The importance of leadership
23 April 2008
   
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Every organisation needs a leader. Someone who has a clear vision, can communicate it to those they are leading, and execute it efficiently and without diversion. Many people believe they are born leaders; by definition it is those who know what they want that are able to become leaders. The absence of leadership causes a business to stagnate and lose its way.

Leadership skills

Taking a leadership position means:

  • Having a vision about what can be accomplished. You must be able to express this vision clearly and in an engaging way.

  • Making a commitment to your mission and to the people you lead. People will judge a leader by his or her commitment, and will commit themselves no more than the leader does, so you must be consistently committed.

  • Taking responsibility for the accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of those you lead. A leader assumes a great deal of responsibility, not just for the mission they are trying to accomplish, but for those they are leading as well.

  • Assuming risk of loss and failure. Any effort that requires real leadership will entail a risk of failure. To lead others, you must be prepared to take risks that your followers are not themselves prepared to take.

  • Accepting recognition for success.

Of course, having an understanding of how your mission statement is being carried out by your employees is crucial. Any good leader, no matter how far up the ladder, will stay in touch with the people administrating their business. It's important to keep this in mind when setting your leadership goals; just because you have a position of authority does not mean you are a leader, but anyone in a position authority will benefit from possessing leadership skills.

In business management, you will need to be both an effective leader and administrator. You must have the vision of a leader, and the ability to see that rules are followed and plans are executed efficiently. To achieve these skill sets, you may want to consider enrolling on an MBA course. Ashridge Business School is one of a hundred British schools offering MBAs. Their Leadership Training module will help you understand the importance of leadership, and how to improve your career prospects. Fish4.co.uk has a wide jobs database to help you establish where you could take your career with an MBA.