(This is an encore presentation of one of my most popular posts over the last 3 years)

A critical element of being an effective leader is understanding or defining those TASKS that must be achieved to ensure that LEADERSHIP will occur. Then the next question to be asked is, “What personal characteristics are necessary to carry out each of those TASKS”?

The position taken here is that there are seven such tasks, each of which can be briefly represented by a word or phrase:

- VISION
- MANAGEMENT
- EMPOWERMENT
- POLITICS
- FEEDBACK
- ENTREPRENEURSHIP
- PERSONAL STYLE

VISION: The task of VISION is to clarify the overall goals of the organization. A group of people without direction is merely a mob—free spirited perhaps, even joyous, but without purpose, still merely a collection of bodies. No matter how talented or motivated the individual members of a group may be, they can not be collectively effective without a central focus. A leader must establish, describe and chart the future course for the group with enough specificity so that each member understands how his or her particular actions and attitudes can contribute to forward progress.

The personal characteristics necessary to establish an organization’s VISION include experience, imagination, persuasiveness, farsightedness, and political astuteness.

MANAGEMENT: The tasks of MANAGEMENT are, first to focus resources on the organizations goals and second to monitor and manage the use of these resources. Every organization has resources available, but they are never sufficient for everything that everyone wants to do. Thus, choices have to be made. Because resources devoted to one set of goals can not be used for another set and because resources do not manage themselves, allocation and monitoring systems must be established. Further, because not all subordinates are instinctively planful, thrifty, and responsible, boundaries on individual actions must be established. Budget, timetables, staffing plans, policies, procedures and outcome measures (the bottom line) need to be developed.

Thus, an organizational leader needs to be concerned with and competent in areas such as management, accountability, personnel policies, and thriftiness.

EMPOWERMENT: The tasks of EMPOWERMENT are to select, develop, and share power with subordinates / associates committed to the organizations goals. The complexity and duration of actions necessary for success are greater than any single person can plan, manage, and carry out. Consequently, decision making and responsibility must be dispersed, both to accomplish current tasks and to prepare those who will be responsible for future leadership. Turning power over to others requires trust in both directions. The leader must trust followers before relinquishing control and followers usually will not accept power unless they trust the leader to support them when they exercise it, thus this interchange requires cooperation and trust.

To achieve the tasks of EMPOWERMENT requires compassion, sensitivity psychological insight, trustworthiness, consideration, and the ability to teach, evaluate and coach.

POLITICS: The tasks of politics are to forge coalitions both inside and outside of one’s organization. All organizations are vulnerable to outside forces and thus can benefit from being part of supportive alliances with similar organizations. The political connections that can be made range from formal memberships in professional, industrial, civic and geographical organizations with, formal rules and agendas, to subtle, almost invisible connections based mainly on personal friendships. The leader must appreciate the desirability, even the necessity of such connections and must be politically savvy in creating and nurturing them.

The political tasks of building coalitions requires experience, a range of contacts, friendliness, wit, wisdom, negotiation skills, and the ability to entertain or at least to hold the attention of a wide range of people.

FEEDBACK: The tasks of FEEDBACK is to listen carefully to relevant groups and then to react appropriately. Because they must concern themselves with a great deal of information, leaders at the top know more about their organizations than anyone else. (They may not know everything; sometimes leaders at the top seem distressingly unaware of what is happening on the ground level. Still the point holds: They know more than anyone else about the entire world of the organization.) The information comes from many sources: employees, voters, clients, customers, directors, shareholders, students, alumni, family friends, even disinterested strangers. Information feedback will be both reliable and unreliable and among the more important tasks of the leader is to sift through the deluge of data to decide what needs to be given immediate attention, to route this information to the proper recipients for action and then to follow up to see that something is being or has been done. Organizations that operate independently of feedback learn sooner or later that they are out of touch with reality and often find the necessary adjustments quite painful.

Listening and reacting to FEEDBACK requires good listening skills, empathy, consideration, a strong self concept (to endure the inevitable criticism), a sense of perspective, and tenacious follow-through.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The tasks of ENTREPRENEURSHIP are to find new opportunities and create desirable change to take advantage of them. Every organization has a certain amount of momentum pushing it in the direction it is heading. This momentum is essential for continuity and is inevitable because all organizations are fueled by their immediate histories. Although inevitable, this momentum must often be guided in a new direction. The reasons vary. Perhaps some relevant technology has become obsolete, or perhaps the demographics of the organization’s membership or clients have changed. When such changes are necessary, the leader must find a new direction to take advantage of new opportunities. In large organizations this can require a massive refocusing of people and resources.

The selection of a new direction and the focusing of resources to support it constitute entrepreneurship. All resilient organizations, large or small, require continuous infusions of it.

PERSONAL STYLE: The tasks of PERSONAL STYLE are to set an overall organizational tone of competence, integrity, and optimism. The leader is the most visible individual in the organization and consequently influences the spirit of everyone else. If the leader is competent, optimistic, and trustworthy, a positive spirit will usually pervade the organization. If in contrast, the leader is incompetent, mean spirited, or unethical, a less productive atmosphere will likely result.

INTERRELATIONSHIP OF TASKS: There is interplay among all these tasks and few individuals can successfully handle them all. Being especially strong on several can compensate for being weak on others. Because no leader is perfect, some self awareness on this point can be useful. A leader who is aware of personal shortcomings and then astute enough to recruit others with complementary characteristics is most likely to be successful. In addition, mastering these leadership tasks is demanding and requires physical energy and psychological durability.

A FINAL WORD: With the collapse of some of our very large companies in recent years brought on by corruption and greed at the top, you will see more use of leadership development programs. Several factors will fuel this increase. The most important of which will be reestablishing TRUST at the top. We need leaders at all levels BUT are you someone that most people would want to follow??