Dear Dr. Mimi: What Makes a Leader

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Dear Dr. Mimi:

Another employee and I have been discussing who makes a better leader—a person who communicates well with others or a person who gets the job done? My feeling is that you can’t have followers unless you are a good communicator, and without followers, you are not a leader. What do you think?
—Perplexed

Dear Perplexed:
This is not a new question and one that is often debated. Why? Because you need to be able to do both to be an effective leader. Effective leaders are tuned in to theneeds of their followers and the needs of the situation and are able to communicate efficiently so as to achieve positive results.

The goal of leadership is not to get more followers, but rather, to create more leaders and to get the job done. Communication is essential to develop the people AND to get the results. In our communications training, we
always say that the communication goal is to be sure that the message that is meant and sent is the message that is perceived and received. Not an easy task! Good communication involves more than giving orders and making sure they are implemented. It is empowering people to use their strengths in order to get the necessary results.
—Dr. Mimi

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