Leadership is an oft-discussed but seldom understood concept. Common definitions center of concepts of vision, planning, and action. Vision is important, and it is necessary for today's leaders to envision that towards which they are leading others. Planning, which I define as the current implementation of a future-oriented strategy, is also important, though it tends to be an over-emphasized aspect of leadership. Planning is synonymous with managing tasks and people, which is drastically different than leading others forward towards excellence. Good managers do not necessarily make good leaders. In fact, most managers make wholly ineffective leaders, as they are limited by both vision (they are intimately focused on the current state of affairs) and action (they tend to be less "risky" or aggressive in their actions towards goal fulfillment when caught up in the mundane tasks of managing). Action for the sake of "keeping busy" is entirely ineffective, and a waste of time for those in positions of influence.

That being said, today's leaders face some important obstacles. These obstacles are magnified by current technological advances, which allow for instant-communication via cell phones, pagers, instant messaging, text messaging, and various other improvements in the way society keeps in touch. These communication devices, thought to increase our effectiveness, have in fact had the opposite effect on time management. Therefore, the biggest obstacles for those in positions of influence today include time management, resource management, and communication. What follows are explanations of each obstacle, as well as techniques for avoiding the perils of each such obstacle.

1. Time management

One of the most common complaints I hear from others revolves around "not having enough time to complete tasks." I am always perplexed upon hearing this. Do those who effectively lead others have greater amounts of this precious resource available to them? Of course not. What they do have is better time management skills. Therefore, to improve time management, change paradigms. Once you realize that we are all distributed equal number of hours in our days/weeks/months, you can better understand that your methods of spending time need to change.

Some tips for improving your time management abilities:

• Schedule your priorities. Most people prioritize their schedule, and wonder why they never get anything done
• Forget about dividing time management into sections (according to your personal life, professional life, and family life, etc...). You have "one" life, of which you spend your time in different areas. These areas will expand and contract with regards to the demands placed on you. Sundays might be spent going over company reports, while Wednesday might be the perfect day to take your child to the Zoo for some quality time together. Remain flexible and schedule accordingly.
• Schedule on a weekly basis instead of a daily basis. How many times have you made out a daily "to-do" list and ended up not getting to even half the items on that list? Daily hassles emerge, and sap your effectiveness. Scheduling your priorities on a weekly basis allows for essential flexibility in your planning. Not getting something done on Monday means that you have the rest of the week to get to that task. Don't sweat it.
2. Resource management

Resource management in the area of leadership involves people management. Those in positions of influence must be aware of what author Warren Bennis describes as "The Unconscious Conspiracy," which is the tendency for society to elect leaders and then inundate these elected leaders with mundane, everyday tasks that thereby dramatically decrease these leaders' effectiveness. These tasks and daily hassles serve as major impediments to those attempting to lead others toward a compelling future. Coaches become bogged down by trying to settle disputes between players. University presidents lead at the speed of molasses as they attempt to assuage donors' worries. It happens. What follows are some ways to improve your ability to lead others:

• Assign all unnecessary tasks to others. Learn to value the art of delegation. The more time you can free up, the more time you have to put into leading others.
• Surround yourself with "no" people. Find people with dissenting views, or those that will challenge assumptions you hold from time to time. People that can challenge us to think differently are worth their weight in gold.
• Get all the facts available, make a decision, and move on. Try to avoid fretting over decisions. Doing so is a waste of time. If you have the facts, make the choice, then move on.
3. Communication

Communication is essential with regards to leadership. Great leaders are able to communicate effectively with those around them. Leadership without communication fails to instill purpose-the fuel for goal attainment. .What follows are some methods for increasing your communication abilities:

• Take personal responsibility when giving opinions or decisions. It allows room for others to disagree, and also sets you up as a person who is not afraid to go out on a limb.
• If your message is not "heard" by others, it is your fault. A good rule to live by is to take responsibility for others understanding your message. Explain things in terms that others can understand. That's what metaphors were invented for, right? Use them.
• Connect feelings with behaviors in your discussions with others. It allows for them to learn that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between their actions and your perceptions. A good technique for doing this is as follows: "when you _______ (fill in the behavior here), I feel______(fill in emotion here)". You'd be surprised how effective you can be when you communicate in this manner. It enables you to keep lines of communication open, which is always a good thing.