Leadership has been defined in several ways but for the sake of this article the writer will define Leadership as influence.
If one is in a Leadership position it is clear they occupy a place of influence, be it at church level or organisational level.People look at you in that position as someone who has solutions and means for them to overcome life issues.
It is important that one reflects on what makes solid Leaders who leave a legacy of good Leadership and positive Impact and the reasons why some fail to deliver during their tenure as Leaders. The following are some of the pillars that make Leaders effective despite the context :
- Pillar 1
Accountability. Effective Leaders are accountable to the people they lead and the people above them if they have such a structure.Sometimes Leaders can be accountable to professional boards or fellowships if it’s a church organisation. - Pillar 2
Transparency. Leadership works with trust.If people are going to follow you then one of the things you must make sure is in your Leadership bag is transparency .Human beings pick certain things and even detect that our leader is hiding something be it abuse of funds or other vices .They may not confront you but may leave your church , organization or company . - Pillar 3
Integrity .This is the congruency between what you say and what you do.(chaka 2023).People observe Leaders and they can tell whether a leader is re arranging facts in his/ her favor or not.If you continously break your promises they may end up leaving your organization and they may even spread a bad report about you. - Pillar 4
Good communication. Great Leaders are usually effective when it comes to passing on of information.They don’t assume , they follow through to check whether the other part got the correct message or not.
The fifth Pillar and the last one for this article is people skills. This is a Pillar that helps a leader to relate well with his or her followers.The Pillar involves getting to know your subordinates by name and in some cases even where they stay, what makes them happy and what upsets them.
The writer Professor Elias Chakabwata is a leadership and then organizational growth consultant. He can be contacted on 0732288687
