“Effective” Leadership–Employ, Equip, Empower, & Get Out of the Way!
Being and “effective” leader in the competitive, global world today requires specialized skills, but there are four critical steps leaders must take to build successful organizations. This article was originally written in 1993, and surprisingly, every prediction I made in this article came true!
Much has changed since Peter Drucker wrote The Effective Executive in 1966, but Drucker’s view of the effective executive is as true today as it was then: to be effective, executives must learn how to harness worker resources like intelligence, imagination, and knowledge, and covert them into results. The question is, “How can a manager meet this challenge in today’s changing business environment?”
Four things the effective leader must do:
Employ. Find the best people and get them in the right job for their unique skills.
Equip. Training is forever. Provide your people with both industry knowledge and personalized training designed to enhance their skill sets.
Empower. Empower your employees to make decisions, but maintain accountability.
Get out of the way! Now get out of their way and let those great employees do their work.