Are leadership skills critical?
Do you think Leadership skills are critical to your organization? Why?
Yes. Without leadership casting the vision there is no teamwork or coordination with every person going their own way. Leadership brings the organization together. This is true with both staff and students.
Absolutely! Leadership, the ability to get folks to go somewhere they otherwise would not, is a skill not everyone has. But if that skill can be developed, it's power to influence and energize others can prove to be greatly beneficial to any organization.
Misha,
Thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds like your institution has gone through a lot of changes and you are rising to the occasion. Congratulations on bringing your team together and getting everyone moving in the right direction!
Elizabeth Wheeler
Leadership skills are critical and essential for the success of the students as well as for our school. In the past three years, our medical school has had two presidents who came from backgrounds outside medicine. Their leadership styles failed, not due to lack of medical knowledge, but due to a lack of confidence and faith in the managers running their own departments. Instead of bringing the management team together, the last president compartmentalized everyone. This brought about a low morale, resentment, and complacent attitudes among the staff.
I was recently made president of the college. My first objective was to bring the team back together. I needed to build a sense of, “team,†again. As a physician and now the president I can act as a bridge between the medical staff and the non-medical administrative staff.
Every morning we have a brief 20 minute meeting with the senior staff. Each person gives a brief rundown of their goals for the day. What we have found is, by just letting other people know what their goals are for the day, people in different departments volunteer to assist them meet those goals. This alone has brought back the, “we are all in this together,†feeling.
Absolutely! An individual must be able to know which leadership style is needed for any given situation.
Steven,
Thank you so much, Steve. You have great insights. Thank you so much for posting!
Dr. Jean Norris
That was exactly a previous job I had -- the faculty had to generate their own projects as to make up for a lack of leadership. Several faculty meshed together as to establish programs and efforts benefiting students.
Without them, the dept would have missed out on many opportunities. But, as you said, there is usually a person or two who can take the reins for a short time and emerge as a leader because they want to -- and to ensure the improvement or development of a dept.
Honest and direct posting -- very nice :)
I know this all too well from previous jobs!
Yes – at all levels and activities of our university. Whether it is in the classroom, academic committee, or administration meeting, the innovation coming from vision guides everyone involved. The vision of a teacher can help students find ways to learn, especially in a context of distance education where communication may be difficult to provide. Meetings need people who are willing to stand up and take the initiative and lead an idea they propose (aligned with the overall mission, of course). Thus, no matter where you look in our group, some form of leadership needs to naturally emerge from the skills of those involved.
Any situation involving a group and a group effort needs leaders, followers, and those who can shift between them when their leadership activity is completed. We learned that the hard way and it is refreshing to see someone take the lead, get the process started, and let the process exhibit its own life. The product is always better because the process usually encourages teamwork and creative collaboration.
Thus, if one really wants to contribute, they must know more than protocol and process – they also need to embody the leadership skills needed to initiate the event depending upon process. If a person has even a small sense of leadership, that moment where they offer and trigger something, becomes very important as to achieve and grow.
I enjoyed this module…
Steve
Heather,
Excellent point. Have you had an experience like the one you describe?
Dr. Jean Norris
Leadership skills are critical to all organizations. In the absence of a formal leader, successful organizations still have individuals that step up to the plate and demonstrate their leadership skills.
Leadership comes from a sense of ownership and having the ability to inspire others to share your vision and that can occur in a situation where there is no formal leader.
Kevin,
I LOVE the visual! You are so right, as well!
Dr. Jean Norris
Hello Dr. Norris,
Not only are they critical, they are critical at every level.
The vision of bumper cars at a carnival comes to mind when I think of an organization without leadership.
I have always believed and now am re-assured after taking these courses that a great leader must also be a great follower.
Good point Richard. What are important elements to lead to success?
Dr. Jean Norris
Leadership skills is the foundation that determines the success or failure of an organization
This is very true Sharon. What has been your experience with successful leadership? How did that impact the students and staff?
Leadership skills are critical to every organization. In a school setting, those leadership skills must be put to use on several levels. It is important that the campus remain focused on providing a quality education for its students. To achieve this goal, the campus leadership must put forth a vision that inspires staff, faculty and students, but it must also set the standards and provide the road maps to get there. When an organization’s management does not have strong leadership skills, the followers will drift from task to task without purpose and customers will notice.
Leadership skills are critical to any successful organization. Effective leadership can establish a culture for success through clearly defined goals and the provision of support necessary to achieve those goals.
Richard,
So true. Having variety in your approaches will definitely help you connect with different people in different situations. Do you have any examples?
Dr. Jean Norris
