Effective Leaders

When someone was once asked what it took to be an effective leader, he responded:  “Be an effective  follower!”  While this response seems in opposition to leadership, it has truth to it.  In order to effectively lead, you sometimes need to be willing to follow.  In order to have influence over others, you need to be willing to be influenced!  What behaviors and skills do effective leaders exhibit?

• Effective Leaders know where they they came from, where they are and where they are going.
• Effective Leaders understand the basics of human behavior.
• Effective Leaders know how to build an environment that will enable their direct reports to be motivated to their highest potential, in order to perform at their highest levels.
• Effective Leaders build their competence and focus their efforts for maximum results.  Effective followers master skills that will be useful to their organization, and they hold higher performance standards that their job work group requires.
• Effective Leaders are courageous, honest and credible.  Effective followers establish themselves as independent, critical thinkers whose knowledge and judgment can be trusted.
• Effective Leaders are great coaches who are able to give excellent feedback and collaborate with their direct reports on the best way to achieve their goals

Are you following these practices?  What other things make an effective leader?