Leadership is not a science or theory. Effective leadership is mobilizing others who want to follow in the pursuit of shared aspiration. That’s a fancy way of saying leadership is motivating, inspiring, organizing and planning to get people to willingly achieve what you want done.In this 21st century, there are five key areas that weigh heavily on the success of a leader. Today:

1. Inspire a shared vision. Where do you want to lead your followers?
2. Challenge the process and look for new and better ways to do things.
3. Enable others to act. Empowerment is still the key to getting things done.
4. Model the way. True leaders still are the role models of any organization.
5. Encourage the heart. Leaders want more than just bodies in their group.
   

To stay ahead of the ever-advancing learning curve, top leaders must develop more curiosity and focus less on directing. The old saying, God gave you two ears and one mouth for a purpose, is very applicable. Do twice as much listening as you do talking. Leaders in the past have claimed the position of authority. They speak, people act. Today’s leaders still need to be in charge but become more collaborative. They need to listen. They need to widen their vision and seek multiple inputs.

Some leaders still discount reality. They stick their heads in the sand like an ostrich and hope all their problems will go away. Of course, they don’t. The old transactional leader still relies on structural power, a hierarchal top-down mindset. The command and control traits are still dominant. They exchange rewards for services rendered and punishment for inadequate performance.

Strong leaders today recognize that to be effective, they must be interactive with their group. They must be inclusive and delegate tasks that once were reserved solely for the leader.

Where managers and supervisors once ignored the “e” word fearing loss of power and authority, they now embrace empowerment. Most of all, modern leaders use their powers appropriately.

Every leader has three powers:

1. Position power - the authority that comes with the leadership job.
2. Skills power - the knowledge and expertise of the leader.
3. Personal power - the attitude, the beliefs and values, and commitment demonstrated by the leader.

Numbers one and two can become barriers to good relationships, trust and respect if allowed to dominate the leader’s actions. Number three, personal power, could well be the key to successful leadership. The reality now is people don’t want to be managed; they want to be led by a leader who manages himself and leads others.

Balanced thinking is becoming a critical characteristic of effective leaders. The age-old challenge of meeting quotas and goals will always be a top priority in any business. However, meeting the numbers must be balanced with creating new methods and systems. The left-brain of today’s leaders must be connected to the right brain so the statistical hemisphere can be simultaneously joined with the creative right hemisphere. When numbers appear, forward-thinking leaders immediately look for new innovative ways to meet them. New ideas will be the key to success.

Rather than answers, leaders must have more questions. “Am I providing the leadership you need?” “What can I do to improve your skills?” “How can I help you get promoted?” “Where can you be most effective?” The art of probing is a most needed skill today. Leadership is serving. The law of reciprocity continues to be prominent… if you give, you get.

The fundamental principle of leadership is understanding the people you lead. If you want to be successful as a leader, discover what people want and help them achieve it. Your success comes when you are helping other people achieve what is important to them.

In my leadership seminars, one of the most asked questions is “How do I motivate my people?” Two things every leader must realize:

People do things for their reasons, not yours, and They do things in their time frame, not yours.  So, we must learn to ask, “What motivates you?” “What do you really want?” “How can I help you get it?”

These principles will be the dominant characteristics in effective leaders throughout this century. Leaders will have to remain flexible, be prepared to change instantly, and initiate action at blinding speed. Work statisticians report that approximately ten percent of people in the world are responsible for initiating 90 percent of productive action that occurs every day. That means about 90 percent of these people are content to follow where others lead… not as robots, but as stakeholders, as teammates, as partners in every aspect of business.

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