A Framework for Leadership

Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders make the organization better and achieve higher goals.

Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Although your position as a manager, supervisor, lead, etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization, this power does not make you a leader...it simply makes you the boss.

Good leaders are made not born. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills and recognize that it is a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience.

Good leaders:

Establish a sense of urgency and purpose by continually challenging processes

• set higher standards both formally in the planning process and informally in day-to-day interaction
• increase the amount of performance feedback
• force more relevant data and honest discussions into management        meetings
• set internal measurements that focus on desired performance improvements
• speed everything up

Develop and inspire a shared vision, and communicate the vision continually

• convey a picture of what the future will look like
• create a roadmap for directing the change effort
• empower people to create individual initiative
• use every vehicle possible to constantly communicate the new vision and strategies
• harness the power of people
• model the behavior expected of employees

Enable other to act by empowering broad based action

• remove obstacles
• change systems or structures that undermine change
• push down decision making
• encourage and provide training and skills enhancement

Sustain improvements and new approaches

• recognize and reward
• build momentum, build supporter base
• leverage successes and wins to further changes, bigger change projects
• reinvigorate the process with new projects and change events
• sustain new approaches and let sink into culture based on credibility as superior practices
• encourage people to recognize and admit the validity of new practices

The most important question in regards to leadership – What must I change, if I want them to be different?