Leaders Lead! 3 Tips to Improve Your Leadership Abilities
Richard Lorenzen, in his Forbes article, “The Art Of Leadership: Become A More Effective Leader In 3 Steps,” outlines three things that make an exceptional leader.
As a businessman and boss, I often read articles and books about how to be a better leader, but I think Lorensen boils it down to its most basic in the post; he states that
it is critical for all leaders to have exceptionally strong interpersonal skills—otherwise, they are not actually leading anybody. Interacting with and persuading others is both an art and a science.
I agree, leadership is about dealing with others, and, as Lorensen points out, the three things you need to consider to be an effective leader are:
- Lead yourself – If you don’t have your own life together and in control, how are you supposed to project stability and leadership ability to your underlings?
- You need Vision: to have some strong idea or resolve about what you are doing or where you are going. No one wants to follow a weakling with a weak motive. Think about Moses wandering in the desert for 40 years.
- Interpersonal Communication: Lorensen stresses that a good leader Understands his followers, Motivates them to want to work toward their common goal, and then Empowers them by showing that he believes in them to carry out their part.
These seem like common sense, but you would be amazed by how many managers (who are, by definition, leaders) do not aspire to attain or improve any of their deficiencies in these few leadership qualities. I continually try to improve myself and to keep these few ideas in mind when dealing with my employees and managers. I am, ultimately, the captain of this ship, and I certainly do not desire to see it sink because I can’t get past my own ego.
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