John Adair
(b.1934) is one of Britain’s foremost authorities on leadership in
organizations. Adair identifies eight leadership functions all leaders need to
be able to perform, each of these must be constantly refined and developed:

1. Defining the
task – this should be done using SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Realistic, Time-bound)

2. Planning –
leaders should be open-minded, positive and creatively searching for
alternatives

3. Briefing –
team briefings by the leader are a basic and essential function to foster
teamwork and motivate individuals

4. Controlling
– leaders need self-control, good control systems in place and effective
delegation and monitoring skills

5. Evaluating –
leaders must constantly assess the consequences of actions taken, evaluate
performance and appraise and train individuals

6. Motivating –
Adair identifies 8 basic rules for motivating people that include setting
realistic but challenging targets, creating a motivating environment and
treating each person as an individual

7. Organizing –
good leaders must be able to organize themselves, their team and their company

8. Setting an
example – the best leaders naturally set a good example for their teams, if
this is forced, leaders will become complacent.

Adair considers
that these leadership functions need to be developed and honed to constantly
improve the leader’s ability.