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Effective Leadership - No problem.

Today, more than ever before in our history, we need effective leadership. From the Whit House to state house to the club house, we need people who will stand up and accept the mantle of leadership - and perform.

The type of leadership I'm referring to is not that for the sake of being in charge,' but the kind of leadership that looks to the future and inspires people to achieve more than they believe themselves capable of achieving. Many people hold the view that the enlightened kind of leadership of which speak; the leadership that works wonders with organizations and takes them soaring to heights of excellence is restricted to a rare few born leaders. After nearly 47 years of studying and practicing leadership, I have come to the conclusion that this is not the case. The ability to effectively lead is well within the reach of the average person. While it is true that some are born to lead, most are born with the capacity to learn to lead.

What does it take to become an effective leader?

As my grandmother always said, it's best to start at the beginning. The beginning of effective leadership is self awareness. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Leverage those strengths and work to either eliminate or mitigate the weaknesses.

Know others. Get to know people in and out of the organization and what they can contribute to achieving the organization's goals.

Learn to communicate. Getting people to sign on to an organization's goals requires the ability to effectively communicate those goals and to paint a picture of the destination you wish them to reach. Communication is written, verbal, and non-verbal. Know how to use each to get your message across. Listening is also a critical part of communication. Be an active listener if you want to know if you are getting your message across. Listening is also essential to knowing others and as a tool of learning. No matter how skilled you are in other areas, if you can't communicate your objectives to others, you cannot lead.

Honesty and integrity. These are the foundation of true leadership. People want to trust their leaders. If you gain the trust of those you lead, they will help you overcome other weaknesses. If you are dishonest, you might be successful in the short term, but you can't fool all the people all the time;' you will be found out, and the result will ultimately be failure.

Be prudently decisive and self-confident. Learn to make decisions even when you don't have all the facts. You can never know everything, and the 75 percent solution applied in a timely manner is better than the perfect answer that comes too late. Once you make a decision, move on. Don't get bogged down with should haves and self-doubt. Be prepared to change course if needed, but keep moving forward.

Embrace change and dare to take risks. No great achievement have come without risk. Don't fear change; embrace and foster it.

Never stop learning. You can never know too much. Learning should be a life-long pursuit.

This is not an exhaustive or all-inclusive list, but if you master these principles, you will be on the road to effective leadership. One final, but all-important principle; being efficient means getting it done right, but truly effective leadership means getting the right thing done.

Learn more about this author, Charles Ray.
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