Leadership Responsibilities and Roadblocks

Leadership Responsibilities and Roadblocks– Management and leadership responsibilities often overlap, but leadership is defined in a completely different context. Leaders’ responsibilities lie in four key areas:

• self-direction,
• goal achievement,
• flexibility and
• inspiring greatness in others.

Leaders recognize that these responsibilities are taken care of through the four actions outlined below.

1. Gain the Cooperation of Others

Spreading a charismatic spirit is the most important responsibility of leadership. This spirit drives an organization and its people to higher levels of productivity and accomplishment. For leaders to be effective they must build a cooperative effort by relying on the following techniques:

• Leaders understand basic human needs and desires and nudge people in the right direction. They know how motivation works to everyone’s benefit.
• They make emotional connections. An effective leader connects with people under their direction to build an interdependence that fosters more long-term gain than individual efforts would.
• They acknowledge the need for followers.
• Leaders understand their people. They take time to converse and ask questions that bring information, concerns, ideas and perspectives to the forefront. Then, they act positively upon them.

2. Listen and Learn Well

Leaders never forget where they have been, and use their experiences to shape where they are going, and why. They place learning and listening at the top of the list in terms of building skills and ability. Learning from past errors in judgment prevents their repetition.

Leaders listen to everyone’s inputs. They listen for ideas, impending concerns, problems, successes and unhappiness in their employees. They absorb everything and act on the knowledge gained to prevent major problems from occurring.

Leaders seize all opportunities to make people feel successful, competent, and comfortable in the work environment. Excellent leaders are not reactive, but proactive by nature.

3. Put the Needs of Others First

Effective leaders separate themselves from the rest of the pack through self-sacrifice and by setting their egos aside. Good leaders are never afraid to work alongside their people to finish a project or resolve a situation.

Leaders are flexible, slowing down or speeding up while assessing their employees’ productivity and efforts.

Leaders keep tasks simple and obvious to make a workforce committed. Employees desire to know precisely what is expected of them and how to complete their assigned tasks. A leader focuses on ways to make their assignments and projects more direct and clearly defined.

4. Performing Consistently

By understanding that people are different, leaders solidify mutual respect and communication, and maintain openness and fairness with every employee.

Leaders build cohesiveness through cooperative efforts by holding employees and themselves accountable. They know this is necessary to achieve their goals and ideals.

Effective leaders understand that their actions and words should be clear and comprehensible. Leaders should stay the course, even under duress or in the midst of adversity. They must remain genuine and use discretion in all judgments they make. Excellent leaders will reinforce their motivation, inspiration, and expectations to maintain a strong leadership position.

Leadership Roadblocks

1. Abusing power rather than extending power to others

Some leaders try to control an outcome, but end up wasting the valuable talent of other team members. This roadblock always limits the teams possibilities to that of the leader.

2. Making excuses for a weakness, rather than admitting weaknesses and growing strengths

Some leaders never admit a fault or mistake even though everyone around them sees it. This roadblock ensures that underlying problems of the team are never addressed or corrected.

3. Favouring popularity over progress

Some leaders care more that everyone like him or her than about achieving the goals of the organization. When this roadblock occurs complacency and mediocrity become standards instead of excellence.

4. Holding grudges instead of building bridges

Some leaders get distracted by personal injuries, challenges or disappointments from others on the team. This roadblock results in turf wars among team members, where sides are chosen and the team’s abilities to effectively work together is limited.

5. Waiting for the perfect conditions rather than taking a risk

Some leaders refuse to take steps in faith; demanding that every potential problem be eliminated. This roadblock results in bored cultures and teams, slow or no growth, and eventual declines. The opportunity cost with this distraction is exponential.

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