Leadership Roles

Leadership Roles and Responsibilities Leaders have many roles and responsibilities. They must be visionaries, managers and problem solvers. Whether they are leading a company or leading a school , effective leaders possess similar skills. Some of these skills come naturally, whereas others are developed over time. As these skills are developed, leaders become more effective in serving and guiding others.

delegate
• In order to work effectively and efficiently, often leaders must delegate authority to meet goals. In order to select a capable person, leaders must know their employees' strengths and weaknesses and realize that not all delegated tasks will require the same skills or talents. Leaders must communicate the details of the delegated assignment clearly to the responsible party. Once leaders issue the assignment, they must trust the selected person to complete the task. If leaders try to give to much supervision, they defeat the point of delegating the assignment or authority.
Give Accolades
• Leaders realize that recognizing the work and ideas of their team or employees makes a difference in the effectiveness of their leadership. Taking the time to privately tell an employee that her comments made in the morning meeting were excellent can be just as important as emphasizing her sales record during the meeting. In his autobiography, "Sam Walton: Made in America," Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, writes about publicly acknowledging store managers and team members' contributions to the store's success. He even addresses his decision to offer Wal-Mart stock to his employees. In "Strategies for Retaining Employees and Minimizing Turnover," the author notes that one of the main reasons employees leave companies is because of lack of recognition and feeling undervalued. When people feel valued by leadership, loyalty to the company or organization is fostered.
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Influence and Motivate
• Former U.S. President John Quincy Adams said, "If your