High Level Leadership

A lot of authors and leadership experts refer to leadership ability in terms of levels. The higher the skill level, the more implicit the skill is in terms of the effectiveness of the individual leader. In my opinion one such high level leadership skill is in the ability to develop direction. Typically formal coaching sessions are when this type of developmental work should be completed; however, I would argue that there are times when we have individuals who are hitting a wall in terms of their ability to develop the business and need the influence of a leader to identify new opportunities for growth. This ability and being able to correctly identify the need to conduct this exercise with your people to create a new-found sense of urgency is truly an art of leadership.

An example of this in our business would be an advertising specialist who is having difficulty diversifying their client base to reach across industries. Another example would be a circulation manager who is having a hard time identifying new outlets for our distribution. This could also be an individual in an organizational leadership role who is having trouble in the identification of new product or business opportunities. No matter the example, the ability to redirect and inspire to execute is a trait that is typically found in what I identify as high level leaders. Is there someone currently facilitating this skill in your development? Do you see the value in perfecting this skill?