Successful vs. Effective Leadership

Posted by Jim Connolly on 6 June, 2009  Email This Post -  Print This Post

In my work with clients over the years, one discussion comes up more than any other.  It’s the distinction between successful and effective leadership.

Let’s start at the beginning.  Leadership is necessary because one person cannot accomplish all that needs to be done.  There isn’t enough time.  Things have to happen simultaneously.  Specialized expertise is needed.  More input results in better ideas and decisions.  And, so on.  So, someone has to coordinate the work of others.

In my last post, I defined leadership as opposed to managing or coordinating.  Today, I want to focus on the distinction between successful leadership and effective leadership.

If you give out work assignments assignments and employees complete them, you’ve been successful.  One question to consider is why you have been successful.  Maybe employees did the work because they like the work.  Maybe they did the work because if they don’t do the work, it may, over time, put their employment at risk.  Maybe they did the work to make money to support their boat racing habit.  Who knows.  In any case, if they completed the work, you have been a successful leader.

But, have you been effective?  We acknowledged at the outset that leadership is necessary because one person can’t accomplish all the work that one person is responsible for, right?  For that reason, we need leaders who are more than successful.  We need leaders who are effective. 

Effective leaders are those who influence others to work on achieving organizational objectives even when the leader is off working on other areas of his/her responsibility.  In other words, employees will work toward achieving the organization’s objectives because they, like the leader, are committed to achieving the organizational objective.  When leaders are effective, they multiply their efforts and their results five to ten fold because they have influenced others that the organizational goal is worthy of their best effort.

What kind of leader are you?  Do you strive for success or effectiveness?

To learn more about the difference in organizational results for organizations with effective leaders, call or write for the details.