Even in these hard times, some people still wonder whether or not leadership really matters. Jim Collins did a good job explaining why leadership matters. He wrote the bestselling book From Good to Great. In that book, Collins talks about how great leaders have two capabilities: One is resolve, or determination to accomplish a goal, and the other is humility. He describes how leaders with resolve and humility can build a good company into a great company. But one of the best ways to appreciate the value of good leadership is when you see how fast a poor leader can take a good organization down. Collins says it takes a lot of people to move a good organization into greatness, but it can take very little time for just one lousy leader to send a great organization downhill.
Leadership is very important. Leaders have a major role in setting the vision to move toward the organization’s goals, and then creating a motivating environment for people so those goals can be reached. But boy, leaders who don’t know what they’re doing, or have big egos, can take a good company and drive it straight into the ground. So don’t kid yourself. Leadership does matter.