What motivates you? When you are trying to determine what makes an effective leader, it is important for that individual to know what motivates them. This is only one of many tips Gwen Eddleman gave in her presentation to the Organizational Behavior-Management 362 class on Monday.
Eddleman, who was the former CEO of Centra Southside Community Hospital and now serves as adjunct faculty with the Nursing Program at Longwood, explained that an effective leader needs to have a level of balance. Leaders need to have a concern for the task as well as a concern for the relationships. They should have a solid value belief, as well as demonstrate confidence in others and promote feelings of security.
"It's very difficult to follow someone we can't identify with," said Eddleman. She explained there is also a chain reaction to ineffective leadership. If an individual goes home from work everyday feeling beat down, feeling badly about the job they did or feeling fearful that they might lose their job, they won't be as effective in the home.
Eddleman gave some more basic definitions of leaders. She said leaders define reality, always say thank you, must become a servant, are always indebted to followers, set the organizational tone, must have strong ethical principals and must have the courage to take action when it is supremely difficult.
Eddleman asked the class if there was anything going on in today's news that brought forward questionable leadership. One student brought up the topic of Penn State and all the issues coming out of that scandal. One student felt that Head Coach Joe Paterno should have been fired, and she asked if it was his kid being abused would he have felt or acted differently?
Eddleman pointed out that in Pennsylvania law, all one has to do is report the incident to the next highest person. As she explains, Paterno did so. Another student argued that Paterno had done what he was legally supposed to do. He also argued that ethics and morals were a gray area, and it is hard to define that.
Director of the McGaughy Professional Development Center for the College of Business and Economics Dr. William Baxter was also present for the presentation. He said that when the Penn State Board of Visitors made the decision to fire the president of the university, they were making a measured, immediate and public action.
Leadership often occurs at work, but it can also occur in other outlets such as church, school, the PTA or even your marriage and family. Some qualities of an effective leader include the thoughtfulness to listen more and speak less. Part of a successful relationship is listening to the other person. Baxter, who has been married for 45 years, talks about how important that level of communication has been in his relationship. "It has always been a give or take situation. It is never working out to a she or me. It's always worked out to a we," said Baxter.
It is important to understand that conflict will happen, and knowing how to manage those conflicts will help one be more successful. Leaders need to use their knowledge, intuition, compassion and courage to channel productivity in a manner that will be beneficial to the organization as a whole as well as the individual participants.
Eddleman ended her presentation with several more guidelines for leaders. Leaders need to persuade, not coerce. They need to articulate a vision for the group. They need to illuminate a path to a goal. Lastly, they need to build confidence in the group's ability to achieve. Leadership is about making what might be tough decisions to better your organization. "I would say to you as a leader in an organization, you must have the courage to take the action you believe is right," said Eddleman.
