Motivational

Leadership

Forestwood

Weekly Quotes

“There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust.” – Klaus Balkenhol

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

What makes a good leader?

Does a manager lead by example or by words?

Is compliance of employees achieved by checking, verifying, straightening those who they see as divergent from their policy or procedures? Can successfully managing a team mean you do not need to mould, reform or control?

Some years ago, I worked in a friendly and collaborative workplace, until sweeping changes created some newly appointed Team Leaders and the group dynamics changed.

The decline in morale and mood in the workplace was palpable. Many Senior staff left the organization and the atmosphere became toxic. Harassment, and criticism became commonplace. The boss tacitly supported this through direct, brusque emails. Softer, quietly spoken colleagues were the first targets to suffer under this micro-managerial behaviour.

The result: A disconnected, ineffective workplace with high absenteeism rates and resignations.

To be an effective manager of staff, you must possess a range of skills. Particularly decisiveness, empathy, intelligence, problem-solving skills, and great communication.

Similarly, in Government, we see politicians sit idly by until the public who elected them cry out for them to do something. Then, threatened by their own downfall, they move, often in the wrong ways and far too late.

The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.

– Woodrow Wilson

Our politicians would do well to remember Woodrow Wilson’s words.

As always, the old pearls of wisdom and quotes provide us with much insight into learning what constitutes leadership.

Weekly Proverb

Verona
Verona

He that would be a leader must be a bridge.

– Welsh Proverb

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

34 thoughts on “Leadership”

      2. The President of US used to be an esteemed position, and attracted Statesmen of character. It seems fear has driven folks to vote for a buffoon and the UK has followed suit. We have an ad man in charge. Where have all the statesmen gone?

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      4. Isn’t historic comparison strange thing? How civil, workers rights and welfare has become eroded? But this is free market capitalism at work. I do think that the decline in statesmenship is reflective of the changes in society. At one point, I thought Trump was the President America had to have, (I was no supporter) but I thought the shock of having him in charge would wake up the Republicans. Much of the rise in alt-right sentiment can be traced to politics running on fear. I think a lot of Republicans don’t like Trump, but the alternative to them is even worse. What sad times we live in.

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      5. All true words, Amanda. It all happened in such rapid succession for me. I never thought he would win major primaries in 2016, then I thought for sure the Republican establishment would prevent him from getting the nomination, then I thought the country itself would never allow such a person to be president. With each escalation of mores breaking down, my mouth was in a permanent open position. The moment I knew we were in trouble was his defense of the racist Charlottesville protesters. That was the point in which I became part of the resistance. The Republican party as we once knew it is completely gone, and in its place sits a obsequious shell of its former self. I look forward to November and fear it both at the same time. – Marty

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  6. I once worked for a company that had a toxic change of leadership. We went from a cohesive group to a dysfunctional mess. I left soon after the change, and I was glad I did. My former co-worker/friends were miserable. Unfortunately, now on the global stage, true, inspirational leadership seems to be in short supply.

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    1. It really affects the whole workings of the organization when the leadership fails. Not everyone or anyone can be an effective leader, can they? As you inferred. The ripple effects of inadequate or misguided leaders lasts for many years. It is my fervent hope that the ramifications of the current substandard leadership in what ever country they are, doesn’t.

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    1. I could not have encapsulated the intentions of the Welsh proverb better than your words, Jolene. Unity in a workplace, family, friendship or community groups has untold benefits and in this, the leader has a massive influence. Security, sense of belonging, as well as support, companionship, collaboration and learning can be gleaned by members of a positive, cohesive group. The alternative is only negative and negative groups often experience high staff turnover and low morale for good reason. It is hard for anyone to be productive in that kind of environment.

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  8. An intriguing one – leadership for me is a hard one, although I absolutely love being in that role. The demands from such a role are high, youre often measured and motivated by the results achieved. .

    Having said that it cannot be at the cost of I’ll behaviour or lack of empathy. It has to start from the base that each one in the organization is out there to make a difference and the role of a leader is to enable and channel that in the desired direction

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  9. A great trait of a leader is his/her ability to start with trusting a team member. It’s tough but I think it’s critical to start with trusting someone. Over time that someone will either maintain that trust or break it.

    By trusting someone first, you win their trust.

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    1. Trust is a huge concept and something that is hard to fake. I think it is hard to have a close relationship if you don’t have a level of trust. Do you agree?

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    1. Thank you I will take a look. Your current post about diverse networks, connections and the lens we look through is also very interesting.

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  13. Pingback: Leadership – voice of soul

  14. There are, in my experience, far too many ‘leaders’ who lack the necessary abilities or even the aptitude for the position. As Douglas Adams said:

    It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.

    (The final image is ‘404 not found’.)

    This comment was brought to you courtesy of ?Random Raiders! 🙂

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