Chapter 1. Demystifying Leadership - Part 1
What Leadership is and what it is not. A compass to help decide whether it is the right path for you.
In order to foster a shared understanding of where we are heading, we first need to agree on a common language: this is the topic of our first chapter.
Together with culture, leadership it is probably the most misunderstood (and misused) term in today’s organisations. Hence, it is worth spending a little time to better define it.
I will start by stating what leadership is not:
It is not a title or a rank, e.g.: being part of a Leadership team. While there is a link between being a good leader and progressing through the organisational ranks, leadership is not something you can be appointed to from above.
It is not about rewards, status and privilege. Leadership is not the pursuit of one own’s ego.
The best definition I have managed to come up with to date is the following:
Leadership is a collection of traits, skills and behaviours that inspire people to come together and take action in the pursuit of the common goal. Rather than a title, it is a mindset and a state of being. The mindset of being in service of the organisation’s purpose, the teams you lead and the peers you encounter along the journey.
The above definition highlights two fundamental characteristics of leadership:
1. The mindset of being in service, rather than being served.
2. The focus on inspiring, as opposed to forcing, others to take action.
The first characteristic is a prerequisite of great leaders, and it is exclusively linked to intrinsic motivation. Patric Lencioni’s “The Motive” (ref:1) is a beautiful, short essay on the topic. The second is a collection of skills that aspiring leaders can learn, given enough determination and hard work.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of such skills:
Self-awareness: the ability to see ourselves - principles, values, strengths, weaknesses - and to understand how others see us.
Empathy: the ability to sense other people’s emotions by stepping into their shoes.
Emotional Intelligence: the ability to control your own emotions and understand how your actions affect those of the people around you.
Active Listening: that is, the ability to focus on what is being sad in order to understand the other’s point of view…as opposed to listening to respond.
Long-Term & System Thinking: the ability to zoom in and out an event, to frame its relevance in the context of the environment (spatial dimension) and the long-term vision (temporal dimension).
You might be starting to feel self-conscious in realising how those skills differ from those that led you to be a great technical contributor. Let me reassure you: we have all felt the same once…truth be told, we often still do. What changes over time is the ability to choose how you react to it: rather than becoming an obstacle, you realise that the uneasiness is to be embraced. We only learn when we operate outside of our comfort zone.
You might be surprised to learn that we are already at a pivotal moment in the journey… one that is too often overlooked. If you are deciding whether leadership is the right path for you, this is a great time to stop and reflect. Ask yourself a fundamental question: What is the motive that drives you in your work?
If the definition above does not resonate with how you feel when you answer that question, then you might want to carefully consider your options.
If it does, you might very well love this journey. And with the right attitude, you can learn the skills you need to succeed.
Coming Next:
Chapter 1: Demystifying Leadership - Part 2 (Running Leadership Through a Prism).
References:
1. Patrick Lencioni’s “The Motive. Why so Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities”, is both an enjoyable tale and an enlightening analysis of the need for leaders to honestly assess their true motivation.