What is leadership?

Watch our short video that explains how to be an effective leader. It covers the six essential features of a good leader and six skills recognised in the Social Leadership Capabilities Framework that can help leaders in social and ethical organisations.

 

To be an effective leader, you need to know the difference between management and leadership. There is considerable overlap between the two, but an organisation needs both. Inspiring leaders must be someone with management skills who can convert a vision into action. A manager would focus on planning, improving today, and organising the future.

A leader would focus on vision, shaping tomorrow, and creating the future.  In a large organisation, the chief executive focuses on leadership. In a smaller organisation, leaders don’t have that luxury. The director may be dealing with strategy in the morning and reorganising office files in the afternoon.

Here are six essential features of a good leader.

  • Building trust by being a role model for the organisation, but remembering trust is a two-way process.
  • Demonstrating courage by taking firm action when necessary, making difficult or unpopular decisions.
  • Challenging views when needed, but with a focus on improvement and encouraging individuals.
  • Providing focus to a team and their priorities and striving towards the vision for the organisation.
  • Communicating effectively by listening as well as talking.
  • Consulting people before making decisions to gain commitment from the wider team and being clear about what they are asking.

Here are six skills recognised in the Social Leadership Capabilities Framework that can help leaders in social and ethical organisations.

  • The Empowering Enabler who empowers others to take on new challenges and training.
  • The focused strategist who continuously seeks organisational improvement for their people.
  • The passionate advocate who is committed to the mission and their people.
  • The generous collaborator who seeks to establish and grow collaborative partnerships and relationships.
  • The courageous changemaker who drives change and is unafraid of taking risks in a responsible way.
  • The inspirational communicator who relates to others with authenticity.

Leaders can use this framework to reflect and assess their current skills, identify leadership gaps and plan the personal and professional development for themselves and their team.