Are We Solving The Wrong Problems?
Reactions to the global situation range from passive resignation to naïve optimism. The one extreme is people who interpret the modern problems as signaling the collapse of civilization.
Leadership
Definition of Leadership
Leadership means many things to different people. Whether world leaders, political or community leaders or business leaders, there are many definitions.
Nevertheless, there are some common factors which define what being a leader means. Factors such as:
- Leading a group of people or an organisation
- A Leader needs followers
- Leaders take people on a journey
Qualities of Leadership
Read our article The ABC of Leadership containing contributions from readers which set out what qualities and attributes we expect from leaders. There are around 300 different named qualities. Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the qualities needed by leaders are in the eye of the perceiver.
Leadership Skills
Like qualities, the skills required by leaders depend on the situation they find themselves in. Leading a small specialist team requires very different skills than leading a country. This is one of the reasons there are literally thousands of published books on how to lead.
Leadership Styles
Most styles depend on the personality of the leader, as well as the culture of the group or organisation. Some of the most common leadership styles
- Democratic/Participative
- Servant
- Task-Oriented
- Transactional
- Transformational
- Autocratic
- Bureaucratic
- Charismatic
- Laissez-Faire
Leadership vs Management
Leaders and managers are often discussed interchangeably. There are leaders who manage, and managers who lead. So where do the boundaries lie? Managers are often constrained in the way they lead their team. The parameters they work within sometimes don’t give them sufficient scope to bring their leader skills to the fore. Conversely, leaders sometimes don’t have management skills or don’t have time to manage. There will always be some overlap. However, both leaders and managers need to understand how to manage and lead themselves.
We have articles from experts across the globe. So we hope you enjoy. To make sure you never miss an article, subscribe now.
Are Leaders Born Or Made?
Are leaders born or made? Anyone familiar with the original version of The Office, which first aired in the UK in the early 2000s,…
Four Incredible Benefits Of Leadership Coaching
The benefits of leadership coaching If you’ve been considering leadership coaching recently, you’re not alone. Every day, high-performance leaders wonder whether executive coaching is…
How To Take Action When Leading In A Crisis
Take action when leading in a crisis In an earlier article, we discussed the value of risk management. We explored how it’s possible to…
Leading a Team on the Battlefield
Andy Fenton compares modern leadership to leadership in battle. Both require leaders to be selfless, agile, decisive, quick thinking and above-all, courageous.
How To Be Prepared And Lead In A Crisis
Leadership in a crisis Crisis can strike a business at any time and in any form. Unfortunately, there are few easy fixes. There’s no…
Adopting The Most Effective Leadership Style In Any Situation
Adopting the most effective leadership style is key to success The most effective leadership style a leader adopts whether consciously or unconsciously will in…
Five Tips To Effectively Lead Your Team
Colleen Lindberg gives us some tips on how to effectively lead your team and continue to grow the company in a more harmonious way.
Three Strategies To Re-Engage Your Unwilling Team
Sean Glaze explains why sometimes we may feel like we are leading the unwilling, and gives us a solition to the problem.
5 Steps To Leading Teams To Peak Performance
Oliver Christen’s 5 steps to leading a team to peak performance.
6 Traits That Contribute To Powerful Leadership
John Murphy discusses 6 traits leaders should focus on first to get great results from their team
The Chemistry of Creating Effective Leadership
Frederika Roberts explains how great leaders can use their knowledge of hormones to have happier, more productive employees…and the impact this has on the business.
Being An Accountable Leader To Lead With Greatness
Steve Riddle lets you know how to be accountable for your own team.
Essential Qualities Of Good And Bad Leadership
Identifying the essential qualities of leaders When thinking about leadership we often consider aspects that make someone an effective leader. It is the skills…
How to Get Enthusiastic Team Members
Cathy Muldoon’s 7 Points on Gettiing Enthusiastic Team Members
Are Your Employees Leaving Because of Unethical Leadership?
Alan Wingrove asks the question “Why should your staff follow you?”. He explains how to keep your staff on your side using a quote from Richard Branson “train your staff well enough that they could leave and then treat them well enough that they want to stay”.
Defining Leadership And Creating Your Unique Purpose
Defining Leadership Defining what leadership constitutes is one of the most frustratingly difficult subjects to articulate. This is because leadership is a role which…
9 Keys To Being An Inspirational Leader
Runa describes 9 Keys to Inspirational leadership, and advises “As you start consciously cultivating your own inspirational skills, think of the leaders who are an inspiration and why they inspire you”.
7 Essential Traits of Inspirational Leadership
What is the difference between a manager and a leader? What makes inspirational leaders? If you don’t inspire your teams to achieve greatness, you’re not a leader. You’re a manager, at best, contends Frederika Roberts in this inspirational article
The Magnificent 7 Practices Successful Leaders Use To Inspire
Bonnie’s inspirational article sets out 7 leadership practices which inspire followers, and creates meaning. Resource rich article, with some interesting references and links.
How Leaders Cultivate A Committed Following
This great article by Mark Eyre looks at how to lead in a way that inspires others to want to follow, with six key tips to lead people effectively.
Before You Can Lead Others, You Must First Lead Yourself
Leanne Hoagland-Smith explains the often ignored problem with teams. It is that those leading the teams have not learned how to lead themselves first before leading others.
Want To Be An Inspirational Leader? Get A Little Bit Crazy
Jone considers an important factor in describing Inspirational leaders, and takes a “tongue in cheek” look at what could be a common denominator for some of the most famous leaders
How To Become The Perfect Leader
We strive for perfection. The perfect job. The perfect appearance. The perfect home. The perfect partner. The perfect family. The perfect leader. If it’s…
Failed Leadership Is the Elephant in the Room
Failed Leadership Small businesses to the Fortune 100 organizations share this elephant in the room, failed leadership, as they look forward to business growth. …
How Leaders Can Encourage Happiness At Work
Happiness at work has many great benefits Creating happiness at work seems like the holy grail of leadership objectives. Wouldn’t it be great if…
5 Components of a Successful Leadership Formula
Influential leaders use the leadership formula The leadership formula actually involves a number of fairly simple concepts. Yet, despite the simplicity of such concepts…
The Impact Of Fear On Productivity
The best things in life are free. Breathing fresh air. A walk on the beach. Being hugged by a loved one. Hearing the words…
Letting Go of Unhealthy Attachment
Attachment can become unhealthy We all can become attached at some stage in our lives. We become attached to our parents or other caregivers…
A Leadership Development Model For A New Paradigm
Leadership Development Model I fell into the leadership and management field really. When I left school at 16, with no expectations other than eventually…