Is Leadership Important?

Leaders can achieve very little till others in the organization coalesce around the leader’s vision. The rank and file ultimately make the difference. The simplest way to look at this is the way organizations perform under different leaders. Let us take the case of Public Sector Organizations which operate for the most part under isolated and protected environment. Some heads perform better than the others. They are able to rally the rank and file better, keep the focus on clients and customers and ultimately generate better financial results. Even in mature multinational organizations, some CEO’s stand out for the difference they make to the organization.

If you are a people manager, you need to realize that everyone in your team is looking at you as a role model. Assemble a team that shares your vision and take them together to the end goal. You will stand out and your carer will take off. Even if you are not a people manager but an individual contributor, influence co-workers in your immediate circle of influence to align around your goals. Take time and invest in career coaching for your team members. Career guidance counselling is something every team member looks forward to. It will make your job that much more simple when everyone is all that positive and knows that the leader has the best intentions as far as every one’s career is concerned.

One good example to study is the US Presidency. Institutions are well defined by convention and by the written constitution. The only real difference theoretically we should see is one of ideology. However nothing can be further from the truth. Even institutions get dramatically influenced by leadership. There is nothing that can be run on auto pilot. Even an airplane needs to switch from auto controls to manual one when the plane is about to land. Even the most advanced fly by wire aircraft depends on the skill of the pilot to make sure that it lands safely.

Tough conditions brings out the best from good leaders and the not so good from the not so good leaders. Take the care of the current economic crisis. Some leaders like the ex Chiefs of Lehman Brothers or Merrill Lynch have not exactly done something they would be remembered for positively. Instead look at the CEO of Ford. He not only saved the company from the ignominy of a bankruptcy through some clever moves but has made sure that the company will probably emerge as the strongest amongst the auto players in the US. True, there have been loss of jobs in Ford as well but the company has emerged out stronger.

It is all about leadership. Leaders make the difference for any organization (or for that matter any country) between failure and success. The benefit to employees or the organization itself lies in the capability of the leader. Even institutions will fail if the leadership is incompetent.