Productive Leaders

What do you think makes you a productive leader? How do you get things done... and is there anything you'd like to do better?

My definition of “productive” is, as the question continues, one who does the things that he/she is supposed to do in a timely and appropriate manner. Key criteria that make a productive leader are having organization, delegation, and communication skills. In seventh grade, my social studies teacher told our class to memorize the following: “Organization is the key to success; success is organization” While my classmates and I did as he said, it has taken me many years to understand the true value of the lesson. Organization is not simply a matter of stacking papers in an orderly fashion; instead, organization encompasses the strategies of thoughtful planning, decision making, and implementing.
On the note of implementing, a productive leader also understands his/her limits enough to know that delegation of responsibilities is more effective than is shouldering all duties alone. However, a leader’s responsibility does not end with delegation: she must not only elect trustworthy individuals who are sure to complete their task, but must also confirm/remind them of their duties. After all, while delegation empowers the individual members of a group, it is ultimately the duty of the leader to ensure the completion of a given task. Thus, a leader must know to whom and to what extent the responsibilities must be distributed.
Lastly, since a leader is only defined as a leader relative to his group and others, it is crucial that she engages in fruitful communication both within and between the groups. Frequent and open communication prevents miscommunication and infighting that could have been avoided. In addition, it also broadens the group by informing the community about the group’s aims and missions. As a result, not only will the goals of the team be accomplished more readily, but also the membership of the group may increase and bring talents that move the group forward.