This week we have been considering Leadership skills development and debating whether the qualities of an effective leader are different today as opposed to 10 years ago.
The qualities haven’t changed but what has is the speed in which a good leader needs to adapt their approach and keep up with the impact of change happening all around them.
Most managers and leaders are having to do much more with far less and have broader remits and smaller teams. This means something has to give. Firstly they must prioritise faster and more effectively, secondly, they must delegate responsibility and more authority for decision making and they must make sure that those they delegate to are competent.
Often, this is where the problem starts as many people being delegated to have not been trained to assess and analyse problems properly, select and implement multiple solutions. This is particularly so when under pressure. Hasty and poor decision making leads to quick fixes and flawed decisions not long term solutions. Ineffective problem solving will lead to more problems, increase in work load and does impact badly on morale.
Developing leadership skills becomes a priority, for which time and budget must be found or the consequences and costs of the ineffective decision making will persist. Another tough decision to be taken.
By Kasmin Cooney OBE | Righttrackâs Managing Director