In order to describe the qualities of an effective leader I have known I must first define what a good leader is to me personally. A leader is defined in business as someone who establishes a clear vision, provides the information, knowledge and methods to realize this vision and works with those under his supervision to accomplish a common goal. To me a leader is much simpler; it is someone who inspires me to do more than is required of me. A great leader explains why something is to be done rather than tell you to just do it. Like the saying goes, “catch a fish for a man and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat for life”, an effective leader teaches and inspires you to learn new things and try to learn new ways to fish.
When I remember a person in my life that pushed me to do more I think of one of my greatest teachers, a professor in law school named Jack Walden-Brown. Throughout my law degree I took 3 different subjects taught by him that changed the way I learned about the law, and have shaped my approaches to being a manager to this day.
If I were to try and classify the type of leader Jack was I would say he was a charismatic leader. What set Jack apart from my other professors is the way he taught. He didn’t just teach at you and expect you to understand a concept. He observed how his students understood things and changed his teaching to better align with how each student he taught learned the concepts. By spending extra time with students he created a bond between student and teacher that made the student desire to learn more and master each concept he taught. His teaching methods inspired students like myself to question every aspect of the subject so that we could better master it. He truly was able to inspire greatness out of those in his class and made class a challenge that needed to be mastered. I had the opportunity to work for