#391: Not All Effective Employees Make Effective Leaders

I was responsible for five professional sales representatives in my very first assignment as a sales manager.

All of them were strong performers with their own strengths. One man, we’ll call him Tom, was a level above the rest. He was reliable, great to work with, and an outstanding salesperson. Tom was the most effective overall salesperson of the group.

Despite his effectiveness as a salesperson, Tom would not have been an effective leader. He loved selling and simply wanted to be left alone to do what he loved.

Some years later, one of my coworkers, we’ll call him John, was promoted into management based on his performance as a salesperson. Despite being effective as a salesperson, John was not an effective leader. In fact, he was a disaster. John was divisive, pitting one employee against the other. He took credit for other people’s good work and blamed others when he fell short.

Being an effective salesperson does not mean that person will make an effective leader. You see, leading is about more than just hitting your sales objectives. Leading is about helping your team unleash and realize their potential to hit their objectives!

As Tom and John prove, not all effective employees make great leaders.

Recipe for Failure

Unfortunately, many companies often see an effective employee as the most likely person to promote without considering whether that person has what it takes to be an effective leader.

This is a recipe for failure for two reasons:

1) There are a lot of folks like Tom, who are great at what they do, and they just don’t want to take on the task and responsibility of leading others.

2) There are also a lot of folks like John, who are effective and want to be leaders, but they don’t have the temperament or skills to be effective leaders.

So, what does it take? What traits or skills do effective leaders possess?

7 Skills of Effective Leaders

If you remember reading Steven Covey’s phenomenally successful book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, you’ll recognize these seven skills. I’ve taken the liberty of repositioning Covey’s 7 Habits in terms of what it takes to be effective as a leader.

1. Be Proactive

Effective leaders leverage opportunities and anticipate problems. Reactive leaders simply react to problems once they arise.

2. Begin with the End in Mind

Effective leaders have a vision and goals for the organization and communicate them clearly.

3. First Things First

Effective leaders know how to establish priorities. They focus on the important/not urgent tasks and do not get distracted by the unimportant/urgent.

4. Think Win-Win

Effective leaders are collaborative leaders who seek win-win solutions and avoid win/lose outcomes whenever possible.

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Effective leaders are active listeners. Rather than shutting down those with diverse opinions, they begin by asking questions and listening! Only when they understand the situation, do they engage with instruction, advice, and direction.

6. Synergize

Effective leaders recognize the diverse strengths of their team. They leverage the strengths of every member of the team as they focus on achieving the team’s goals and objectives.

7. Sharpen the Saw

Effective leaders understand and appreciate the importance of maintaining a balance between our work, social, physical, emotional, and spiritual spheres of life. Whenever people are out of balance for an extended period, effectiveness drops. Additionally, they know that to maintain a competitive edge, every employee needs to hone existing skills and learn new ones.

In my experience, effective employees score well against each of the 7 Habits Covey identified in his book.  However, that does not make them effective leaders. Effective leaders turn these same 7 personal habits into 7 leadership habits. Their ability to do that makes the difference between an effective employee and an effective leader.

More Articles

I have written several articles on leader qualifications. You can find them by typing “leader qualifications” in the search bar. In the meantime, here are five of my favorites.

• #379: Our Leadership Legacy Includes our Strengths and Weaknesses!
• #353: Is Your Ability to Influence Tied to Your Influenceability?
• #340: Is the Road to Ruin Paved with Pride?
• #338: How to Get Your Boss to Not Trust You
• #335: What Three Traits Does God Require Leaders to Have?

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. What traits or habits do you think are most important for effective leaders?

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Category: Personal Development | Leadership Qualifications