How many leaders have been trained in leadership? How often do leaders get it wrong? Interesting questions in their own right but with investment in leadership paling in comparison to the pursuit of technological advantage is it perhaps time to take a hard look at teaching and developing leadership? On too many occasions leaders come to their position by accident. That may work in times of plenty, when pressures are slight and competition weak. Yet when hard decisions need to be made, when morality and values are questioned, the credibility and capability of some untrained leaders, or perhaps I should say managers, who have flourished in the years of growth, can quickly come into question. The current parlour of British Politics affords an outstanding example. Experts often become leaders because they are knowledgeable and people defer to them because of their expertise, not necessarily because they have leadership qualities. The problem with leadership is that it is like money: you only find its real value when you have not got enough of it!
Leaders can become great without training, as can doctors and generals, but it is the mistakes made in gaining greatness that can be avoided through effective training and mentoring. Yet if an untrained leader’s experience is not real, relevant or credible it is exceedingly difficult to leap from a position of limited authority to a true leadership position. Politics in opposition is hollow and without tangible measurement, hence it can be no substitute for national leadership experience or substantial investment in leadership training.
Often businesses chase the technological advantage. However, unless they achieve a quantum leap or paradigm shift, the advantage is expensive and short lived. Shifting the leadership dimensions of an organisation to create better communication and staff empowerment can have dramatic effects within the organisation and with its overall business success. Loyalty, emotional development and empowerment make a strong team closer and bring rewards in the form of a sense of belonging and pride. The key ingredient to this is effective, positive communication. Whether it be in development, in criticism, in objective or boundary setting, positivity and communication are vital. After all, we all learned our early lessons through positive encouragement and not criticism. Think of how each of us learned to walk or learned our mother tongue. We were unafraid to try and we tried until we succeeded.
The true visionary will use technological advantage through effective leadership and empowerment and, when compared, the price of great leadership is far less significant than technological superiority. Throughout an organisation’s leadership, from the first tier to CEO, the principles remain the same; it is the scale and impact of the leadership which changes.
The old perception that leaders need to be clever is quickly undermined. Sheer intellect is not enough and can sometimes prove a hindrance when it comes to effective communication. Effective intellect, in other words emotional intelligence, can have far more impact. Leaders need to be able to communicate and to understand their teams to optimise their team’s real potential. The vast majority of business is founded upon emotional intelligence rather than intellectual acumen. Think why you bought your last car!
True leadership can be inspirational wherever it sits within an organisation. If it courses through the whole organisation it can be a tremendous force multiplier. If it is to be practised throughout, it must have commonality and doctrine, developed through teaching and mentoring, so that it is common, understood and effective. It cannot remain the province of enthusiastic amateurs. Leadership requires understanding from the learning organisational perspective- and understanding from the autocrat’s perspective. The true leader will have some of each and use the most appropriate whenever it is necessary. Knowing how and when to be an inspired servant leader or an empowered autocrat is the answer.
No comments:
Post a Comment