Effective versus Strong Leadership

Humble Leadership is Better than Strong or Weak Leadership
robin umiom, Entrepreneur, Nigeria, Member
Strong leadership will lead to dictatorship particularly without strong and independent subordinates.
Weak leadership will lead to dictatorship when surrounded with sycophants (Ed: ~flatterers).
So let the leader be humble and fear God and he will be called an effective leader - neither strong nor weak.

Effective Leadership
Kurai Chitima, Business Consultant, South Africa, Member
Mediocrity does not produce exceptional results.
The ultimate tests of sound leadership are results, willing followers, and a rich legacy.
Competency, character and situational relevance are both crucial.

The Presence of Effective Leadership
Gregory Johnson, Coach, United States, Premium Member
This area of leadership is interesting to the point where we might focus on the words we choose. For example; when we say, "strong leadership...", what does the word strong bring to mind? Are we talking about a bully, or someone that is looking for total control of people, places and things?
Or when we say, "sound leadership...", are we speaking to an academically prepared leader or what?
I think leaders that are of sound character, well prepared through intelligence, experience and of a humanistic profile will know success. The humanistic profile knows and understands the value of others in their plans and how to build them while appreciating their contributions.
I think we are all seeking the same type leader and seldom do we actually see them in our current view of leadership and/or progress - on any level of private or public platforms.

Everything Rises and Falls with Leadership
abraham garshong
Effective leadership is a very important thing required in the family, organizations and national governments. Are there universal and timeless principles of effective leadership? How influential is race and culture on effective leadership?

The influence of race and culture on effective leadership
Gregory Johnson, Coach, United States, Premium Member
@Abraham Garshong:
The influence of race and culture on effective leadership is an interesting inquisition.
I believe race and culture related to race and ethnicity are extremely important but often hidden from the front line agenda.
There are very profound values and foundational characteristic in many cultures but seldom exhibited because far too many of subscribe to a colonial standard of leadership or we are doing all we can to administer in an opposite manner to the point of hostility.
We should embrace our cultural values and standards as a leader through researching our culture. It is not my intent to suggest that we assess the cultures that may have the best of strongest set of values; it is my suggestion that we should all look into our cultural past and connect with the most progressive yet humanistic leadership qualities that have worked through that culture.

Leaders should act as a Model of Necessary Behaviours
Sonia Joseph, Student (University), Antigua and Barbuda, Member
It is imperative that leadership be true to the vision of the organization. In order to be effective, a leader must know when and how to utilize the required skills of strength, humility, agility and above all honesty to self, subordinates, the organization and of course its customers.
A leader must always recognize that despite the fact that he leads, his responsibility as an example to the organization must not be neglected.
This is viewed in tandem with the realization that their subordinates also have a voice and interest in the direction and outcomes in the organization.
Most of all, leaders must understand that they should in effect model the necessary behaviours which will facilitate the desired organization outcomes.

Leadership must be based on the Ontology of the Leader
Amyas Mvunelo, Director, South Africa, Member
Effective leadership marshals every resource available to bring about results:
- the formative crucible,
- the personality and character,
- the modus operandi and cultural heritage,
- the identity and special skills, values and aspirations of the leader.
We have often denied the impact of these and opted for meaningless objectivity through which it is assumed that leaders simply follow established patterns and styles of leadership.
Leadership that either denies and sidelines the impact of the ontology of the leader dehumanises both the leader and the led.
Leadership, authentic leadership, does not take place in a vacuum. It is placed in the concrete realities of the leader and the led. Authentic leadership acknowledges and gives spaces to the particular leader's reality and also emphasises the importance of self-awareness so that one's leadership is not hamstrung by one's weaknesses and blind spots.

Result Oriented Leadership Requires Humanity not Only Principles
O.O.Testimony Onifade, Director, Nigeria, Member
A leader needs to consider the condition of his followers and the context in which (s)he is leading. His adoption of principles for administration should always bear in mind the human aspects. Because leadership to a great extent is a relationship between human beings, not a man talking to files.

Leadership Effectiveness
Rajesh Sharma, Professor, Nepal, Member
Leadership effectiveness relies on the leaders' guts, vision and smartness. As far as leader behaviour is concerned I think Situational leadership is more effective...

Effective Leadership in the Workplace
Elizabeth Manamela, Manager, South Africa, Member
I think what we see happening is that effective leaders are the ones who are a bully and autocratic, feared by subordinates and ruling by iron fist. They lack character and morals, hide their inefficiencies by being a bully and a fear monger. Sad.

Effective Leadership in the Workplace
Andrew Blaine, Business Consultant, South Africa, Member
@Elizabeth Manamela. The people you are talking about are not leaders; they are drivers. They generally do not have the qualities necessary to be a leader, and get their way through bullying. The only successful way to manage them is to refuse to pander to their bullying and, where applicable, take action to remedy the bullying.
There are too many of this sort of persons in management and they need to be weeded out.

Effective Leadership???????????
Gregory Johnson, Coach, United States, Premium Member
@Ms. Manamela:. There are far too many of our worldly leaders of the profile you described. One of the challenges/problems is that our apathy continues to visibly show support for reckless tyrants as you described.
Again, our individual and collective apathy empowers or confirms the tyrannical idiots that occupy positions of leadership such as you describe. Yes, some cultures and society have little or no control over such occupants and the risk of life is oftentimes too high for the individual and their respective family to take on such a tyrant.
Authentic Leaders understand their position and role is to "Serve Others" versus serve themselves. This problem is global and could possibly get worse before it improves.
With each passing day we get farther and farther away from the humanistic side of leadership. An example some believe "friends" on Facebook are truly friends or relationships. As our intellect increases through text books we continue to disconnect from human interaction.

Leadership in Today's Age
Sushmita Tank, India, Member
With due respect to all your comments... in this age when we have internal & external customers, we cannot afford to have a boss. We require to have a perfect blend of effective and strong leadership.
We win as a team and we fail as a team... The leader leads with experience, and others gain experience.

Leadership Should be a Serving an Inverted Pyramid
Gregory Johnson, Coach, United States, Premium Member
@Sushmita Tank: Your comment struck a nerve with me. Yes a positive nerve.
Leadership should maintain a visual of something like a pyramid similar to Maslow's Hierarchy and invert it. If we flip the structure where the Leader is on the bottom looking up at his or her responsibility we/they would have a more authentic perspective of their responsibility as a leader. All of the levels above are your service areas - get busy!
When we focus from the traditional perspective of physically being on TOP we are constantly looking DOWN and that is not a healthy perspective. We NEVER want to look down on our responsibilities as Leader always UP!

Leadership Should Be a Serving an Inverted Pyramid
Sushmita Tank, India, Member
I second your opinion Greg.
Maslow has said on his Hierarchy of Needs that the needs which are placed at the bottom of the Pyramid are basic and once an employee/individual is satisfied with the basic needs then he/she starts looking for Security ⇒ Social ⇒ Esteem ⇒ Self Actualization Needs.
And once we have reached the top of pyramid then we can not look down upon others.
Leaders having risen from Physiological Needs to Self-Actualization Need are the ones who can raise others by setting an example. Because then a leader will understand Acceptance, Problem centering, Spontaneity, Continued Freshness of Appreciation and Autonomy and Solitude.
Trust I have made sense.