TheThreeEssentialLeadershipSkills:CommunicationSkills,Decision-makingSkillsandExecutionSkills.
Leadershipisanancientdiscipline,andfromChina'sBookofEmperorsinthe8thcenturyADtoOnBecomingaLeaderin1989(whichestablishedWarrenBennisasthefatherofleadershipstudies),discussionofthissubjecthascontinuedunabated.Whatisleadership?Whilethementalimagesheldbymanyexperts,scholarsandbusinessleadersmayvary,intermsofconcreteabilities,leadershipisexpressedinthreeareas:communication,decision-makingandexecution.
Leaderswhocan'tcommunicateeffectivelyareunabletotrulyleadpeople.Thisisbecausethepeoplewhofollowthemreceivenoleadershipmessage,andarethusunsurewhichdirectiontoheadin,whattodoandwhytoit;creatingconsensusandestablishingtrustareofcourseoutofthequestion.Decision-makingliesatthecoreofleadership,andfunctionslikethecentralnervoussystem,sendingoutsignalstotheperipheralnervestocreatecoordinatedmovements.Andasdecision-makingisacentralizedfunctionwhereonecommandcanaffectanentireorganization,howcanweallowdecisionstobemadeonthebasisofindividualinstinctsorcommonknowledge?
Onceleadershavebecomeproficientatcommunicationanddecisionmaking,theymustpasstheirfinalandmostdifficulttest—execution.Evenwhencommunicationisgoodandtherightdecisionhasbeenmade,ifgridlockoccursintheexecutionprocess,alleffortswillcometonaught.Strategicgridlockisaleader'sworstnightmare,andinordertobreakthroughthemist,theU-N-L-O-C-Ktheorymustbeappliedtogetthingsbackontrack,fullyexecutestrategyandachievethefinalgoal.
Whiletheseleadershipprinciplesmaynotbeeasytolearn,theyareextremelyuseful.Fromnowon,leadersneednotfearaconstantlyshiftingenvironment.Thesethreekeystoleadershiparethebestguaranteeofexcellentresults.