For centuries, people have been writing about and discussing leadership.
One of my favorite quotes on the topic comes from world-famous management consultant and author Stephan Covey. He says,
“If you can hire a person whose passion intersects with the job, they won’t require any supervision at all. They will manage themselves better than anyone could ever manage them. Their fire comes from within and not without.”
What Covey says confirms my experience. The key to effective leadership is to find competent people who are passionate about what they do. Give them responsibilities that are compatible with their skills and interests, and get out of their way, so they are enabled to create and achieve.
To achieve peak performance, in certain situations, it may be necessary to adjust the job description to better correspond with the person’s skills and passions. In exceptional situations, I would even create a job to fit the passions and interests of the employee.
Hire a competent and passionate person, create an incubating environment, then sit back, and enjoy creativity and passion performing miracles!
The following are some key leadership attributes that incubate achievement and peak performance.
Emotional Security: Good leaders are not threatened by competent, shining stars – instead they choose to surround themselves with such people. They are not afraid of looking dim and weak by comparison.
Small Ego: Great leaders do not have big egos that need to be fed with praise and glory. They actually get pleasure from giving praise and credit to deserving people.
Delegate Control: Effective leaders are not afraid of empowering qualified people and giving them decision-making authority. They do not need to be in control of everything.
I consider myself most fortunate to be surrounded by motivated and competent people. They initiate, accomplish, achieve, and succeed. As a result, the organization succeeds and we all enjoy the benefits.
Harout Nercessian
AMAA Armenia Representative
