Successful Leader vs Effective Leader

A basic responsibility of managers in any work organization is to get the work done with and through people. The success of managers is measured by the output or productivity of the group they lead. Success has to do with how the individual or the group behaves. Effectiveness describes the internal state or predisposition of an individual or a group and is thus attitudinal in nature. There can be big discussion over Successful Leader vs Effective Leader, so let’s go through basic underlying principles behind success and effective of a leader.

Successful Leader vs Effective Leader

Successful Leader vs Effective Leader

Individuals who are interested in success tend to emphasise their position power. They use close supervision of the work of their associates. If they have to be effective, they have to use their personal power as well as their general supervision

Leaders are successful, but ineffective when they have a short-run influence over the behaviour of others. They must try to be both successful and effective to have long term influence for leading others towards productivity and developing the organisation as a whole. The most important conclusion from the above discussion is that the managers must understand their own abilities and their impact on others

The effectiveness of leadership is measured by extent to which the leader or organization performs its task successfully and attains its goals. It is also measured in terms of the leader’s contribution to the quality of group processes, as perceived by followers or by outsiders. It deals with the issues of whether the leader improves the quality of work life, builds the self-confidence of followers, increases the skill and contributes to the psychological growth and development of the group. An effective leader should be technically competent and possess a high problem solving ability.

It is equally important to note that not all successful leaders are effective leaders. The subtle  difference between a successful leader and an effective leader lies in the “fact that a  successful leader merely changes the behaviour of his/her followers (the change is short-lived)  and not their attitudes but an effective leader brings about an enduring change in the  behaviour and attitudes of his/her followers by largely using his/her personal power

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