Intuitive identification of problems, managing social-distance and identifying the right timing to initiate action...formula for inspirational leadership
Successful leaders have a keen sense of identifying the exact organisation challenge, maintaining social - distance and finding right timing for action. It is this potential when actually used by the leader whilst managing his challenges that makes him an effective and successful leader.
Let us appreciate the perspective. In the real world, problems don't some easily identified, specifically labelled or clearly defined. Generally hidden in the undergrowth of other realities and challenges they disguise themselves to avert identification whilst contributing to cause disaster in the system.
Somewhere, these problems and challenges seem to have a desire for their long term safety and survival. It is only a few leaders who are blessed and who are so closely engaged in the business strategy that they develop a natural instinct to put their finger and exactly identify their problem. Once a problem is identified, it is actually a matter of time for their solution to appear on the horizon.
Managing social-distance is another critical leadership quality. Distance is both in this reference geometric and metaphoric sense. Knowing how deep to maintain relationships at the workplace and at the same time not letting such relationship impair work expectation or deliveries is what maintaining social distance as part of efficient leadership about. Effective leaders develop discretion that helps them to naturally know how deep to go in any work place relationship and yet know when to pull-out if it starts impairing work outputs. As a young HR Manager my mentor told me that a good HR Manager knows when to put his arms around others and yet not let others put their arms around him. Realised much later in life that he was telling me that managing Social Distance is the way-forward to efficiency.
The third critical element of leadership efficiency is about timing. Effective leaders understand timing. When to go fast on what problems, when to go slow with which people, when to just not take any decision...all are matters of timing. A Leader clearly is a master of timing.
The three when applied together creates an admirable action oriented leadership that is able to intuitively identify the real problems, know how to manage social distance within group relationships and simultaneously is able to identify the right time to make suitable interventions to get maximum benefits.