Leadership Strategies

Organizations depend on sound leadership strategies to steer them through when the going gets tough. Thinkers and researchers have outlined numerous ways in which leaders can effectively run an organization and counter the challenges. The recent economic crisis has once again highlighted the need to anticipate changing trends in the market and the need for innovative strategies from the leaders.

Most thinkers are of the belief that today, organizations need people who can fill in the void when the baby-boomer generation steps aside. There is also a need for positive leadership, which can bring a sense of assurance and stability in an organization marred by anxiety, rumors and insecurity. There have been companies that have dominated the global markets for decades, but have failed to stand tall during the economic crisis. Lucent, Lehman Brothers, Northern Rock are just few of the examples of companies failing to cope up with a sudden change, and there would have been more bankruptcies had the government not bailed out some other players. The demise of these big names poses a question to the current and aspiring leaders. How did these companies, which had been an epitome of efficiency and leadership, not read the circumstances. While, there may be a lot of factors that contribute to an organization's growth or demise, there are certain strategies that have proven useful over a period of time. Let us take a look at some of these strategies that leaders must incorporate to get the best possible results from people.

Have a Clear Vision
A leader who has a clear vision about strategies is able to communicate the plans of the organization to the employees in a better way. If the leader himself is not too sure of a plan or a strategy, it is difficult for him to convince others, and this is where deficit in trust and anxieties creep in. A leader should know where he would like to see the organization in the coming months, years or decades and motivate his team to turn that vision into reality.

Value People
A leader has the authority to make the final decision on matters, but it doesn't mean that other people are not qualified enough to voice their opinions. Valuing and caring for your employees is one of the basics of a sound leadership. The people working in an organization are its most important assets, so it becomes very essential that a leader invests time and effort to groom them by giving them opportunities.

Build Future Leaders
"Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders". As a leader, your job becomes much easier if you have a group of people who are confident and capable of taking important decisions. It is the responsibility of a leader to keep a close eye on people with potential so that they can take over the mantle of the company in a crisis situation.

Communicate Effectively
To translate a vision into reality, it is very important for a leader to make his people believe in his ideas and effective communication helps achieve that. Effective communication involves giving a patient ear to the aspirations and concerns of your employees with an intent to act appropriately. To ensure this, you need to create the right kind of atmosphere in your organization, so that people are comfortable enough to express their views.

Take Calculated Risks
A leader should have the conviction to take calculated risks. As they say, "Not all those wander are lost". It is important for a leader to think 'out of the box' and encourage this behavior in his people as well. Most people are hesitant in trying out new things, and 'it is not my job' attitude is prevalent in most organizations. There is a difference between taking calculated risks and displaying a risky behavior. Taking calculated risks is about shedding our comfort zone and stretching ourselves to our full potential. Risky behavior on the other hand means taking risks without thinking about the consequences. People who take calculated risks often have a 'Plan B' in place to fall back on in case 'Plan A' doesn't work.

Develop Yourself
As a leader of an organization, one can retreat into assumptions of superiority and can easily fall into 'been there, done that' kind of an attitude. It is very important that to stay grounded and is keen on learning new ideas, techniques etc. The bottom line is to innovate yourself each day.

These were some effective strategies that are essential traits of a strong leadership. As we mentioned earlier, there are no hard-and-fast rules, so there can be some other traits that are more or less essential to the ones mentioned above. In the end, we would like our readers to remember what Stephen R. Covey, one of the well-known management thinkers, said about leadership, "Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."