LEADERSHIP
PHILOSOPHY
Over the past 25 plus years my leadership
journey has been undergirded by a deeply held philosophical belief that leaders
have a moral and ethical obligation to always strive to do the “right thing”
for the people and the institutions that they lead; and that honesty,
integrity, and fairness in their dealings, should form the foundation of their
decision-making. Concomitant with this philosophy is my view that leaders
should have a clearly articulated vision for the people and the enterprises
that they lead; and must instill in their followers a sense of ownership in
working together to achieve the vision, mission, and the purpose of the
enterprise. It is only by achieving this “buy in”, and having a strong sense of
ethical values and a moral compass, that leaders can achieve the level of
success to which they aspire.
As a leader, while it would be ideal to
surround yourself with people who possess strong moral compasses that would
guide their personal and professional lives, the reality is that in any given
work environment leaders encounter people at various points along the bandwidth
of moral preparedness. Clever leaders understand this clearly and strive to
create a workplace atmosphere in which moral and ethical values guide their
subordinates’ actions. Astute leaders also understand that despite their best
efforts getting their peers and subordinates to conduct business in a moral and
ethical manner is a continuing challenge. Nevertheless, leaders must strive to
achieve complete “buy-in” of this concept
- a difficult but necessary prerequisite to successful leadership.
Twenty-First
Century Leader
An effective twenty-first century leader is a
person who possesses the combination of vision, passion, commitment, drive and
skills, to rally and inspire others to work together in the best interests of
the organization; while simultaneously cultivating the requisite relations with
stakeholders/benefactors, to attract investments to augment the core business;
and who moreover, is capable of promoting and enhancing the mission, and
reputation of the organization. He/She, therefore, should possess the requisite
depth and breadth of experience, as well as the wisdom born from that
experience, that would allow him/her to: effectively and efficiently articulate
and implement a clear and compelling vision for the organization; advance the
mission, goals, and objectives of the organization; be its staunchest advocate;
speak knowledgeably and intelligently about all aspects of its programs and
services; enhance the image and visibility of the organization, with the goal
of attracting appropriate partners and investors to advance the strategic
agenda. In addition, in the current and foreseeable fast-pace, limited
resourced, competitive environments, an effective twenty-first century leader
must also possess an entrepreneurial mind-set wherein he/she must assume
ownership of the enterprise that he/she is privileged to lead.
