Effective leadership: Making a difference:

Leadership is all about influencing and motivating others to work towards achieving specified goals. The question then becomes: Which leader(s) stands out from the rest for making a difference, for inspiring others, and what can we learn from such leaders?  In this piece, we will explore the above question and more importantly, distinguish between successful “effective leaders” and less successful “leaders,” and what we can learn from the experience.

According to Simon Sinek, “There are leaders, and there are those that lead.” Anyone can become a “leader” by virtue of their position, but a few go above and beyond simply being a “leader” to become an “effective leader.”  Let us get started by identifying some quality leadership attributes,  that include:  having a vision, carefully listen to what others have to say, possessing both integrity and a sense of fairness, possessing a thorough knowledge in their field, and finally, effective leaders are problem solvers who can employ a set of specific heuristics to solve unstructured problems.

{mosads}As we evaluate leaders based upon the policies and practices they embrace and advocate, we found two U.S. senators, one a populist (liberal) Democrat the other, a libertarian (conservative) Republican as good starting points for this discussion.  As a senator, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is certainly more liberal minded than the more conservative leaning Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky).  As exemplary political leaders, both are making a difference in positive ways. Warren is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, and anti-gun; whereas Paul is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.  While they differ on these issues, both Warren and Paul would agree that they share a mutual distrust of centralized authority, and a very strong distrust of Wall Street. 

On the other extreme, we found Citicorp, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland to be lacking in some of the critical attributes of effective leadership, based on their recent plea to rigging the global currency market.  According to The Wall Street Journal, the banks agreed to plead guilty on May 20, 2015 to criminal charges of conspiring to rig the value of the world’s currencies. The four banks agreed to plead guilty and pay fines and criminal penalties of some $5.6 billion for manipulating the global currency market.

Warren and her management style exude the effective leadership attributes discussed earlier. Warren represents a leader who is making a difference in a positive way.  For instance, in the recent congressional debate over Congress providing President Obama the authority to negotiate trade deals between the United States and other nations, Warren has been an outspoken critic of extending such authority.  In this case, in spite of the fact that the senator has been one of the greatest allies of the president, she still has no qualm in confronting the administration and asserting her disagreement with the Obama’s administration on this trade deal.  She argues that in spite of all the promises in support of the trade deal, she considers the idea as being another attempt to tilt the playing field in favor of multinational corporations while hurting American workers.  This remains a consist position (her distrust of Wall Street), a position that is the epicenter in her book, “A Fighting Chance.” 

We believe that Paul is also an effective leader who has distinguished himself from most of his counterparts by recognizing how differential treatment of certain segments of our population has helped to plant the seed of mistrust between the police and the minority community. Paul asserts, “The lack of trust toward police in minority communities and the protests on our nation’s streets are rooted in this discontent: 57 percent of Americans express confidence in the police, but only 34 percent of African Americans feel the same way.” Paul is now working with other senators from both political parties to address disparity in our system. Paul’s independence also extends to his being an outspoken critic of the Patriot Act, and the National Security Agency (NSA) data collection techniques.

While effective leaders both inspire and motivate those around them, effective leaders think strategically, not just about next week or next year, but about what changes needs to be instituted to being about continual positive results years from now.  Effective Leaders create a space for interaction and reflective dialogue that encourages people and provides opportunities for others to learn and grow professionally.  Effective leaders set a positive example in both their personal and professional lives for others to emulate.  Effective leaders are selfless, modest, and have a clear vision of what is right, true, and ethical.  Effective leaders accept responsibility for their actions, and do not blame others, they are problem solvers. 

In conclusion, we believe that both Warren and Paul’s contributions in helping to raise the issues of economic, racial, and constitutional justice are cumulatively making a difference in our society. Effective leaders like Warren and Paul are shedding illumination on the critical issues of our time; they strive to provide equity while fostering the creation of an environment that empowers others to work for social and economic justice.Their actions cumulatively earns them a respected position in our eyes.  Their contributions will without a doubt add to the ongoing process of fostering economic fairness and racial justice for all. 

Nwoye is the president and Global Diversity trainer for Diversity Frontier Inc., he also serves as an adjunct professor at Strayer University. DeHainaut is a professor of Business at PennState University.