4.1 Leadership Models, Processes, and Practices

Abstract

There are many aspects to effective leaders. Several have been identified by Lowder

• 1. Personal effectiveness dimension. Successful leaders certain personal characteristics that trustworthiness, a strong moral compass, intellectual fortitude and optimism. They tend to be self-motivated, goal-oriented and work towards self-improvement. They manage time effectively and set priorities for important issues.

• 2. Interpersonal relationship effectiveness dimension. To make peace among other workers, leaders must embody trust, compassion, empathy, fairness and objectivity. They encourage, guide and motivate. People with these attributes are often perceived as charismatic and influential. In any charismatic leader, there is always a potential to pursue self-interest at the cost of the organization.

• 3. Managerial effectiveness dimension. The leader exudes team spirit, improves the productivity of other people, delegates authority, empowers others, communicates with candor, seeks organizational improvement, and emulates high organizational values.

• 4. Operational effectiveness dimension. The leader is an expert in relationship building, understands customer needs, propagates the organizational vision and mission, promotes organizational stability, and maintains customer satisfaction. Using these tools, he improves numerical measures like net profit, return on investment, earnings per share, etc.

• 5. Societal effectiveness dimension. The leader (or the organization) positively impacts the environment, communities, governments, suppliers, or consumers through community involvement, public relations and environmental stewardship.