leadership

Complacency is rooted in pride

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What was your motivation to get into leadership?

I love sales and being in a leadership position does not change who I am as a person. Whenever I am in a leadership role or even in my younger days when I was in sales positions – I always chose to help my colleagues. I have had the benefit of good education, and I think a good education means that you have gained the ability to think on your own. Every time that I have gone into a leadership role, it was not necessarily something I was looking for, it’s something that I have naturally done. Whenever someone has asked me for help, whether friend or foe, I have always said yes, taking time to listen, articulate and advising on how we can become better as a team. Generally speaking, I have really enjoyed being in a teacher - motivator role, and in my humble opinion I have always excelled in them. I’m fully aware that whenever leaders push excellence, the haters will come out of the woodwork as employers are not fond of change.

Moving away from servant leadership

There is so much uncertainty in the world right now so we have to make sure that there is an approach to both respond to change and anticipate what changes may be out there so we can keep re-orientating our direction. What is the D.A.C framework? The D.A.C framework is an alternative to the traditional follower > goal > leadership model. Central to the DAC framework for leadership is the group’s shared belief in how direction, alignment, and commitment can be produced. Direction is the overall group mission and goals; alignment is the necessary coordination of action within the collective group and commitment is the willingness of the group members to put personal interests secondary to that of the collective interest and benefit for your organisation.

You can lead without a title

Leadership is no longer about your position, it’s more about your passion for excellence and making a difference. It’s the execution that takes focus, effort, discipline and patience. In business, if you take care of the relationship the money will follow. If you obsess about giving customers 10 times the value they expect, they will beat a path to your door. That’s what this rule you mention is all about; remembering to wow customers, and teammates, every time you have the privilege to encounter them.

“To have the results that very few have, we must be willing to start doing the things that very few are willing to do.”
— Robin Sharma

An important subject for leaders to study is rationality, I mean being able to correctly conclude a rational, sensible course based on information. As a leader it’s also important to let everybody around you be helpful, but then put that through your own mental computer and make sure what you do is the product of what you’ve concluded based on all the input. I think developing rationality based on all the input is a true sense of leadership.

Being alert for the inevitable

Most of what Peter Drucker mentioned in his book, “Managing For The Future” is more of common sense, at least from today’s perspective. Practicing them consistently is difficult. I think the leaders first task is to be the trumpet that sounds a clear sound. Here are a few excerpts from the book that I particularly enjoyed:

“And nothing is noticed more quickly – and considered more significant – than a discrepancy between what executives preach and what they expect their associates to practice.”
— Peter Drucker
“The Japanese recognize that there are really only two demands of leadership. ONE is to accept that rank does not confer privileges; it entails responsibilities. The OTHER is to acknowledge that leaders in an organization need to impose on themselves that congruence between deeds and words, between behavior and professed beliefs and values, that we call ‘personal integrity’.”
— Peter Drucker

Knowing the scenario

I came across a book from Peter Drucker titled “Managing For The Future” which was first published in 1992. The power of great writing is that it is timeless. I read this old book and still enjoyed reading it because ideas presented in the book (specially on Leadership) are still very relevant today. The shape of corporate organisations has changed between 1992 and now. The nature of work has changed drastically too – we are out of factory model and into the knowledge oriented one, but the core principles of leadership have not changed. I think awareness, sensitivity and understanding are essential leadership skills required to lead in the 2020’s.

“Essence of leadership is not ‘leadership qualities’ or ‘charisma’. The essence of leadership is ‘performance’.”
— Peter Drucker

Leaders will always

Some people believe that leaders are made and others believe that great leaders are born. I think leadership can be learned even if you were born with the personality traits and communication abilities required to become a leader. The soft skills like awareness, sensitivity and understanding are not possessed by all leaders. Good leaders will always:

⁃            Set high standards
⁃            Have excellent organisational and execution skills
⁃            Embrace change and course-corrects when needed
⁃            Take risks
⁃            Embody fearlessness
⁃            Exude passion
⁃           Earn and give trust

You must live with your results

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Taking an honest look at ourselves is, of course, easier said than done and learning to view yourself critically, but not cruelly, is the most important first step for any leader. Without knowing who we truly are, how we truly work, and where our strengths and weaknesses truly lie - we cannot possibly begin to lead others effectively. You can achieve so much when you are truly focussed. What focus means in saying “no” to something that you think is a phenomenal idea and say “no” to it because you are focussed on something else. I think one has to stand guard at the door of our minds and decide what goes inside of it, don’t allow just anyone to dump into your mental factory.

“Less excuses, more results.
Less distractions, more focus.
Less me, more we.”
— Robin Sharma

Lead from the heart

For things to be better you first get yourself better, don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better and ask to be wiser and stronger. Have a great week and work on the small gains.

“Men will work hard for money. They will work harder for other men. But men will work hardest of all when they are dedicated to a cause. Until willingness overflows obligation, men fight as conscripts rather than following the flag as patriots. Duty is never worthily performed until it is performed by one who would gladly do more if only he could.”
— Harry Emerson Fosdick

The leadership gap

When I started my blog in 2017, I tried to interview the author of “The Leadership Gap”, Lolly Daskal. Lolly is coach, consultant, and leadership expert. I think there are sheep and shepherds, and there are also wolves. Wise leaders must understand some wolves are so clever, even though they are dressed up like sheep. Part of leadership skills are awareness, sensitivity and understanding - knowing the scenario and being alert for the inevitable.

 

Research shows that if you give people agency to “do their thing” in the decisions they make, they are more likely to make better decisions and morally follow-up and follow through on the decisions they make and achieve their goals.

“Management is about persuading people to do things they don’t want to do. Leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could do and end up doing it.”
— Lolly Daskal

Keep an open mind

I think one of the most important roles of the leader is to immediately intervene and remove the obstacles so that the team can advance towards the corporate goals.

“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person was of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
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— John Stuart Mill

Let your values be your compass

I think the hardest part of leadership is knowing yourself and I truly believe that leadership exists in each of us. To be a great leader one must know who you are, and what's most important to you. We must acknowledge who we are both our successes and our shadows. We must resist the urge to ”cancel” people and celebrate those who persevere; those who remain calm in a storm and embrace their shadows.

 

Leaders are not born; they are made through values, virtues, principles, and character.The most common way we give away our power is thinking we don't have any. Lead from within in order to empower others to stand in their truth and to speak in their power. All you need is a heart full of grace, and a soul generated by love.

Unfit to lead

Yesterday, John Amaechi OBE said, “The passing of a leader who failed to live up to their promises is nothing more than an opportunity. An opportunity for the successor to prove every day and with every interaction that now - finally - integrity will be an unbreakable principle of their leadership.”

I really hope that the next leader will have better awareness, sensitivity and understanding of leadership skills required. Sometimes we forget that not everyone is cut out to hold a leadership role. So, we must ask the candidates what motivates them to want to lead other people. And if they don't emphasise the importance of helping others grow, succeed, and thrive, we should look at other applicants.

Don't blow your own trumpet

There’s no greater human experience than the experience of being understood. The final deliverable of a strategy is not a document as people don’t follow documents, they follow leaders and ideas. I think great leadership is always about a powerful narrative and the bigger the change, the more important the story becomes. Good stories engage people emotionally through vivid metaphors, examples, and images. Stories create meaning and people are in the search for meaning in their lives and in their workplace.

“The task of a leader is to be the trumpet that sounds the clear sound.”
— Peter Drucker

To serve as a leader

c/o Dallas Cowboys archive

A leadership vision statement is a declaration of a leader's values, beliefs and purpose, as it defines how they lead and who they are. I think a powerful leadership vision can help motivate employees' performance. According to the legendary coach, Tom Landry, an heroic leader is someone… “who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.”

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Plan your project

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Whether you are a multinational organisation or a smaller business, the way we are working is changing. As strategy shifts in many industries to being more experiment centric, projects are going to become more and more critical for achieving excellence in execution. Many things in life are projects, therefore, I think project management skills touch every part of our lives and as a result, project managers will need a new approach and mindset. Contact me via e-mail for workshops and roadmaps on how to navigate a successful project and the common pitfalls to avoid.

Leadership thoughts

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Do you remember the first time you were seen as a leader?
I think that maybe I had some natural leadership skills as I was chosen as the Form Captain in my first week at secondary school. I’ve always been looking at problems and finding solutions.

How has your perspective on leadership changed over time?
I see my role as providing continuous support and vision to the team, but I don’t think that I need to be involved in everything.

 

What have you enjoyed most about leadership?

For me, it’s not about power! It’s about the working process and making sure the wheels are smoothly turning around. I have been described as a decisive leader, very good at making strategic decisions and at the same time I’m very good at getting things executed and building the right team.

“To whom much is given, much will be required.”
— Bible (Luke 12:48)
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Self reflection

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According to Indeed business leadership refers to how individuals make decisions, set goals, and provide direction in a professional environment. Business leadership can take many different forms, but usually involves a CEO or higher-level employees guiding and inspiring the rest of the team. I have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the core elements of business leadership and I think the essential business management skills should include:

  • Critical and strategic thinking

  • Communication

  • Problem-solving

  • Organisation

  • Presenting

  • Reporting

  • Leadership

  • Project management