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Why Do Some People Become Great Leaders?

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Why do certain people become great leaders? Leadership theories seek to answer this question and usually fit into one of eight basic types.

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I write about leading organizational transformations. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Business leaders are faced with dozens of decisions that need to be made every day. As our organizations grow, the decisions generally become more frequent, more complicated, and have more serious ramifications. Sometimes it's not about making the right decision, but just making a decision at all. The most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in the world will tell you they have made many wrong decisions throughout the lifetime of their careers, but those failures always lead to valuable learning experiences, so above all, it's important to find ways to make the tough decisions.

As a Navy SEAL, I learned how to make quick decisions in highly chaotic environments. SEALs are trained to be innovative free thinkers with the ability to make rational decisions with limited information under very stressful circumstances. In combat, things change constantly and contingency planning is crucial, but without proper execution and rational decision-making, no plan will lead to a successful mission. As World War I German Field Marshal Helmuth von Multke said, "No plan survives first contact with the enemy."

Similarly, business owners, executives and managers must master the ability to make good decisions quickly in order to keep the business moving forward. The best leaders, however, know when they need input from the team. Good leaders surround themselves with trusted advisors and subject matter experts, so that they can access a constant flow of data to make better decisions.

There are four basic decision-making styles that leaders can use:

1. Command: Command decision-making is where leaders make decisions without consulting their teams. This is an effective style, especially when things are moving quickly and the team is looking for immediate guidance. In a business setting, leaders use this style the most effectively on large financial decisions and in crisis situations. In "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden" former Navy SEAL Mark Owen (pseudonym) tells of the key command decision that saved the mission. When the helicopter pilot inserting the roof assault team lost lift and knew the bird was going down, he immediately made the command decision to ditch the helicopter in the courtyard with a controlled crash landing. He did so successfully, without any injuries, and the assault team was able to continue their mission. In this type of scenario, there is no time to consult with the team about the best course of action.

2. Collaborative: Collaborative decision-making is just what it sounds like. Leaders gather their teams and request feedback and insight. The leader still makes the final call, but is armed with the proper data to make a more informed decision. This can also be referred to as evidence-based decision-making. With this style, and really in all business decisions, avoid surrounding yourself with people that always agree with you. You need people who are able to strongly argue the other side. Whether you use their advice or not, it will help clarify your decision. In former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell's book "Lone Survivor" he tells the story of a decision that cost his team everything. Not long after the four-man team was inserted into a notoriously dangerous area of the Hindu Kush mountain range, tasked with capturing or killing a known al-Qaeda leader, two unarmed goat herders compromised their position. The SEALs had to make the decision whether to kill them and hide their bodies or set them free and risk the enemy being informed of their position. Team leader, friend, and Medal of Honor recipient, Michael Murphy, gathered the team and asked them for input, knowing he would eventually have to make the call. The team discussed the pros and cons of setting the goat herders free and ultimately made the decision to let them go. That decision was made based on team input and weighing the possible outcomes from all angles. The team set the goat herders free. As Luttrell tells it, they immediately knew they had made the wrong decision in this scenario. It was too late for them to reverse the decision, but they did what they could to prepare for the consequences. About an hour later, a large Taliban force surrounded them. Murphy, Danny Dietz, and Matt Axelson all lost their lives that day after a vicious gunfight that lasted for hours. Additionally, the helo full of SEALs and other special operators sent to support them was shot down killing everyone on board. Their actions held true to the SEAL Creed and they all fought valiantly to the end. Learn more at the Lone Survivor Foundation.

3. Consensus: Consensus-based decision-making is done more like a democratic vote. Leaders gather their teams and everyone votes. Majority rules. This process can work well when the outcome of the decision affects the entire team, and generally won't immediately affect the bottom line. In a quick-moving business environment, this is not the most efficient way to make a decision, but there are still some decisions that can be made this way. This style of decision-making was rare in the SEAL Teams. In a business, however, this type of decision-making can help mold the culture when the team is allowed to vote and have a voice. Just remember you generally can't please everyone.

4. Convenience: When surrounded by trusted peers, sometimes the best decision a leader can make is to not be the one to make a certain decision. Complete delegation (convenience decision-making) has many benefits including measuring the decision-making abilities of your managers, empowering your team, and maintaining your own sanity! By handing over some decision-making responsibilities, leaders are also building a better management team and giving them the confidence they need as their responsibilities increase. And, convenience-based decision-making is a great way to avoid the decision trap of "we've always done it this way." New decision makers take fresh approaches to solving problems.

People sometimes think one of the hardest decisions I've made in my life was to become a Navy SEAL. It wasn't at all. That was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made. The hardest decision was to leave the service while my SEAL brothers continue the fight. As my business partner and I grow our rapidly expanding digital marketing organization, we are faced with more tough decisions every day. The key is to remain calm under pressure, trust the team you have built, and use the data available to make the best possible decisions. Having a little faith doesn't hurt either!

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Business leaders are faced with dozens of decisions that need to be made every day. As our organizations grow, the decisions generally become more frequent, more complicated, and have more serious ramifications. Sometimes it's not about making the right decision, but just making a decision at all. The most successful [...]

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15 Tips for Effective Communication in Leadership

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Communication in leadership is critical for success. Get our research-backed tips for better and more effective communication for leaders.

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It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator. I hope you noticed the previous sentence didn't refer to being a great talker - big difference. The key to becoming a skillful communicator is rarely found in what has been taught in the world of academia. From our earliest days in the classroom we are trained to focus on enunciation, vocabulary, presence, delivery, grammar, syntax and the like. In other words, we are taught to focus on ourselves. While I don't mean to belittle these things as they're important to learn, it's the more subtle elements of communication rarely taught in the classroom (the elements that focus on others), which leaders desperately need to learn. In today's column I'll share a few of the communication traits, which if used consistently, will help you achieve better communication results.

It is the ability to develop a keen external awareness that separates the truly great communicators from those who muddle through their interactions with others. Examine the world's greatest leaders and you'll find them all to be exceptional communicators. They might talk about their ideas, but they do so in a way which also speaks to your emotions and your aspirations. They realize if their message doesn't take deep root with the audience then it likely won't be understood, much less championed.

I don't believe it comes as any great surprise that most leaders spend the overwhelming majority of their time each day in some type of an interpersonal situation. I also don't believe it comes as a great shock that a large number of organizational problems occur as a result of poor communications. It is precisely this paradox that underscores the need for leaders to focus on becoming great communicators. Effective communication is an essential component of professional success whether it is at the interpersonal, inter-group, intra-group, organizational, or external level. While developing an understanding of great communication skills is easier than one might think, being able to appropriately draw upon said skills when the chips are down is not always as easy as one might hope for.

Skills acquired and/or knowledge gained are only valuable to the extent they can be practically applied when called for. The number one thing great communicators have in common is they possess a heightened sense of situational and contextual awareness. The best communicators are great listeners and astute in their observations. Great communicators are skilled at reading a person/group by sensing the moods, dynamics, attitudes, values and concerns of those being communicated with. Not only do they read their environment well, but they possess the uncanny ability to adapt their messaging to said environment without missing a beat. The message is not about the messenger; it has nothing to do with messenger; it is however 100% about meeting the needs and the expectations of those you're communicating with.

So, how do you know when your skills have matured to the point that you've become an excellent communicator? The answer is you'll have reached the point where your interactions with others consistently use the following ten principles:

1. Speak not with a forked tongue: In most cases, people just won't open up to those they don't trust. When people have a sense a leader is worthy of their trust they will invest time and take risks in ways they never would if their leader had a reputation built upon poor character or lack of integrity. While you can attempt to demand trust, it rarely works. Trust is best created by earning it with right acting, thinking, and decisioning. Keep in mind people will forgive many things where trust exists, but will rarely forgive anything where trust is absent.

2. Get personal: Stop issuing corporate communications and begin having organizational conversations - think dialog not monologue. Here's the thing - the more personal and engaging the conversation is the more effective it will be. There is great truth in the following axiom: "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Classic business theory tells leaders to stay at arms length. I say stay at arms length if you want to remain in the dark receiving only highly sanitized versions of the truth. If you don't develop meaningful relationships with people you'll never know what's really on their mind until it's too late to do anything about it.

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10 Communication Secrets Of Great Leaders

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It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator. I hope you noticed the previous sentence didn't refer to being a great talker - big difference. The key to becoming a skillful communicator is rarely found in what has been taught in the world of [...]

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It is inevitable that leaders, no matter what type, will be faced with many different decisions. Some decisions will be minor and may not affect anyone but themselves. Other decisions can be quite large and have the capacity to affect everyone and anyone under their leadership. Decision making is part of a leader's daily expectations. This makes decision making important for those in a leadership role. Leaders have a responsibility to make good decisions for everyone involved, and therefore, should have some kind of framework for which to make those decisions.

There are four basic decision-making styles that effective leaders use. These styles can vary by department or organization, the leader's own philosophy and style, as well as other outside influences, such as money or subordinates.

1. Command

Leaders who tend to make decisions without consulting anyone on their team are said to be command leaders. However negative it may sound, it can be a good style of decision making, especially for quick moving situations that need guidance immediately. Leaders use this style most effectively and strategically when they apply it to monetary decisions and crisis decisions. In these types of situations, there may be no time to consult with others, and doing so could lead to bigger problems and an outcome determined by a delayed decision.

2. Collaborative

Collaborative decision making requires and uses the opinions and insight of others on the team. Leaders who routinely ask those under them for their feedback and viewpoints are seeking to make a collaborative decision. This doesn't give those under the leader the right to make the decision, however, it can give the leader the information need to make the best decision fit for the situation, especially if it affects a lot of people. Collaborative decision making also falls under evidence based decision making. If a leader is using collaborative decision making, it is actually best to not surround him or herself with people who always agree with them. People should feel open and willing to argue either side of the coin. Even if the leader ends up not taking their advice, it will help bring the decision and situation more clarity.

3. Consensus

Decision making done with a vote is called consensus decision making. It is similar to that of a democratic vote. Leaders can gather their teams, explain the decision at hand, and then everyone gets a vote. If a leader needs to make a decision that will not affect the bottom line, but does, however, affect a vast majority of those under him or her, then a consensus is a good way to go. When using a consensus, leaders need to remember that they cannot please everyone. Decisions made by consensus tend to help mold the culture of a company or organization and can help give everyone a voice. Being heard is important to most people on a team or in a group, and satisfaction will go up when they feel like they are heard.

4. Convenience

Some leaders choose to delegate their decision making tasks. This can be out of convenience and can have several benefits, including the empowerment of team members and evaluating the decision-making skills of other team members. It is important for leaders to remember that those new to making decisions may have some fresh an innovative ideas or ways of looking at a problem and its solutions.

Applying Ethics to Decision Making

Ethics is an integral part to decision making for every type of leader. In order to understand ethics in decision making, the values of the leader and the organization must be taken into careful consideration. Leaders who are effective have an understanding and an awareness of their own morals, values, and system of ethics. Integrity, transparency, and solid character are cornerstones of good leadership. Leaders should know that transparent and consistent ethically based decisions will help build the team and the business. Leaders who apply ethics to their methods of decision making will consider the following:

Keeping promises

Not being deceitful

Treating others as they wish to be treated

Not blaming others

Making informed decisions without favoritism

Working to make the work or organizational environment better

Operating within the law

Minimizing hardships and helping others when possible

By taking these factors into account and exercising them, leaders can create an ethical environment, causing those underneath their leadership to also work and live ethically. There may be times, however, that two values of equal importance clash in the decision making process and cause an ethical dilemma. In this situation, the leader will need to carefully balance both values in order to make an ethical decision. This can be easier said than done in most situations, though going back to the core values and goals of the company and of the leader can help give clarity in these situations.

Decision making can be difficult, especially for those in positions of leadership. Making the wrong decision can impact the bottom line of the business or organization, it can turn people against a leader, and it can cause many other people to be affected. Leaders should consider what decision framework they use, as well as the ethical standards and principles of the business, as well as their own when making a decision. However, leaders should not be afraid to make a decision, as it is a key component to being a leader.

<h3> Learn More

Founded in 1948, Brandeis University is an internationally recognized research institution with the intimacy and personal attention of a small liberal arts college. Brandeis University is pleased to offer its M.S. in Project and Program Management (MSPPM) in a convenient online format for working professionals interested in project management.

Recommended Readings
Tips for Stakeholder Management Tips for Building Strong Teams in the Workplace Strategies in Culturally Responsive Negotiations
Resources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2012/11/07/4-ways-for-leaders-to-make-a-decision/

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt1ch1.html

https://www.bus.miami.edu/_assets/files/executive-education/leadership-institute/ethics-and-leadership.pdf

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It is inevitable that leaders, no matter what type, will be faced with many different decisions. Some decisions will be minor and may not affect anyone but themselves. Other decisions can be quite large and have the capacity to affect everyone and anyone under their leadership.