I am constantly asked to define what leadership is and there are certainly many text book answers to that question, though fundamentally in my experience it is simply about the ability to influence others to follow on the path that you are travelling; taking them from compliance to commitment. I am also repeatedly asked to articulate the difference between leadership and management, to which you can also apply many situational answers. So let's draw a clear distinction; leadership is all about people, where as management is all about processes.
One constant remains true; you cannot teach someone leadership; it is a process to be experienced and grown into; it is a continual journey of discovery.
In actual fact it is a continual journey of 'self' discovery. Unfortunately, the vast majority of "business leaders" today (people in an organisation who are in a position to influence others) never bother to learn about themselves because we are conditioned to simply skip that part and go directly to participate in leadership training courses or academic courses that teach leadership principles and techniques to get others to follow. In others words how you should act and react in certain situations based on the perfect model of a leader.
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Designed for emerging and executive leaders,
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For those of you who believe you are good leaders because you
went through a few training courses, or are MBA qualified, or more fundamentally because you have successfully managed people and companies for many years, the question to ask yourself is why do people in my organisation truly follow me?
1. Is it through obligation because of my position within the organisation? In other words they believe they have to because the company hierarchy and procedures demand it, and not to do so may mean not being paid, losing their job or being disciplined, etc. (Obligated followers)
2. Is it because they live in fear of me or of my temper tantrums and mood swings? But hey I am the one who has given them a job that pays their bills, so they should actually be grateful, and as I remind them now and again when I'm in a good mood; it's better the devil you know. (Manipulated followers)
3. Is it because I am a nice person to work for and treat my team with respect? In other words people like me and do a good job of their day to day responsibilities, even sometimes putting in a little extra effort when called for? (Passive followers)
The dictionary definition of 'leader' is "somebody whom people follow" though it is also expressed as "somebody in charge of others". Perhaps this more accurately defines the person in charge of the followers in the categories above, who constantly wonder why they never get to where they want the team, business or organisation to go.
So what of category 4: Proactive followers.
When people have purpose beyond their job responsibilities, when they can see they are working toward something worth achieving, when people feel they contribute everyday to enhance their own journey and that of their fellow workers, when they believe in the values of the leaders and culture, when they feel, trusted, included, empowered to be creative they begin to work with their leader, they are influenced to follow the path their leader is on. In other words the leader starts to influence people through connection and relationship; social awareness and social skills. The function of the leader is to steer individuals from dependence - to independence - to interdependence, creating organisational synergy, whist managing systems, tasks and team.
I have asked a lot of business leaders over time what they most wish for and most responses although varied lead to one thing; they wish for stability. The paradox is that as a leader there is no such thing. While we may strive for stability, the reality is that our realities are ever-changing and dynamic. Your ability to adapt to the dynamic nature of our reality will likely determine the course and ultimate success of your career and of the people, department or organistaion you are leading. As a manager you develop processes and strategies to support change; as a leader you develop yourself and your people to effect change. The minute you have to manage people instead of systems, you have either hired wrongly or are not yet a leader. People are not your most important asset. The right people are, influenced by your leadership, which is why you must always hire on culture and character and not simply talent.
The fundamental underlying truth about leadership is that you cannot lead others until you can lead yourself, just as you cannot like others until you like yourself. To become a leader the goal is to grow the greatness within you. You will know you are a leader when you stop trying to grow greatness in others. Instead you will have realised that greatness already exists in others, your goal as a leader is simply to elicite it. Greatness in itself is not a function of circumstance, it is function of conscious choice and discipline: The quality of decisions you make about your future, now, today, will determine the quality of the actions you take, which in turn will determine the quality of the results you achieve in your leadership journey. However, to make the right decisions you must first learn to ask yourself the right quality of questions, which are a consequence of your belief systems, conditioned through all your life's experience thus far to determine your current reality as a person and leader.
Training means do as I teach based on a model. Consultancy means do as I say based on my recommendations. Mentoring means do as I have done based on my experience. All have place and benefit, however only coaching goes deep enough for you to understand how and why I do what I do. Only coaching can create a platform to break your conditioning to start internal change that will influence external change in others and in your teams. The quality of your leadership journey and your true potential as a leader is primarily dependant on the foundations of self-awareness, self-reflection and self-actualisation. Getting yourself out of your own way so that you can maximize the learning benefits of training and other support medias, giving you the cognitive and emotional tools to influence others, the fortitude of internal belief systems to overcome any obstacle, and where required practical business skills to advance your career, your team and your company.
Download our Leadership Coaching Programmes Overview
Designed for emerging and executive leaders,
in small large and corporate organisations.
Includes our Leadership DNA Framework
