I
expect you’ve all been deeply shocked by the gas attacks in Syria. But if we were to take a poll I doubt we’d
all agree about what we, as a country, should do in response.
Parliament’s
defeat of the vote for military action has caused some repercussions. Commentators seem fixated on the question of
whether David Cameron/the conservative party/the country/the ‘special
relationship’ has been damaged by this apparent back track.
All
of which started me thinking about what makes for strong leadership and whether
a change of mind is a sign of strength or weakness.
Running
your own business or managing a company needs leadership AND management
skills. The two are quite
different. Good managers are not always
good leaders and vice versa. So what
makes for strong leadership and how come it’s such a rare commodity?
Please
don’t think I’m claiming to be a strong leader myself. I am old enough and wise enough to know that leadership
is not my forte! However, I’ve worked
with a few impressive leaders and have watched how they operate. The best are visionaries. They tend to be single minded when it comes
to achieving objectives and although they are aware of challenges, they have a
‘terrier’ trait that keeps them hanging on.
So does that mean they never waver or have a change of heart?
In
my experience, true leaders share some characteristic ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’.
They
don’t
- jump to conclusions
- threaten or bully
- sway between allegiances or causes
- either over-simplify or over-complicate their
message
- get bogged down with irrelevancies
They
do:
- their homework
- enlist champions, who believe in their cause
and act as advocates
- communicate their vision to everyone
involved, and I mean everyone!
- motivate their people and trust them to get
on with the job
- have their finger on the pulse.
And
perhaps that last point is the most pertinent.
True leaders know what’s going on.
What may have been right six days/weeks/months ago may not be now. Sometimes environment changes mean that objectives
need to change too. That’s what
flexibility and responsiveness is all about.
Sticking to a goal that has been superseded or has become outdated is
nothing more than dogma.
Surely
a strong leader is one with the strength of character to stand up and say “we
need to do this differently” rather than plough on regardless of the fallout.
Have
you worked with someone who had leadership qualities? Why not share your thoughts here about what
made them so influential?