George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela,
and Winston Churchill were among the great leaders of their time. Each
understood his crucial role as a leader and excelled by uniting a body of people
for the betterment of society. These men had a clear vision, held the
capability to unite a multitude, and understood the importance of
accountability.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into
reality” (Pozin, 2014). You must learn to communicate your vision with consistency
and clarity to an organization. When conveying your vision, gain the ability to
speak it, write it, draw it, touch it. The goal is to create a picture that people
can and will believe in (Vogan, 2006).
Successful leaders hold the qualities that unify, encourage,
and move a group of people to success. Their goal is to have the organization
become “as one.” This then allows “the culmination of individual action into
collective power” (Mehrdad & Quigley, p.1).
Leaders accomplish this through mentoring, coaching, communicating, and
listening.
Finally, successful leaders understand the importance
of accountability. In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins gives the analogy
of the window and the mirror. He found that outstanding leaders in great
companies often look outside themselves to give credit for success, but they
look in the mirror to take responsibility for poor performance (Collins, p.
33). Great leaders acknowledge mistakes, learn from them, and move forward with
determination.
Becoming an outstanding leader is admirable
undertaking. To achieve such a goal you need to have a motivating vision, the ability
to unite a body, and grasp the essence of accountability. John Kotter reminds
us, “Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with
that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles”
(McCarthy, 2014).
Reference
Baghai, M., Quigley, J., Aijala, A., Challah, S., & Vorster, G.
(2011). As one: individual action,
collective power (p. 1). London: Portfolio/Penguin.
Collins, J. (2001). Good to
great: Why some companies make the leap... and others don't (p. 33). New
York: Collins Business.
McCarthy, Dan (2014). What is leadership?
30 definitions. Retrieved from: http://management.about.com/od/leadership/fl/What-is-Leadership-30-Definitions.htm
Pozin, Ilya (2014). 16 leadership
quotes to inspire you to greatness. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2014/04/10/16-leadership-quotes-to-inspire-you-to-greatness/
Vogan, Patty (2006). 5 key traits
of great leaders. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/163590
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