The Brain Trust Weekly: Effective Leadership

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How important is the person leading your company? Just ask the employees and shareholders of Enron, Helmsley Hotel Chain and Sunbeam. Jeffrey Skilling, President & CEO of Enron, Leona Helmsley of the Helmsley Hotel Chain, and Al Dunlap, CEO of Sunbeam, all played a pivotal role in either the complete failures (read: bankruptcy) or near-so of their respective companies.

So what makes a good leader, and what does one do if they believe they’re working for an organization with a leader who is not ready – or worse – is not ethical? The far-reaching impacts on the company, its employees and shareholders, cannot be understated as the above examples illustrate. Here are some great articles that examine the traits that make the best leaders.

Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Leaders (Forbes)
A great list of visible cues that clearly articulate a lack of leadership. How many do you recognize? I spy 7.

12 Things Collaborative Leaders Do (Jesse Lyn Stoner)
Collaborative leaders create communities where people unite around a common purpose and values, working collaboratively to accomplish a shared vision that makes a powerful and positive impact.

Can Leadership Be Taught? (InMagazine)
Is leadership an inherent skill, or can it be learned? Two Consortium alums debate this issue.

Leadership Is A Conversation (Harvard Business Review)
A move from an autocratic approach to intimacy.

4 Leadership Styles to Master (Inc.)
It’s not enough to have just one way of leading: Different circumstances require separate management styles.

General Douglas MacArthur’s Principles of Leadership (LeadershipNow)
Even half a century later the General’s leadership style shows vision and effectiveness.

Sir Alex Ferguson – Managing Manchester United (Harvard Business School)
For 26 years, Sir Alex Ferguson has kept his Manchester United soccer club either at or near the top of competition, both in England and internationally. [Yes, I included this one primarily for my husband, although Sir Alex does exhibit great leadership traits.]

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