For decades organizational scholars have debated the qualities of a "Leader." What are they? Is a person born a leader or can they be trained as a Leader? Can anyone learn to be a leader? Can an employee be a leader or do you need to have people reporting to you to lead? The list goes on and on. In our leadership training class we routinely ask the audience to define the qualities of a leader. Many participants suggest traits like "charismatic,""confident," "visionary," etc. Occasionally,someone will offer what we think is a truly distinguishing observation. "You don't often notice or think about the qualities of a leader. What's noticeable is how they make you feel."

What really defines a Leader is his or her ability to make individuals feel committed to a cause or challenge. But not only do they feel committed, they take action. The term "follower" sounds like an obedient golden retriever but we'll use it anyway. Leaders make those that choose to follow them feel important and significant. Leaders have a genuine, unquestioned respect for the individuals around them. Their decisions are decisive and well founded in arguments that support the core values of the company, its customers and its employees. Because they're human, leaders make mistakes and own them - and they expect and tolerate mistakes from others. They know that their power rests on the relationships they build with others - and that titles and authority alone won't earn respect. They're consistent in their actions and words and show no favoritism. When the company faces a significant challenge or uncertainty, the leader's calm demeanor bolsters confidence and motivation in others. Leaders believe that their followers are capable of anything and as a result, so do their followers.

Leadership training

A good leader is someone who can get others to do what he/she wants them to do because they want to do it. While some people are natural born leaders, leadership skills can be learned.

Dealing with Problem Issues Quickly is the Key

Failure to identify and/or properly train good leaders within an organization can create serious problems for management. Not all strong leadership is necessarily a good thing.Leadership gone "bad" can grow like a cancer and destroy a business from the inside-out unless early detection and intervention takes place. While dealing with leadership problems is expensive, consumes a lot of time, and is very frustrating for managers, preventive maintenance (PM) of your organization can be accomplished easily with a few simple steps.

PM Step #1: Establish your culture. Managers are (or should be) leaders and the leaders under them should be subordinate to the standards set by their superiors. Managers must communicate their organization's value system and code of ethics by making sure the entire organization knows and understands why they are important. Written policies can help, but they will not be effective if they are not followed by top managers. Written policies must be accurate, updated when needed, and written with input from those who must abide by them. Remember that actions speak louder than words. Bad leadership starts when good leaders deviate from the acceptable culture and steer a group of followers in the wrong direction with them.

PM Step #2: Identify and train leaders. Leadership training can be accomplished in a number of ways. Formal and/or informal interactive training within the organization can help managers spot the energetic, enthusiastic, committed individuals who are needed to move the team in the right direction once that direction has been established. It will also help identify the people in leadership positions who are lacking. "Interactive" is the key word in the identification process. Managers who take the time to interact with their subordinate leaders in a group setting should be able to spot problem areas within their team. Formal leadership training can be accomplished through workshops and seminars. Select a method that works best for your organization, but never assume that all people in leadership positions know how to lead your employees in the direction you need them to be moving. Leadership training should be customized to encompass your organizational goals and mission.

PM Step #3: Deal with problem areas immediately. When bad leadership becomes evident, early intervention is the best way to contain and prevent the spread of destruction that bad leaders can foster when left un-checked. Managers need to get involved as soon as possible. Meet with your subordinate leaders. Communicate with them. If they have issues that are causing their unsound actions, find out what is going on and why. Bad leadership usually starts with a breakdown in communications. Open and honest communication builds trust, and trust enables collaboration. Managers may not be able to resolve all of the problems that lead to bad leadership in one meeting, but at least they will be aware of a potential meltdown in communications and able to deal with it up front. Subordinate leaders need to understand, in no uncertain terms, acceptable standards of leadership conduct within their realm of responsibility. They also need to know the consequences of their actions should they choose to ignore these standards while identified problems are being resolved.

Like a cancer, leadership problems can go undetected until the signs are too obvious to ignore. Bad leadership can create adversarial relationships between teams. It can undermine authority and divide an organization that once was committed to sound goals and objectives. But proactive managers who practice PM will never have to worry about bad leadership because they will be the leaders of the leaders.

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