how leaders come into the positions they hold. They are good at executing the tasks they’re given, so they are given more responsibility. In gaining responsibility or leadership positions, though, tasks don’t disappear, they actually increase. It’s vital that a leader can first lead themselves and manage their own tasks before they start working to lead & manage others.
2. EMPOWER: A leader that never empowers is a leader that is guaranteed to hit a growth ceiling somewhere right before they hit their nervous breakdown. As leaders we must empower and entrust responsibility to others. Developing leaders is not just a nice idea, it is a matter of your organizations long-term survival. Empowering spreads the base of your leadership and the scope of your influence. If you’re wanting to grow the number of people your organization touches, grow the number of people your leadership touches.
3. ENVISION: Leaders are often good at developing these first two, but envisioning will many times becomes an afterthought. Leaders cannot simply lead out of simple dreams and wild aspirations. To be effective, we must lead with well thought out vision. This doesn’t just happen, it must be intentionally developed. Just as you take time to read and develop your ability to execute or empower, set aside specific time to envision the future of your organization. When was the last time you blocked out a chunk of time just to dream; to think; to imagine if. Although this might sound counter-productive, you can really do nothing more refining for your organization. This not only gives you direction to execute towards, it also gives you the purpose to empower with.
Nick Poole 