Leaders Must Take Advantage Of Other's Experience
By Richard BrodyOne of the often most difficult things for a leader to come to realize and accept is that he does not have all the answers, nor necessarily the experience, to handle every and any eventuality. It is for precisely that reason that quality leaders establish a trusted set of advisers, with varied and various experiences and expertise. The inimitable Benjamin Franklin explained the need for experience, thus, "Experience is a dear teacher, and only fools will learn from no other." Therefore, it is incumber on those in positions of leadership, to take advantage of the knowledge, experience, expertise and wisdom of others,
1. When an organization goes about seeking new leaders, it must immediately ascertain how the individual might be willing to accept advice from others. Over - proud people, especially when in positions of leadership, often suffer poor judgments, even despite the best intentions, because those judgments are often unsupported by the needed knowledge, experience and expertise, and thus they lack enough wisdom. What often differentiates the great leader from the rest is his willingness to admit that he might not be an expert in certain areas, and that he therefore needs people he feels comfortable with, that he can trust, that can fill in those blanks. Far too many organizations squander opportunities and waste an enormous amount of expertise, because they no longer even consider the input of past leaders. While all past leaders may not necessarily be helpful or have useful input, a wise individual should be willing to discover which ones do have the needed judgment and experiences.
2. When a leader creates his inner circle, it is essential that he include, not only friends and those that will automatically agree with him, but also people who come from a different point of view, so that he can enjoy a well - rounded, alternative - possible base. The wisest of leaders must often spend far more time and effort listening and paying attention to others, than simply being the only one with input. Great leadership is often about considering alternatives, and finding ways to get things done. it is about being able to make seamless adjustments when things need some shaking up, as well as being able to continuously learn and reinvent ones self when it is called for.
False pride often results in the demise of the effectiveness of a leader. While things change, some things remain the same, and leaders must not simply reinvent the wheel for the sake of doing so. Enhancing one's understanding of issues creates effective leadership.
Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, and Director of Development, as well as a consultant. He has professionally run events, consulted to over a thousand leaders, and conducted personal development seminars, for over 30 years. Rich has written three books and well over a thousand articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Brody
http://EzineArticles.com/?Leaders-Must-Take-Advantage-Of-Others-Experience&id=7375975