An article by Peter O'Brien.
What makes a good Leader? Does a good Leader make a good Manager?
Leadership can be described as “a process in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”. A Property Management Department Manager needs to have excellent Leadership skills to ensure the department is operating in the best possible capacity that it can.
Attention to detail, ability to delegate and knowledge of people and property management will assist a Leader in performing their role properly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it wasn’t built by one person. It is a team effort to produce great results and this will be achieved with a Manager who has exceptional Leadership skills.
Leadership is one of the most important ingredients of success in almost anything. When leadership is lacking the outcomes will drop, for the group and the individuals involved.
Are leaders born or developed? In my opinion Leaders have certain characteristics that differ from those who struggle with a senior role responsible for achieving results and managing a team. Don’t get me wrong, with training and support the managers who are struggling will be able to learn the key factors that make a good Leader and become very good within their role. However, the Managers that already possess strong characteristics of a Leader will grasp it easier and quicker then others.
Characteristics that include: courage, discipline and persistence and confidence are all very high on the list.
To make a good Leader, I believe you need to follow four basic principles. These are:
- Do it — don’t just say it. Talk is cheap. — When companies “walk their talk” by investing in team members’ capabilities, they’re likely to inspire both loyalty and commitment.
- It’s all about people. Great businesses aren’t built on products or services — they’re built on the people who create and use them. Businesses grow when the people who work for them grow. When this happens, people know they’re on a winning team.
- Meaning isn’t everything — it’s the only thing. If people don’t believe their work has meaning, they’ll either lose heart or find work elsewhere.
- Talk doesn’t solve problems. Breaking down big, complex challenges into manageable parts makes sense. Too much complexity does lead to paralysis.
Two other important qualities of leaders: Being proactive (not waiting for situations to come to them) and an ability to effectively resolve complex situations. The former is necessary and the latter can be an additional quality of a leader.
Leaders and managers who couple these approaches with solid knowledge of the market and a worthwhile product or service will find that, over time, they can’t help but succeed.