Self Improvement...

On February 17, 1941, Sir Archibald Wavell was quoted as saying: 'No amount of study or learning will make a man a leader unless he has the natural qualities of one.' This is still a popular theory, but neither the army nor industry believes that leadership cannot be developed.

The need for organizational change in response to competitive pressure, technical development or market preference prompts corporation after corporation to send aspiring top managers on courses which, they hope, will tease out 'leadership skills'. Research by Deloitte Haskins and Sells into the management of change and innovation in British businesses, revealed that senior executives put leadership at the top of a list of criteria for success.

In today’s organization, leaders are not charismatic; they do not cast an image of infallibility. They do possess three qualities that bring out the best in the people who follow them - a caring, respectful, and responsible attitude; flexibility about people and organizational structure; and a participative approach to management, the willingness to share power. Today's leader has to be a gamesman-plus, suggests Michael Maccoby, whose 1977 book, The Gamesman, described some managers as driven by the desire to win -- people who relied on internal competition and created growing organizations in which everyone could win.

Technical skills and knowledge are useful but not the only consideration and the best personal style is the one with which you are comfortable. What really counts is what one does in a position of leadership.

Successful leaders take actions which help achieve tasks, help build esprit-de-corps and help motivate individuals. All the leader's actions arise from these basic functions: define task; plan schedule; assess team; explain roles; discuss detail; monitor progress; support efforts; evaluate results; and debrief.

You can develop all the leadership qualities in you. For this, you need to first identify the objective and the resources available to the team. Whatever your task is, it must be defined as well as measurable in terms of results.

Every leader needs an objective and a plan. If they are not given to you, you must set them yourself.

Every leader must learn the skills, the strengths and weaknesses of team members. You must look at their technical skills, but also consider personalities and attitudes. This is particularly so when they have to work in pairs or sub-groups during the task.

Now you can start building the team. Prescribing each member's role is one of the keys to successful team leadership. Each person's role, including the leader's own, should balance with everyone else's.

There is no 'right' leadership personality. Some leaders are more autocratic, some more consultative. Management by committee is successful, but on the other hand a dictatorial style is less effective than a more participatory approach.

After assessment and planning (which involves the relevant members of the team) comes the time to put everyone in the picture. Review the stages, allocate roles and delegate as you go on. It is important that all members of the team feel that they are completely in the picture and are trusted. Through their understanding of the overall picture they can contribute to the success of the enterprise.

The leader needs to stay firm and trust in his or her earlier work and judgment.

However, remain objective. If there is a need to replan, quick decisions will have to be taken and your team informed clearly and decisively of their new roles.

Leadership should be seen as a partnership. The leader and the team are mutually indispensable and must find the right balance through goodwill, communication and joint effort.