Self-Justification isn’t Management[/b][/b]
"It's not my style,"[/b]
"It's not my leadership style," [/b][/b]
"I have a different style of leading."[/b][/b]
These expressions are the last acceptable expressions that one can ever give if one fails or one cannot be what one oughts to be. The vast majority of the greatest blunders I have ever observed in these three decades are "leaders" who continuously fail to take decisive action, yet will consistently explain away their reasons for their inaction. Management and leadership is not about one's style, but about vision, action planning, decision making and decisiveness, and ethical and moral behavior.
Speaking about style would indicate a belief that popularity is one of the most effective traits of leadership. While popularity may be a politically advantageous asset, it is often the antithesis of leadership, because one should not govern to be popular, but to be effective. Effective leadership is about far more than mere style or the nuances of style, but rather on effectiveness, commitment, hard work, and empathy with the needs of both the membership and the organization..
Unfortunately, since so few organizations have anything resembling effective leadership training, very few volunteers who ascend to positions of responsibility are adequately prepared for the vigors, or requirements of these positions. Until organizations demonstrate a willingness to commit to professional training for the leaders and potential, future leaders, the situation will continue, and ill-prepared individuals will continue to speak in terms of style.
Leadership can be hard to define and it means different things to different people.
In the transformational leadership model, leaders set direction and help themselves and others to do the right thing to move forward. To do this they create an inspiring vision, and then motivate and inspire others to reach that vision. They also manage delivery of the vision, either directly or indirectly, and build and coach their teams to make them ever stronger.
Effective leadership is about all of this – and it's exciting to be part of this journey!
