Exploring Leadership

I believe great leadership comes down to only two rules from my recent conference review of TEDx speaker Mr. Peter Anderton.

 

Rule #1: It’s not about you, it’s about the people

You become a leader only when you help develop another leader. A good leader will inspire people to have confidence in themselves.

 

From John Maxwell, each level forms a deeper level of commitment. The key is that it’s all about choice – theirs not yours. People follow because:

1-They have to; this is the authority leader or ‘boss’. We are obliged to follow, or we lose our jobs and incomes. This kind of leaders may last for long period, but the team will execute their jobs only because of the power and authority with almost no motivation or innovation.

 

2. They Like you; the team like and admire their leader who is supportive to their career and helped shaped it, they work with enthusiasm and passion, and they would forget all pain and stress to achieve results.

 

3. They know you can deliver; you have been a champion leader and you have showed them the road and how to overcome the challenges and delivery. This is the perfect scenario that a leader can present to the team.

 

4. You help them grow; you support their career growth and don’t imprison them in their role to satisfy your business needs, this is the role of the leader to make another leader. You help and guide their growth and accept the idea of letting them leave you, but this is the cycle of growth, losing for some and gaining for others and embracing the succession planning and growing the organization.

 

5. Of who you are and what you represent; this is the deepest level of great leadership and apply to both leaders in organization and in communities, the team believe in you and follow you for who you are and what you represent.

Rule #2: It’s only about you

We have seen leadership evolute through history, and it is not about picking the best school of thoughts but more about adapting the best of each school to help grow your organization, your team and yourself.

 

• 6th  Century BC, Lao Tzu – Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

The leader is best when people believe the leader barely exists; that way, when the worker’s job is done people believe they have achieved it themselves.

 

• 1st Century, JESUS – Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Leadership become about equality and fairness between leader and followers.

 

• 16th Century, Machiavelli – taught great insights about the perils of managing change; also said it’s all about the leader and the leader must maintain power at all costs.

The leaders should maintain power by force or deceit if needed.

 

• 19th Century, Thomas Carlyle – leaders are born not made. If you have it then great things happen, if you don’t then tough. You are either a leader or a follower, a manager, or a worker

Abraham Lincoln. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.

 

• 20th Century – Frederick Taylor – no longer about helping people be the best, just optimise their work; this has resulted in a massive gap between managers and workers.

Nelson Mandala. I couldn’t change others, until I changed myself.

 

• Today - Leadership isn’t about you or the position, it’s about each single one of us who can make a difference. This is the basis of rule number one - It’s not about you, it’s about the people

The true leader looks at themselves and start acting to deliver authentically. This is the basis of rule number two - it’s only about you.

 

There is no such thing as a perfect leader, the next best thing is a leader who can combine rule number one and rule number two.

 

As we live in a complex fast-moving world, mastering these two simple rules will help you lead better and grow your team, self, and your organization. It is time to start applying these two rules.