Leadership Principles
By admin | May 28, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
While I without question write more on the topic of leadership than any other subject, I realize that much of what I pen tends to deal with complex arguments, sophisticated logic, esoteric theories, strategic applications, and intricate contextual nuances. However, In reflecting upon my lectures, workshops, and client engagements it is not an infrequent occurrence to find even the most savvy executives who misconstrue certain basic leadership ideas. In that vein, I have concluded it might be appropriate to take a step back and review the fundamentals. So, in today’s post I’ve compiled a short list of things you thought you knew about leadership as a friendly reminder…
Leaders come in different flavors: There are many different types of leaders, and you will likely encounter all of them over the course of time. Some individuals openly seek out positions of leadership, while leadership is thrust upon others. Whether leaders are elected, appointed, anointed, or self-proclaimed, and regardless of whether it is by design or default, they nonetheless carry the burden and responsibilities associated with that of a leader.
While individual leadership approaches will be as different as night and day, and some will clearly be more effective than others, there is something to be learned from them all…There are leaders that we look up to by virtue of their street-smarts, wisdom, and experience; or by virtue of their expertise and contribution to a given field. While there are many different leadership styles, and regardless of how a leader has risen to their position, most leaders practice some aspects of the following representative leadership styles: authoritative, analytical, charismatic, emotional, intuitive, exploitive, benevolent, instructional, collaborative, delegatory, inspirational, consultative, visionary, coaching, and democratic. Which type of leader are you, can you recognize the leadership styles of others, and can you adapt your style to the situation at hand?
Leadership is a process or journey of becoming: Although certain people are clearly born with innate leadership qualities, without the right environment and exposure, they may fail to develop their full potential. So like learning how to ride a bicycle, you can also learn how to become a leader and hone your leadership abilities. Knowledge on leadership theories and skills may be formally gained by enrolling in leadership seminars, workshops, and conferences. Daily interactions with people provide the opportunity to observe and practice leadership theories. Together, formal and informal learning will help you gain leadership attitudes, gain leadership insights, and thus further the cycle of learning. You do not become a leader in one day and just stop. Life-long learning is important in becoming a good leader for each day brings new experiences that put your knowledge, skills, and attitude to a test. Ask any leader how much more they know today than just 5 years ago, and their answer will serve as my validation of proof of concept.
Leadership starts with you: The best way to develop leadership qualities is to apply them to your own life, through leading by personal example. As an adage goes “action speaks louder than words.” Leaders are always in the limelight. Keep in mind that your credibility as a leader depends much on your actions: your interaction with your family, friends, and co-workers; your way of managing your personal and organizational responsibilities; and even the way you talk with a casual acquaintance in the elevator. Repeated actions become habits. Habits in turn form a person’s character. Steven Covey’s book entitled 7 Habits of Highly Effective People provides good insights on how you can achieve personal leadership. And while I’m mentioning books, I want to give a shameless plug for my book ”Leadership Matters…The CEO Survival Manual”, as it will open your eyes to the importance of many leadership aspects that I cannot cover in a single blog post.
Leadership is shared: As noted above, while leadership begins with you, it clearly does not end with you. Leadership is not the sole responsibility of one person, but rather a shared responsibility among members of a collective group. As much as some in leadership may not want to hear this, a leader belongs to a group. Each member has responsibilities to fulfill. Formal leadership positions are merely added responsibilities aside from their responsibilities as members of the team. Effective leadership requires members to do their share of work. Starting as a mere group of individuals, members and leaders work towards the formation of an effective team. In this light, social interaction plays a major role in leadership. To learn how to work together requires a great deal of trust between and among leaders and members of an emerging team. Trust is built upon actions and not merely on words. When mutual respect exists, trust is fostered and confidence is built.
Leadership styles depend on the situation: I know most of you have read more about contextual and situational leadership from me than you probably care for, however flexibility, fluidity, and adaptability are key elements of all successful leaders. In today’s global economy one size fits all leadership styles are simply disasters in the making…You need to understand that what works in Hong Kong will be different than what works in Russia. Leadership practices, while remaining authentic, must be tailored to culture, beliefs, value systems, form of government, socioeconomic status, and other demographic variables. Leaders must employ a combination of leadership styles depending on the situation. An example of the importance of flexibility would be that when staff are highly motivated and competent, a combination of high delegative and moderate participative styles of leadership would be most appropriate. But if the staff have low competence and low commitment, a combination of high coaching, high supporting, and high directing behavior from organizational leaders would be much more effective.
Now that we’ve taken a walk down the path of leadership 101, keep in mind that there are always ideas that we think we already know; concepts we take for granted, but are actually some of the most useful insights on leadership…Never dismiss as trite or dated the very same principles that made you a successful leader to begin with.
Topics: Leadership |
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