Coaching your team to effective leadership.

• Author: Bratkovic, Beth
• Position: Management & Careers

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader."

--John Quincy Adams

Developing leadership is not an easy task. And before one can help others to become leaders, it is necessary to define the concept--which is not an easy task, either. It is not a term one can apply to oneself, but a concept based on the perception of others. Managing others does not necessarily make someone a leader, either. There are many characteristics that make people successful individual contributors and team members, but leadership requires a larger definition of oneself and one's place in an organization. People are perceived as leaders when their intentions and actions are informed by a desire to enhance the lives of others through individual relationships, business outcomes, community change, and so on.

THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS

Courage. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair famously said, "The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes." Leadership shines during times of adversity because that is when the courage to take an unpopular stance is most needed. Being honest and making tough decisions does not always make people feel good. Leadership is not for the meek. People often claim positions of leadership, but then do nothing when the tough times arrive, abdicating responsibility, throwing their hands up and saying there was nothing they could do.

Discipline. Leadership requires discipline--a consistency in values, actions, and language. To be a leader, one must practice the behaviors required for effective leadership. The key word is "practice." The average manager receives five days of training per year, with little or no follow up to establish the skills taught in these sessions. (1) There are few, if any, expectations that managers will actually apply these skills on the job. These managers are about as likely to be leaders as someone who takes a weeklong guitar class is to be a musician.

Interpersonal Abilities. Leaders use their interpersonal capabilities to influence those around them. They do not force anything, but rather ask the questions that allow people to think differently about the topic at hand, Interpersonal abilities are revealed in many ways--for instance, effective listening instills trust; strong written and oral communication establishes credibility. Being able to read people and adjust one's style based on the body language of others creates an environment...