7 keys to Effective Leadership…
John Maxwell 是个世界知名的“领导学”专家。领导学里的精粹基本是老生常谈，没有清楚的科学根据，但是颇有一点经验累积的智慧。Maxwell 在这个领域里经营了一辈子，他书中的不少智慧是人类经历的结晶。他在这个领域的著作，卖了一千三百万本，他的演讲有过两百万个听众。将来我会在浙大与清华的“商业社会与现代中国”讲座中预备加上一讲“领导与权力”，内容逃不了Maxwell 的影响。
他最近出了一本书： The Right to Lead. 其中最精彩的说法如下，对各位了解仁信智清会有很大的帮助。基本上Maxwell的七个要诀就是仁字诀。
他的七个要诀中我最有体会的是“give your power away” “be a follower first”,如果你越想要别人听你的，别人越不听你的。你越是按照别人的意见走，别人越是跟着你走。
李志文
WHAT GIVES A MAN OR WOMAN THE RIGHT TO LEAD?It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.The Kind of Leader Others Want to FollowThe key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
- Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
- Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first – and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
- Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
- Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
- Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you – when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead – that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
- Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership – and its highest value.
- Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.In The Right to Lead, you will hear from and read about people who have done these same things and earned the right to lead others Because of the courage they found and the character they displayed, other people recognized their admirable qualities and felt compelled to follow them.The followers who looked to these leaders learned from them, and so can we. As you explore their worlds and words, remember that it takes time to become worthy of followers. Leadership isn't learned or earned in a moment.John Maxwell
