Certified Professional LeaderA leader leads by example not by Force, Sun Tzu
Welcome to the Leadership and Influence workshop! They say that leaders are born, not made. While it is true that some people are born leaders, some leaders are born in the midst of adversity.
Often, simple people who have never had a leadership role will stand up and take the lead when a situation they care about requires it. A simple example is parenting. When a child arrives, many parents discover leadership abilities they never knew existed in order to guide and protect their offspring. There are countless war stories of simple GI’s and sailors who rose to a challenge on their own in the heat of battle.
Characteristics of a Leader
The mark of a true leader is not a position or title held, but how many people are willing to follow him or her. Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters group outline the following leadership characteristics:
- Honest
- Competent
- Forward-looking
- Inspiring
- Intelligent
- Fair-minded
- Broad-minded
- Courageous
- Straightforward
- Imaginative
Kouzes and Posner
In their book, The Leadership Challenge, the authors identified five abilities that were crucial to successful leadership:
- Model the Way
You must lead by example. You can’t come into work 10 minutes late every day if you want your employees to arrive on time. - Inspire a Shared Vision
If you capture the imagination, you will inspire creative thought and increase loyalty. - Challenge the Process
Don’t continue doing something just because “We’ve always done it that way.” Situations change, and sometimes a policy or procedure never worked well in the first place. Think outside the box. - Enable Others to Act
Truly empower people to act on their own within their level of authority. - Encourage the Heart
A positive attitude is infectious.
Situational Leadership
The Situational Leadership model addresses four types of leadership styles:
- Telling
- Selling
- Participating
- Delegating
how can we help you?
Contact us at the Consulting WP office nearest to you or submit a business inquiry online.
Becoming a member of The International Association for People and Performance Development will help you stand out from the crowd no matter where you are in your career. With many years of experience, we can help you get the most out of people and performance development. Whether it’s through sharing knowledge, bringing you together with the right people or providing practical advice, we can help you take the next step.
