Far too many individuals view those in positions of leadership as either super - humans, often expecting or anticipating perfection from these people. However, the reality is that they are merely human with the same flaws, imperfections, insecurities, challenges and concerns that the rest of us have. True leaders will always make some mistakes, because only those that do nothing avoid making errors (although even they make errors of omission or procrastination), and in order to be a real leader, one must make timely decisions and take timely action. Therefore, it is not that a great leader will be mistake - free, but rather he admits them and immediately takes action to address and correct them.
1. One of the basic rules of effective leadership is never about perfection or even believing that one can be perfect (although the great ones will always strive for the best result possible), but rather how one handles things that might go wrong (or at least not as desired or wanted), and reacts and leads others to move on in a constructive, meaningful manner. Far too many individuals who ascend to positions of leadership behave in a thin - skinned manner, often overreacting when they are challenged by others, or by negative circumstances. Great leadership is about addressing needs, motivating others, and providing value to their constituents, and other stakeholders. True leaders remain above the fray, making certain that their egos are kept under control, and that they remain capable of understanding that is both possible and probable that at one point or another, they will be prone to making some mistakes.
2. True leaders keep their heads when others often lose theirs! They realize that they are not always right, although they pursue gathering as much information, knowledge, learning and wisdom as they can, so that their level of expertise is far above most others. A great leader creates a plan based on his vision for his organization, creating meaningful goals, an action plan, and attempts to motivate others to share his vision. These plans must be comprehensive in nature, always examining multiple possibilities and/ or contingencies, and creating a number of backup plans to address the "what if's." By doing so, they realistically address that what one hopes for may not always be achieved on the first attempt, and one of the signs of greatness is maintaining the persistence and patience to pursue goals, rather than prioritizing their own vanity.
Leaders make mistakes, as do all of us. It is the great ones that address them promptly and remain on track to accomplish the overall goals in a productive manner.
Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, and Director of Development, as well as a consultant. He has professionally run events, consulted to over a thousand leaders, and conducted personal development seminars, for over 30 years. Rich has written three books and well over a thousand articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://Facebook.com/Plan2lead
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