Follow the Leader: Developing Great Leadership Skills

Abstract

Leadership. Scanning the Internet, one finds thousands of articles, blogs, books, and webinars on how to be a leader or, more importantly, how to be a better leader. While each person may define leadership differently, he or she will likely hold a number of concepts in common. Much of what is written is based on practical and logical tactics, yet for many, these fall short of implementation, and thus become a source of failure. Great leaders, however, apply these tactics in conjunction with other innate skills to provide appropriate guidance for themselves and those around them.

The Difference Between a Good Leader and a Great Leader

Early theories claimed that great leaders were born and not made. ¹ This may have had some validity, especially when one considers that, prior to the twentieth century, most of the population was uneducated, poor, and/or of low social status. Only those born into royalty, high-ranking military clans, or rich families had the opportunity to take leadership roles. It was, in fact, expected for a son to follow in his father’s footsteps, thus often pushing him into assuming certain leadership responsibilities.

No doubt there are those who appear to have natural talent in leading others, but for most, it is a learned skill.

Experts take a formulaic approach by offering guidelines to achieving leadership proficiency ( Table 1 ), yet learning these skills alone does not necessarily make someone a great leader. Great leaders have demonstrated certain personal characteristics not learned from a textbook, but learned in childhood or otherwise instilled in them at an early age ( Table 2 ). ² Some might argue that they were born with some of these characteristics.

To some degree, we are all leaders. At one time or another, we have influenced others directly or indirectly. We lead by example when dealing with our families, children, friends, coworkers, and even strangers. Though one may not have a title that denotes him or her a leader, one does, through learned skills, innate characteristics, and experiences, influence others, hopefully in a positive way.

Good leaders demonstrate many learned leadership skills. Great leaders demonstrate both learned skills and innate characteristics that enable them to lead well.

Seven Learned Leadership Skills

Leading by Example

Great leaders must develop self-confidence and self-empowerment. To do so, he or she should perform a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis on him- or herself. This requires an honest, yet critical assessment of what learned skills must be improved and what innate characteristics he or she may or may not possess. Understanding which abilities one already has and which need improvement is the first step to self-empowerment. By empowering yourself, you become a catalyst, which allows you to empower others. This is leading by example.

Decision Making

Great leaders must be able to make reasonable and effective decisions with confidence and clarity. Indecisiveness and poor decision making leads to loss of credibility and lack of acceptance as a leader. While one may not possess the wisdom of Solomon, learning techniques for facilitation are useful in this process. ³

A clear understanding of the problem is key to decision making. Once the problem is apparent, goals may be set using the mnemonic SMART: identify Specific goals, ensure they are Measurable and Attainable, establish Accountability, and set an appropriate Timeline). ⁴ Various facilitation techniques can then be applied to create new ideas (eg, brainstorming), collect supporting data (eg, forcefield analysis), and collate them (eg, SWOT analysis) into a workable process. These facilitation techniques can be applied in many instances in the laboratory where critical decision making is required; addressing quality assurance concerns, implementing new technologies, building a new laboratory section, adding additional staff, and creating or expanding outpatient/outreach services.

Team Building

Great leaders must build a reliable team that can function with minimal direction and are willing to be held accountable for their actions. Building a functional team requires a diverse mix of skills, personalities, and demographics. As author and management expert Kenneth Blanchard said, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” A team that is essentially made up of clones of the team leader limits opportunities to develop new ideas and results in failure. ⁵

Strategic Planning

Great leaders must be good strategic planners. Without direction, they have little hope of growth and advancement, both personally and professionally. Leaders must be willing challenge the status quo, ask how and why, and be forward thinking. A leader with a strategic plan establishes the path and then ensures that it is followed. Great leaders also look for opportunities that may be the genesis of a strategic plan through creative, critical thinking. In the laboratory, these opportunities may come by way of involving coworkers, networking with other laboratory leaders, attending professional meetings, and staying abreast of current healthcare affairs.

Communication

Great leaders must cultivate excellent communication skills, both oral and writing. As much as 85 percent of a leader’s success is reflected in communication skills. ⁶ Poorly written documents show lack of effort or education. Similarly, a speaker whose presentation is unfocused, unorganized, and, worse, inaccurate, will exude a lack of leadership skills. Learning how to communicate well will instill trust and credibility, and create a successful work environment.

Professional Development

Great leaders never stop learning. To ignore continuing education opportunities results in stale ideas, outdated practices, and the loss of respect from those who follow you. The skills listed in Table 1 generally can be learned. Great leaders must be proficient in leadership, managerial, and technical skills, in addition to certain less didactic and more intrinsic leadership skills ( Table 2 ). These are the characteristics that people want to see in their leaders. ⁵

Key to this process is recognizing one’s own abilities and skills, as well as those that make a leader great, rather than good. To find an example of the kind of leadership qualities one wants to emulate, one should reflect on experiences in which another person’s intervention made a positive impact on his or her life. Learning from mentors, attending continuing education programs, and reviewing the current literature are ways to find examples of good leadership.

Coaching/Mentoring

Great leaders will find opportunities to coach and mentor others. Coaching helps others to solve problems for themselves, a tactic that is often situational, as it includes providing assistance in situations in real time. Mentoring, on the other hand, is more of a strategic partnership developed over time, during which the mentor offers advice in advancing one’s career or education to contribute to the individual’s professional growth. A coaching or mentoring relationship should not be limited to just the inexperienced, but should be part of everyone’s lifelong professional development.

Conclusion

Those who master these seven key areas are in a position to enhance their effectiveness as a leader both in and out of the laboratory. But to become a great leader requires certain basic characteristics; a lack of these would limit whether others assess him or her as competent. By recognizing which characteristics are lacking, one can work towards embracing his or her weaknesses and develop them into assets.

Becoming a great leader is an evolutionary process, not a revolutionary one. It is a lifetime process of learning certain skills and enhancing innate characteristics that define a great leader. Understanding and becoming the kind of leader you would want to follow is the goal.

References

Author notes