Loyalty

My definition of effective leadership is to use your personal characteristics and qualities to be the absolute best you can be, and to help others be the absolute best that they can be.

Ever since the beginning, leaders have been creative problem solvers who use their imagination to reexamine the status quo, visualize new possibilities and ask “what if.”  The primary responsibilities of leaders are to initiate and cope with change.

Leaders therefore:

• Set new directions
• Align people around the new direction by communicating it clearly
• Ensure people understand and are committed to it
• Motivate and inspire people to keep them moving in the right direction

A leader motivates, inspires and energizes people by connecting the vision, mission, values, purpose and business goals to individual values and needs.

Management is a specific kind of leadership in which achieving organizational goals is paramount. Managers carry out operations and maintain the status quo, by setting goals and objectives consistent with the vision of the organization.

The primary responsibility of managers is coping with complexity. They therefore do the following:

• Plan and budget
• Set targets and goals for the future
• Established detailed steps for achieving those goals
• Allocate resources to support the plans
• Organize and staff

Leadership and management must be used in balance. Leadership and management are two distinct yet complimentary systems of action, each with its own characteristics and activities. Both are necessary for your success, as well as that of the organization.

Dianne Durkin is president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a specialized consulting and training company that enhances employee, customer and brand loyalty for some of the nation’s most prominent corporations and many smaller businesses. Dianne’s proven expertise lies in helping companies quickly get to the core issues and outlining their impact on the organization’s profits, productivity and people.  www.loyaltyfactor.com