Are you an Effective Leader?

Effective Leadership principles: 

• To begin from the possible
• To see advantage in disadvantage
• To change the place of action
• To make a friend out of an enemy
• To turn minus into plus
• The power of peace is stronger than the 
• power of violence
• Not to be a dichotomous thinker
• To bring the battle in one’s own favourable field
• Gradualism instead of radicalism
• To be pragmatic in controversial matters

Qualities of Effective leadership: 

1. A leader should be realistic; his mes-sages and demands should not be in contradiction with the realities of life. He should consider the conditions surrounding him and his society as they actually are. He should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages he has.
2. A leader should be convinced of the truth of the message he conveys to people. He should never falter in his convictions and be resolute in conveying his message without renunciation.
3. A leader should be courageous in nature. Even left alone to himself, he should find in himself as much courage as to resist all the difficulties he might encounter.
4. A leader should have a strong will-power and resolve and never fall into hopelessness.
5. A leader should be aware of his responsibility and nothing should be able to prevent him from fulfilling it. Especially the charms of the world and attractions of life should not be able to intervene between him and his responsibility.
6. A leader should be far-sighted and have determined his goal well. He should have the mental capacity to discern the developments he might encounter in the future. He should also be able to evaluate the past, the present and the future together and reach new syntheses. A leader who frequently changes opinions causes rifts and disagreements among his society
7. A leader should know the members of his society individually. He should have discovered each of them with their dispositions, character, abilities, short-comings, ambitions and weak points. This will enable him particularly to make the best choice in his appointments to important offices.
8. A leader should have a strong character and be equipped with praiseworthy virtues. He should be determined in carrying out his decisions but capable of flexibility; he should know when to be unyielding and implacable; when to be relenting and compassionate.

As well as understanding the frameworks that you can use to be a more effective leader, and knowing what it takes to be a transformational leader, it's also useful to learn about more general styles, and the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Let's take a look at some other styles of leadership that are interesting, but don't fit with any of the frameworks above.

Transactional Leadership:

This style starts with the idea that team 

members agree to obey their leader when 

they accept a job. The "transaction" usually 

involves the organization paying team 

members in return for their effort and compliance on a short-term task. The leader has 

a right to "punish" team members if their 

work doesn't meet an appropriate standard.

Transactional leadership is present in many business leadership situations, and it does offer some benefits. For example, it clarifies everyone's roles and responsibilities. And, because transactional leadership judges team members on performance, people who are ambitious or who are motivated by external rewards – including compensation – often thrive

The downside of this style is that, on its own, it can be chilling and amoral, and it can lead to high staff turnover. It also has serious limitations for knowledge-based or creative work.

As a result, team members can often do little to improve their job satisfaction.

Servant Leadership:

A "servant leader" is someone, regardless of level, who leads simply by meeting the needs of the team. The term sometimes describes a person without formal recognition as a leader.

These people often lead by example. They have high integrity  and  lead with generosity. Their approach can create a positive corporate culture, and it can lead to high morale among team members.

Supporters of the servant leadership model suggest that it's a good way to move ahead in a world where values are increasingly important, and where servant leaders can achieve power because of their values, ideals, and ethics.

However, others believe that people who practice servant leadership can find them-selves "left behind" by other leaders, particularly in competitive situations

 This style also takes time to apply correctly: it's ill-suited to situations where you 

have to make quick decisions or meet tight deadlines

Charismatic Leadership:

Charismatic leadership resembles transformational leadership: both types of leaders inspire and motivate their team members.

The difference lies in their intent. Transformational leaders want to transform their teams and organizations, while leaders who rely on charisma often focus on them-selves and their own ambitions, and they may not want to change anything.

Charismatic leaders might believe that they can do no wrong, even when others warn them about the path that they're on. This feeling of invincibility can severely damage a team or an organization.

Bureaucratic Leadership: 

Bureaucratic leaders follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their people follow procedures precisely.

This is appropriate for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with machinery, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights), or with large sums of money. Bureaucratic leadership is also useful for managing employees who perform routine tasks.

This style is much less effective in teams and organizations that rely on flexibility, creativity, or innovation.

Mohammed Hussain, 

Facilitator, 

Helikx