How To Be an Effective Leader

What does it take to be an effective leader, and why should managers care about being good leaders anyway? These were the questions Bill Hoopes, Grass Roots Training, set out to answer in a seminar at the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation's annual Ohio Turfgrass Conference in Columbus, Ohio, last week.

Managers should care about being good leaders for one simple reason: “People quit managers, not companies,” Hoopes said. Employees are attracted to jobs because of the pay and benefits, but they stay in a job because of the culture and training opportunities. “People take a job if it looks good, but they keep it if it feels good,” Hoopes said.

Because of this, companies need to offer good pay and benefits to attract talent. But in order for employees to remain productive and happy, they need effective managers. “Leaders control most of the factors that impact employee motivation to work,” Hoopes said.

The good news is that anyone can be a good leader. Contrary to popular belief, people aren’t born leaders. According to Hoopes, it takes three things to be an effective manager:

1. Commitment
2. A belief in yourself as a leader and
3. Following a process that works

Here are a few more tips Hoopes offered on how to be an effective leader:

• Don’t get caught in the “Superman Syndrome.” Managers can’t, and shouldn’t, do everything themselves. “This is a mistake that many managers make, especially new supervisors,” Hoopes said. “You’re building a team, and you have to remember that coaches coach – they don’t play the game.”
• Develop a team of people who are proficient, productive and proud. The key to motivating employees is to create an environment in which people want to produce. This is accomplished by spending time with your employees, not out doing things, Hoopes said.
• Lead by example. Managers need to set an example for what they want to see in their employees. “A failure to model management professionalism is the overriding cause of leadership failure,” Hoopes said.
• Have a good balance. Some managers focus all their attention on the task, and others focus too much on their employees. Neither management style is effective, Hoopes said. “The secret to effective leadership is learning to balance your concern for the task and the people evenly,” he said.
• Anticipate stress. Managers must be able to handle stressful situations because they are the leaders. Good leaders learn to anticipate stressors and plan ahead, making them more effective when problems arise.