Be Effective and Respected

I believe that a good leader is somebody who takes charge over a group of people to help them be efficient, and successful in completing a task. Throughout the process, they must be able to maintain a good relationship with their subordinates, and be respected. With that being said, my leadership philosophy is to lead by focusing on the effectiveness of my leadership, and being respected by my subordinates. These two ideas go hand in hand. If you are not an effective leader, you will not be respected by your subordinates. In the same way, if you do not have the respect of your subordinates, there is no way for you to lead effectively.

Any position of authority, Cross Country team captain for example, requires an effective, and respected leader. You could lead by example, where if you run fast, others will run fast. You could use negative motivation, where if somebody cuts the course, you issue out pushups. There are a handful of things that you could do as a leader, but in my opinion, you need to do what it takes to be effective and respected by your team for the best results.

In order to lead effectively, you need to be able to do a few things. You need to know when to use positive motivation, and when to use negative motivation. Use positive motivation on somebody who is doing an excellent job, so they keep doing an excellent job. Use negative motivation on somebody who is doing a poor job, so that they are forced to improve. Another way to lead effectively is to be adaptable. You have to be able to transition for every situation. For example, being a manager of a store, is a lot different than being the site boss at a construction site. Both are positions of authority, but would require a completely different skill set. A manager would be reactive. They would have to ensure customer satisfaction, and make sure employees do their jobs. A site boss would be proactive. They also would have to make sure employees do their job, but also make sure they are doing it safely, and that the job is done correctly and efficiently. Being adaptable to the situation makes you an effective leader.

Another key part of being a good leader is earning the respect of your employees. This does not mean becoming best friends with them, but rather that they will do as you say, and you can successfully lead them without argument. In order to do so, you need to know your employees. A good relationship with your employees is key in order for them to work efficiently under your supervision. You also need to lead by using the participative decision making style. This way, the employees can have a say in the way business is run, but you still have the authority to make important decisions as the leader. Also, it is essential to lead by example. This way your employees will respect you for actually being “out in the field” and they will be more inclined to do as you do.

The kind of leader I intend to be is one who strives to be effective and respected. By using the skills and techniques previously mentioned, a unit operating under my jurisdiction would get the job done well, and in a timely manner.

~Nate Treleven