From what experience I have and from what I’ve learned from others, being an effective leader starts with knowing your audience and knowing what you want out of them. Who are you leading? What do you want them to accomplish? And most importantly as a leader, you not only pave the way for your followers, but you follow them, too.

For me, the first dose of leadership experience I had was when I joined my sorority during my sophomore year of college. By the time elections came around, I had just been initiated into the organization and had enjoyed my time as a general member, but then I wanted to become an officer. Within my organization, we have a lot of positions. Ranging from social chair, to sisterhood, education and administration, I took what I knew best and was elected to the position of Assistant Vice President of Academic Development. I met with sisters one on one and helped them create a work plan to help better their grades. I let them know about the resources on campus that would help assist them. However, whether or not they decided to take my advice was all up to them. For a year I evaluated grade reports and how my chapter stood academically compared to other sororities on campus, working closely with the Vice President of Academic Development to find solutions that would work for our sisters and for our chapter as a whole.

When my year was up I contemplated on what position to take on next, naturally thinking I would take over as the Vice President of Academic Development. The more I thought about it, the more comfortable I was with that idea and the more reluctant I was to do anything else since I had worked with academics the previous year. But, the more sisters I spoke to about taking on that role, the more sisters didn’t see me in that position. I was worried. I knew I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what I was going to do.

My sisters wanted me to serve as Chapter President. I know what you’re thinking because that’s actually what I was thinking. Going from an assistant position where I didn’t have full control over something could not have prepared me for something like running an entire chapter. I was scared. From the moment that the possibility of me serving as Chapter President was brought up, the idea caught like wildfire. Sisters who saw me on and off campus encouraged me to do it. Sisters who were even alum reached out to me and told me how happy they would be to see me represent our organization. I had people believing in me before I was even believing in myself. It took some time for me to catch on to the idea of me being president because I wanted to be sure that I wanted to do it, rather than everyone else wanting me to.

Before your eyes glaze over and you stop reading this article, wondering when I’m going to get to my point and how I, of all people, can possibly give you advice on how to be an effective leader, you're probably questioning my legitimacy because I am the president of a sorority. Those of you who don’t know me or are not affiliated with Greek life have without a doubt already stereotyped me. Media portrayals of sororities are unrealistic and absolutely upsetting to those of us who work hard every day to recruit new members, give back to the community and support one another through our sisterhood. We strive for the best in life and we exceed expectations. So, before you click to another article, let me just say that anyone who can lead a group of over 100 college women knows a little something about leading.

The reciprocity of leaders and followers is essential to any healthy work environment. It’s a give-and-take relationship that runs on the focus of end goals. Not who’s right and who’s wrong, but as long as the job is done and the goals are reached; that’s the only thing that’s important. Taking the stigma away from a traditional leader is an obstacle that many refuse to get past. A leader could never take the advice of a subordinate and they could never admit to being wrong, but as we all know – times are changing. With that change we’ve seen more women in the workplace, and as a result of that, a new wave of leadership has emerged that has been proven to be the most effective: transformational leadership that is centered around end goals and oriented around people. My definition of effective leadership involves preventing employee turnover and increasing employee job performance and satisfaction.

With this change in the leadership landscape, the two main differences are seen with the focus – are they interested more in the task or the people – and the goals – are they short-term or long-term. It’s important to mention at this time that different leadership styles are applicable to different work environments. For example, a factory that employs people to work on assembly lines versus a retail store where someone is expected to sell clothing. These employees are doing different things that require different instructions and different skills. Remember, know your audience. Different things will work for different groups. As a sorority president, there’s a handful of things you should and should not say in front of a 100+ group of women in college.

To be an effective leader you must not ignore your followers because they will support what they help create, and this in turn often produces a harmonious environment. It gives them purpose and another reason to get up in the morning to make that hour-long commute into work or that 15-minute walk to a chapter meeting. It gives them intellectual stimulation. It empowers them and motivates them. It helps them and the leader because giving them purpose will most likely prevent them from quitting. Everyone in the organization should feel as though they belong. Everyone deserves and needs a part in it. It takes time, trust me, but it’s worth the wait.

As a leader you should recognize that you aren’t always going to be seen as the leader. Sure, you may have the title for it and the formal nameplate on your desk, but organizations have informal leaders too. These are the people who spearhead conversations. They are the first to jump on any project and they are the ones who people want to work with. Their opinions matter and that kind of behavior should be encouraged. It’s not always about you; it’s about the team.

Being the formal leader, you are often left with the most responsibility. You take the falls for mistakes that your followers have made, and it can get hard sometimes to bounce back from that. It’s hard enough to accept responsibility for other’s actions, but recovering from a fall is never easy. It’s important to think of and remember the big picture. Don’t get consumed by the small stuff, especially if it’s holding you back from reaching the end.

I could come up with a list of 50 important qualities I believe an effective leader must exhibit, but I will save you some time and just emphasize five:

1. Great communication skills -- Miscommunication is extremely common in the workplace. It’s important to communicate what you want and need effectively. The channel of the message is imperative. If the information is minuscule, barging into an office unannounced is probably not necessary. Send a quick email and maybe remind someone when you pass her in the hall that you need her response some time later that day. If the information is needed immediately, paying her a visit wouldn’t be a bad idea.
2. Collaboration -- Like I mentioned before, creating things together entails commitment. It’s also a good thought to bounce ideas around and get feedback from others so your idea isn’t one-track minded. You avoid looking like a dictator if you ask for and take into consideration other opinions.
3. Encourages membership development -- Membership development in an organization should occur naturally unless it’s shut down. Career paths should go nowhere but up, but sometimes employees remain stagnant and don’t develop in their positions. That should change. Leaders have the capability to provide training and they have the positional authority to evoke emotions in their followers. Have any of you been told by leaders at work that they could someday see you in their shoes? Development doesn’t only take place in a work environment, but as a student, has your teacher ever told you how great a paper you wrote was? Did it make you want to do even better on the next one?
4. Champions change -- There are a handful of people out there who are resistant to change. There are also a handful of people who love change. As a leader, you must lead by example. Even if you as a leader are reluctant to change, emphasizing the importance of that change and the possible benefits can help you and others believe in that change. You must express a vision that is better than the old one.
5. Honesty -- Honesty builds trust. And followers who trust their leaders will do anything to help further the organization and the people who work for it. Honesty and trust are cyclical. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the reciprocity of leaders and followers is essential to any healthy work environment. And most importantly as a leader, you not only pave the way for your followers, but you follow them too.

All leaders were followers at some point.