If one wants to set himself apart from the masses that are in leadership positions, and thus become an effective leader, he must have the courage of his convictions, a vision for his organization, goals he wants to achieve, and most importantly, an action plan for implementation. Without the action plan, viable action rarely occurs, and without taking action, not only when necessary but also when advisable, an individual does not become a true leader.
Many individuals falsely believe that there are leaders that too quickly take action, when they actually should wait. However, if someone takes rash and hasty action, without proper analysis and deliberation, he is also not a real leader. An effective leader identifies issues and needs, thoroughly analyzes, plans, weighs ramifications, determines needs of the organization, comes up with back up or contingency plans, and utilizes a properly formulated action plan.
1. A true leader can never be guilty of procrastination. One of the most "deadly sins" I leader can commit is to avoid taking action, or attempting to defer action and responsibility to someone else and to a later time.
2. Leaders must be able to identify issues, and not simply do a surface analysis. Many leadership situations are complex, and it is often perilous to over simplify the issues. Identifying an issue properly means that a leader must be trained and capable of understanding nearly all of an organization's needs and issues, and the analysis should weigh the matter in terms of the organization's history, membership, priorities, ramifications, as well as the leader's vision for the organization's future.
3. Effective leaders prepare, and are often accused by naysayers as over- preparing. While a leader must not get bogged down in minutia, it is essential for him to be sure that all details are in place, there is a chain of command and assigned responsibilities, there is a review process in place, and that while methodology and approaches can vary and must be flexible and adaptable, an important vision must continuously guide decisions.
4. President Harry Truman was famous for his "The Buck Stops Here" philosophy, and true and effective leaders must be willing and able to make a decision after gathering information. A real leader dares to be great, and has the courage of his convictions. If he feels he is correct, and what he is doing is needed and necessary, he must be able to "pull the trigger" and take appropriate action.
In my last three decades of working with and training leaders, some great and some mediocre, some of large organizations and some leading small groups, I have continuously emphasized the importance of taking action. I urge all organizations to train their leadership and potential leaders so that they develop an attitude of willingness to discipline themselves to analyze, understand and review issues, and the self confidence to take important action.
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