What are the starting points, the basic requirements of leadership? There are actually many, which is why books on leadership are both numerous and thick. Today, let’s look at four of the basics we need to be effective as a leader.
1. Self-Aware
In this category, we are living an intentional life, where we decide what happens to us, rather than being buffeted by the winds of change. We are self-directed. We have clear goals and we revise them regularly to accommodate all of the changes in business. We make the compass the boss of the clock and we set our direction and then set our time to achieve the goals we have set. We self-regulate, which means we control our physicality and out metal framework. We don’t function at peak performance with a hangover, so we don’t get a hangover, because we control what we ingest and when we ingest it. Drugs are for dopes so don't worry about getting involved in that loser scene. We work on ourselves so we are constant students of business. We consume information to become more innovative and more knowledgeable. Scrolling through social media one minute short videos is an addiction best avoided.
2. Accountability
Being honest and having integrity sounds like an obvious trait for the leader. What is always surprising is how these attributes can collapse when really put to the test. An economic downturn can shred high minded oft proclaimed virtues and pronouncements. The leader also has to be the one driving toward the goals. Expecting the staff to both deliver and drive toward the goals is a bit too much. They can follow the direction and they can contribute to the direction but rarely are they able to drive toward it. They get busy on the details and the leader’s job it to peak above the blood and mud and see if we are all still on track or not. Making effective decisions is a tricky one. How do we know the decision is going to be correct, when often there is a time lag in the achievement of the results? We have to do the best with what we know and then monitor carefully to see if we are tracking in the right direction or not and be prepared to change direction if needed.
3. Others-focused
This is a big step for leaders who for the most part are solidly focused on themselves and advancing their glorious career. The key to engagement with staff is to first make sure they feel valued. How will they know that? This is where the leader need so be disciplined to remind themselves to tell the staff they are valued, as opposed to just thinking it but never saying anything. The leader is looking for ways to develop staff and that means delegating tasks so that they can operate at a higher level. The key is to sell the delegation as to why it is helping the staff member and then monitor the task so that it keeps traveling in the right direction. The leader cannot be a micro-manager, as that just trains passivity and mainly annoys people because none of us enjoy being told what to do and in detail. Understanding what the team want to achieve as individuals is a big step forward to aligning the organisation’s goals with the goals of the team members.
Ego amongst leaders drives bad behaviour. Large organisations suffer from cliques, factions and a lack of internal cooperation. Fighting each other rather than the rival team is stupid, but it still goes on. Divisions often get into fights and disagreements and the leader’s job is to make sure these don’t spiral out of control. Bad mouthing the other sections in the company may make some people feel good but the leader can’t be one of them. The big picture has to be constantly referenced and the team kept firmly focused on beating the competition as a united force. Talking up the organisation has to be part and parcel of keeping the whole mothership together and that is a key leader role.
4. Strategic
Innovation emanating from the boss is good, but it would be better to be emanating from the whole team. The leader’s job is to stimulate thinking and capture the ideas from the rowdy and the quiet, from the quick thinkers and the deep thinkers. Solving problems together is great glue for teams, but this needs the leader to orchestrate it. Anticipating issues is the leader’s job. Looking over the horizon to what may be coming and to be taking steps now to prepare needs elevation and that it what the organisation grants leaders. The leader has the ability to get information, direction and data to be able to make long-range forecasts and to think through the blockers and barriers. That vantage point is vital to see into the future and to see across the whole organisation at the same time.
There are many elements to being an effective leader, but these four pillars are a good place to start making sure we are doing what we should be doing and doing it well.
