Effective Long-Term Leaders

In class on Tuesday we discussed long-term effective leadership. We determined that the most effective leaders believe in themselves and their strategies. They are confident people, but also admit when they are wrong. This is the type of check and balance system that eliminates a leader from appearing arrogant or cocky. Wesleyan senior Liz Chabot stated, “You need confidence in everything you do, but effective leaders do not let their egos get the best of them.” Our class agreed. We also determined that creating a family-like working atmosphere where all opinions are equally valued is important to long-term success. Obviously the leader has the last say, but individuals in a firm or on a team should be able to think freely and feel important. When employees and team members feel valued they are far more likely to perform at their best. Wesleyan senior Derrick Williams supported this idea. “The CEOs were not always around, but when they were they took the staff out to lunch on them. This created a feeling of importance and made us work hard everyday regardless of whether or not they were around.” Part of being an effective leader is having effective followers. In our coming class, we will discuss how a leader can build character in his or her followers- the type of character that appears when people are not watching.

Best,

Salah