How to achieve successful leadership: Two core concepts
By Andrew Waddington, vice president, fsSTRATEGY Inc.
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 An effective leader needs vision and a dynamic leadership style. Effective leaders are successful, in part, due to two core concepts.
First, they have an appropriate vision to use as a guide to lead their team. Successful leadership begins with the vision, but a vision is nothing if it cannot be implemented in the real world. For that reason, a team motivated to share and act on that vision must be assembled in order to be successful.
Second, effective leaders can maximize the ability of their team members by assuming a dynamic leadership style. This approach benefits both the organization and the individual.
Communicating the vision starts with orientation and training. This process should introduce a collection of standards and systems and clearly define the goals, objectives and vision for the team. The message must be carefully composed, and its wording is critical. Is the vision to "cook hamburgers" or is it to "provide the best possible quality product (which incidentally is a hamburger)?" In this example, it is easy to see the importance of how the vision statement is phrased. I have certainly endured my fair share of inedible hamburgers created honestly under the former vision!
It is assumed that the individual was hired because they possess the skill sets required for the position and that the training program was thorough and effective. It is, therefore, safe to conclude that the individual is probably able to do their job well. What has not been addressed yet, however, is the motivation or willingness of that individual to do the job well over time.
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