Leadership Thought
Bad Leaders take advantage of people,
Good Leaders deliver results with people,
Great Leaders create opportunities for people.
Easy to say, difficult to do.
But wait – shouldn’t everyone be aspired to be a Great Leader? Technique aside (learnable), it actually has more to do with the values and states of the leader.
Values
If the leader “grew up” in an environment where individual performance and unhealthy competitive (perhaps even hostile) behaviours have been rewarded – then it is highly likely the leader believe that is the way things (should) work. These values will drive the “what” and “how” in the organizations they lead. Some examples:
- Corporate mandates to deliver short term (financial) results
- People strategy to hire external, proven candidates vs developing talent internally
- Favoritism towards those like them or “belong to” them
- Recognition for “dive and catch” crisis recovery vs proactive risk management
- Personal image with subject matter mastery vs. helping people shine
Do your organization and leader swear by “Win at all Cost” or “Win on our terms”?
Do you personally believe in that rally cry?
States
Independent from the environment, the personal/internal state of the leader also drive his/her behaviours and directions. Think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – we cannot help others without our own oxygen mask on. When we encounter changes (e.g. new role or company) or conflicts (e.g. relationship), we automatically move down the hierarchy
- A newly appointed leader needs to establish him/herself and build relationships. (S)He will likely start by mimicking the norm in the new organization.
- The company is experiencing downturn with potential cuts coming. The uncertainty is shared by everyone.
- A miscommunication caused the creditability of the leader to be questioned. The “opposing party” withhold information that can potentially resolve the situation to gain perceived political advantage. Should our leader stay transparent or protect him/herself?
Circumstances happen and they are not always good. It’s what we do then that makes the difference.
Good Leader, Bad Leader
Going back to the opening. Ultimately, leaders are in position to drive results – The difference is how.
A Bad leader believes the world is a zero-sum game. Your gain is his/her pain. (S)He has paid the price and climbed the ladder, now it is your turn to pay your dues.
A Good leader is there to do his/her job. We each have a role to play – it is not personal and there are no hard feelings.
A Great leader sees opportunities everywhere. (S)He respects the privilege and responsibilities and we can all grow together.
Who would you rather work for?
P.S. A respected recruiter once told me bad leaders “happen” because they did not receive the coaching they deserve. Otherwise they would have grown more and gone further.
Our careers may be remembered as a few major inflection points, in reality they are series of decisions we make along the way. Choose an environment where you share values with. Seek coaching when you feel insecure or conflicted.
Like the saying goes, what you teach your son or daughter now, imagine seeing that in your grandchildren. Our values and states may be heavily influenced by the environment and experience but what do we want for our next generation (both at work and home)?
Is it a picture of a team of all levels smiling and helping each other or a high powered leader going at it alone?
Now is Your Turn
Perhaps we have different titles to describe our roles but we are all leaders. We can choose how to respond to situations and set the norms for ourselves, our family, team, company.
Gratitude and kindness are contagious. The opposite is true too.
Do you want your bad day to become the team’s bad day? Will you find a way to make the environment better (even in your own way)? Do you want to be a part of the Problem, or the Solution?
