Why do people want to take on leadership positions even though it comes with
a heavy responsibility? The
real reason why people want to lead stems from their desire to give meaning
to their own lives[1].
This gives purpose to their
existence.
Exercising leadership is the ability to make a person, group, team
or an organization accomplish a common goal. In my view, leadership is about being
present and doing what it takes (sometimes doing the harder right) to work
towards an objective. This objective can be anything you have set your mind to
accomplish, e.g. it can be a simple event which requires moblising resources to
complete a task or it could be a complex issue which requires changes in norms
and values of people in a group/ organization to cause a change in behavior.
In order to do this well, communication is key and it will
determine if one can connect
with people from different walks of life. Being a leader puts you in the spot
light and you let yourself be measured and judged by others. The will to lead
and step forward must thus far out weight the pains of exercising leadership.
A leader must also be seen to be genuine and others must not distrust
his/her intentions. This requires a leader to be Painfully Consistent[2] . One’s motivations must not be derailed
and it is critical to stay the cause. As Paul O Neill had mentioned,
“Consistency is a key component of effective leadership, if you want people to
believe you and to have even a temptation to follow you, you have to be
painfully consistent”. He also adds that
this is important so people do not interpret your actions as temporary or just
a flavour of the month. In my organization, there is a common phrase “died a
natural death”, which refers to new initiatives which did not withstand the
test of time.
By knowing yourself, you become better acquainted on your own
strengths and weakness. When you leverage on your strengths and manage your
weaknesses, you learn to become a better leader. This is easier said than done
and requires much personal reflection. The true test of whether you have
succeeded in being a better leader is best answered by the people you lead. Their
acknowledgments or frustrations will be very telling indeed.
Thus, the benefit of being a better leader goes back to the very point
on why people lead in the first place……. i.e. to find meaning in their lives!
No comments:
Post a Comment