Leadership refers to that which is genuine, credible, and authentic. People who lack this quality are perceived as counterfeit and weak. Effective management centres on being and doing.

Strong leaders are facilitators. Facilitation literally means ‘to make something easier.’ Good management and good leaders exist to advance the work of others. Role models serve the team. Positive leadership requires sensitivity to the people around us and demands that we set up systems and structures we arrange in order to achieve our mission.The challenge is to blend a touch of personal humility with intense professional will; a paradoxical but necessary combination of skills.

Team builders who lead are flexible. There are many different styles of leadership ranging from commander in chief to cheerleader. On one extreme, there is the leader who accepts no input and simply gives orders. She is the boss and there is no argument. Oftentimes, this is a sure recipe for failure. Real leaders are able to change their styles to meet specific needs in various situations, knowing leadership principles and understanding their own dominant leadership style.

A good leader must have a short memory. Those who use guilt as a motivator, like nagging parents, habitually dwell on past issues and use them as a whip. A recent study by the Centre for Creative Leadership set out to separate low and high-performing managers (study by James Couze and Barry Posner).