Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    How to Be an Effective Leader
    How to Be an Effective Leader
    How to Be an Effective Leader
    Ebook155 pages1 hour

    How to Be an Effective Leader

    By Terrence D. Griffith and Yolande Y. Smith

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    It is often said that leadership is not a position or a title but actions and examples. It nay be to your delight at the way the author chose to end this practical and insightful book with the question: "What kind of leader do you
    want to be?" The wisdom, practical applications, and examples on How to become an Effective Leader, point us in the direction to earnestly answer that thought-provoking question. Whether we are called to lead in our career, in a firm or on a board; our community; our homes or an organization—formally or informally—we strive to be the best version of ourselves. As leaders and communicators, it is advantageous for us to be effective at both. Terrence Griffith espouses that we must be the leaders that are needed in particular situations. How we are perceived by our followers, colleagues, neighbors, or family members in that role, is largely based on how effective we are in service to others. It is fair to posit that our goal, when we take on or are thrust into a leadership role, is to be successful at the task of producing a decisive effect. Griffith has taken the time to outline some excellent scenarios, personal experiences, principles, and procedures, which when applied can help us become effective leaders. While they are not strictly prescriptive, the examples can be used in our personal growth plan to discover the leaders we truly are. As the Reverend reminds us, effective leadership is not many of the things that we have come to associate with it, but it is impactful, motivational, visionary, empathetic, firm and achieved with bold and steady determination; in other words, it is marked by resolve.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateOct 19, 2022
    ISBN9781888434071
    How to Be an Effective Leader

    Related to How to Be an Effective Leader

    Related ebooks

    Personal Growth For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Alone Time

      Jul 15, 2021

      Alone Time
      5 min read

    • Article

      When Every Day is a Mental Health Day

      Jan 24, 2020

      When Every Day is a Mental Health Day
      7 min read

    • Article

      Perfectly Imperfect

      Jun 12, 2019

      Perfectly Imperfect
      7 min read

    • Article

      Be A Leader

      Dec 11, 2020

      Be A Leader
      1 min read

    • Article

      How To Self-treat With EFT

      Nov 24, 2019

      The more psychological the issue, the better the results with EFT will be. Think about a problem you want to work on. It can be an anger issue with your partner, a sense of insecurity at work, general anxiety about money—you name it. Contemplate the

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Great Pretender

      May 6, 2021

      The Great Pretender
      6 min read

    • Article

      5 steps to BECOMING A GREAT LEADER

      Oct 21, 2019

      We’ll never lead anyone anywhere unless we learn how to become good leaders, but do you want to become a great leader? How does God look at your leadership now? Will it stand the test of time? No matter how successful you think you are, you may be co

      2 min read

    • Article

      HR Is Not Your Friend

      Dec 3, 2021

      Employees often believe that the human-resources department is there to help and advocate for them in tricky situations, says Joanna York. This is a misconception. The most obvious functions of an HR department are hiring, firing and getting people p

      1 min read

    • Article

      Smart Tips for Estate Planning: Write Your Will Like George Washington Did

      Aug 9, 2019

      Estate Planning for those you love can dramatically alter the course of your family for generations. In his last will and testament of 1799, George Washington, laid out a clear vision for his legacy. He bequeathed the "use, profit, and benefit" of hi

      4 min read

    • Article

      Unwavering Determination

      Jan 15, 2023

      Unwavering Determination
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Truth About OPTIMISM

      Feb 7, 2019

      The Truth About OPTIMISM
      3 min read

    • Article

      An Eye On The Future

      Jun 4, 2019

      An Eye On The Future
      2 min read

    • Article

      4 Ways You May Be Sabotaging Your Career Success

      Mar 1, 2021

      We all want to do well on the job, right? But how often do we get ourselves into a real pickle — instead of being thought of as a go to person, it feels like stay away from me is tattooed on your forehead. “Nobody wants to be in that category,” best-

      3 min read

    • Article

      Claiming Your 4 Superpowers

      Jan 21, 2021

      Claiming Your 4 Superpowers
      4 min read

    • Article

      Product Spotlight

      Dec 7, 2021

      Product Spotlight
      1 min read

    • Article

      Let Go Of Stress

      Mar 3, 2020

      Let Go Of Stress
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Lesson Learnt

      Oct 15, 2021

      A Lesson Learnt
      1 min read

    • Article

      Trust Your Heart

      Jun 29, 2021

      When you find yourself stuck in self-judgment, pause for a few moments to honestly face the suffering of believing you are “not OK.” Notice where you feel that suffering in your body. How is it arising in your mind? Then offer some gesture of kindnes

      1 min read

    • Article

      How The Pandemic Shapes Better Leaders

      Nov 4, 2020

      In the new world, we need to work more collaboratively than ever. Yet, this has become harder as we navigate how to work separately. For organisations to survive the pandemic, leaders must connect and communicate regularly with their direct reports.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Healing

      Sep 1, 2019

      Healing
      2 min read

    • Article

      7 Tips for Raising Wealthy Kids to Be Socially Responsible

      May 24, 2019

      How do parents with substantial assets raise fiscally and socially responsible children? How do you talk to your children about the wealth they are likely to inherit? Many successful people with significant wealth don't know how to talk to their chi

      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for How to Be an Effective Leader

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      How to Be an Effective Leader - Terrence D. Griffith

      INTRODUCTION

      I have been told and maybe you have also, that some people are born leaders, others have leadership thrust upon them and still there are those who seize leadership. Do you really believe this?

      Some people possess the natural knack to get others to follow them. They are charismatic, populist individuals who are liked and admired by many and easily move people to action. In contrast, there are those who have leadership thrust upon them and are usually leaders of convenience, placed in the position of leadership to block those who may possess greater leadership abilities.

      David Yallop in his book IN GOD’S NAME, argues that Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I, was a compromise Pope. He posits that no one including the press expected Albino Cardinal Luciani to become Pope. At best they saw him as a C candidate. When the smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel, it was Luciani who would be announced as El Papa John Paul I. Thirty-three days later, Luciani would be dead and Yallop believes that this compromise leader was underestimated and paid with his life for daring to shake up the Vatican.

      There are those who become leaders by seizing power from the hands of those in leadership. These individuals may have failed to get people to follow them voluntarily, did not win the confidence of those who could place leadership on their shoulders or may have been oppressed by those in leadership. There were left with no alternative but to seize power for the sake of self-preservation.

      In observing leaders who were effective, Fidel Castro may top the list. Castro ruled Cuba until his death and although we disagreed with his philosophy, every attempt to overthrow him failed. On the contrary, Mikhail Gorbachev could not hold the Soviet Union together and maintain power, because he lacked the essentials of effective leadership. I admired Mikhail Gorbachev. Much credit must be given to him for his bravery in shaking the core of Communism, but his lack of effective leadership skills gave rise to the current dictator in Russia.

      Josip Tito, the late leader of Czechoslovakia ruled until his death, crushed the attempts of the Soviet Union to overthrow him and replace him with stooges, when he started a brand of National Socialism in Czechoslovakia. Tito like Castro was an effective leader. Bear in mind that this is not about ideology but leadership.

      In the 1980’s many called Ronald Reagan, one of the ineptest Presidents’ Americans elected—yet Americans elected him twice and if he could have run again, he would have won in a landslide. If Reagan was as incompetent as his critics say he was, then most Americans must have been bewitched to have elected him twice. Reagan was not maladroit as many people think he was, probably Nixon was. Reagan was a leader. He was a great communicator and much more. He knew how to motivate people, how to surround himself with loyal people and how to make Americans believe in him. Reagan was an effective leader.

      An effective leader is never beaten at the polls while he is in office, he resigns when he is tired or steps down when his term expires. People do not vote out someone if he is performing, they give them the boot when they are ineffective. A true leader is seldom overthrown and if he is, those who led the revolt will have to govern by the barrel of the gun and are eventually run out of town.

      Raoul Cedras, the former military dictator of Haiti, could not continue to rule Haiti while the elected leader, Jean Bertrand Aristide was still beloved by much of the Haitian people. A leader has his back covered by the masses even when he is in exile. A true leader in exile always returns home to complete the revolution that he or she began. Aristide did return home to a hero’s welcome and when he was unceremoniously removed from his own country by President Clinton, it was not what the people of Haiti wanted. Yitzhak Shamir of Israel was such a leader and Benigno Aquino of the Philippines was a leader cut from that cloth.

      Effective leadership is not restricted to political leaders but includes anyone in charge of any organization—be it a fraternity, sorority, or religious institution. Religious institutions more than any other group or organization need individuals with effective leadership skills to survive and move forward. These bodies bring together people from different walks of life—people who are leaders during the week in the workplace or in their secular organizations, having to surrender leadership to a leader who may not be as qualified as they are. Consequently, religious institutions need leaders who have a strong constitution to lead and propel their organizations.

      In the context of the church, the dynamics of yesterday’s church, particularly, stand in stark contrast to the postmodern church. Yesterday’s church members followed with total trust and faith. I listened to the older members of my home church speak with admiration and veneration about their ancient pastors. They were like demigods who could do no wrong. In fact, my Aunt Nesta told me the Lord would smite me, because I questioned what a pastor said. Pastors of yesterday, did not have to worry about their leadership being challenged, unless they did something egregious. And even then, some of them were like Houdini—they knew how to get out of leadership pickles.

      In contrast, this postmodern generation questions everything, and a pastor does not have immunity because he is a Man of God—his leadership must be exceptional if he is to survive. Blind followship has been replaced by disciples of sight. It is therefore obligatory that all who wish to pastor must master the scientific art of leadership, if they are to survive in a body that has changed drastically in the last three decades.

      Clint Eastwood says that a man must know his limitations and herein lies the crucible of leadership. A man may be a good leader of a soccer club but a lousy principal of a school. He must know what he can handle, or the consequences may be painful in the future. Some people just for the recognition accept leadership positions that they cannot handle and consequently plunge organizations into the abyss of despair.

      Pastor Harris could have won the elections to be the leader of his religious organization several times. Each time his colleagues attempted to make him President, he refused. To him, that was not his calling. He was an effective Pastor; however, he believed that his leadership abilities did not transcend into managing and administrating over fifty Churches. He was cognizant that the very people who wanted to crown him king, will turn on him should he fail as President. A man must know his limitations.

      How; then can genuine people who want to lead know whether they are qualified? How can the timid and those who doubt themselves discover whether leadership abilities are buried somewhere in their Psyche? And how can anyone who wants to be an effective leader cultivate the skill and discipline?

      This book seeks to serve as a GPS, to lead you to your leadership destination. It is incontrovertible that ineffective leaders are replaced. But if you want to lead the right way, you will find in these pages nuggets that will help you discover your limitations and strengths. People who are successful leaders keep their impediments ever before them and use them as steppingstones. You will learn how to remove the millstone of limitation from around your neck and use it as the stairs to take you higher.

      Before you proceed to the first chapter of the book it is imperative that you do the following exercise. This exercise will help you discover what you need to do to become an effective leader. You will not find all the answers here, but a road map that will lead you to the treasure of leadership.

      I pray that you are inspired and do not hesitate to let me know how your leadership is progressing. I have no doubt that if you follow the guidelines that are written in this book, you will become an exceptional leader.

      Terrence D. Griffith

      HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER

      Leadership Exercise

      Rate the following statements before

      proceeding to the first chapter.

      •I consider myself a leader.

      Always     Usually     Sometimes     Never

      •In a group I am most times deferred to by others.

      Always     Usually     Sometimes     Never

      •When asked to lead, I usually jump in and start leading.

      Always     Usually     Sometimes     Never

      •When I am asked to lead a group, I develop a plan before going to the group.

      Always     Usually     Sometimes     Never

      •I am normally supportive if someone’s plan is chosen above mine.

      Always     Usually     Sometimes     Never

      •When I come up with ideas,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1