Does the perfect leader exist?
To paraphrase W. Somerset Maugham, “There are three rules for creating good leaders. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
There are no perfect leaders; any leader worth their salt is always striving to improve themselves through study, training, education, mentorship, and learning from their mistakes.
As there is no such thing as a perfect leader, it is challenging to develop a comprehensive leadership model. And that is why there are hundreds of models out there. Nevertheless, we can be sure of a few things that a good leader has or is:
- The ability to articulate a clear and compelling vision of the future and maintain a laser-like focus on achieving it.
- The ability to encourage followers to overcome the challenges to achieve the vision.
- Be a good coach and mentor to their followers.
- Delegating and empowering their followers to get things accomplished.
How can a leader stay motivated?
A leader must maintain their own motivation. Those who try to fake it are quickly exposed as frauds in the eyes of their followers.
Your motivation comes in two forms: external and internal. A statement describing external motivators could be:“ I need to make a living to survive.’ Whereas an example of an internal motivation statement is: ‘I work because I get a great deal of satisfaction from my job.’
There are many debates about whether internal or external motivators are the most critical drivers of motivation. That said, good leaders set and achieve goals that strike a balance between the two.
Good leaders understand that external motivators lead us into new situations, like a new job. And, our passion for our work (internal) drives us to achieve new heights.
Is there a difference between a manager and a leader?
All good managers are leaders to various degrees. They need to carry out their organization’s vision by creating their own goals that support the larger view and then, in turn, get their workers to work towards that vision.
For example, Starbucks had a vision of 2000 stores by the year 2000. This goal was one of the driving forces behind the company’s success.
Did the CEO build those 2000 stores himself?
Of course not, the managers and supervisors whose smaller-scale goals directly supported the 2000 by 2000 vision achieved that vision.
They, in turn, accomplished their goals by delegating the means and authority to their subordinates.
You say anyone can become a leader … Really?
You may not become a Churchill, but anyone can lead who has the willingness and drive to work at being a better leader.
Poor traits can be changed or reduced by becoming self-aware, then focusing on the more desirable characteristics and purposefully using them to overpower the unhealthy ones.
This is one reason there are no perfect leaders — we all have a few unhealthy or weaker traits. However, the better leaders concentrate on and develop their desirable characteristics so that they become dominant in their dealings with people.
What about technology and leadership?
I don’t see technologies affecting leaders, or people, for that matter.
What I see are good leaders who achieve their goals by selecting the right tools and processes (technology) to do so.
Good leaders maintain a laser-like focus on their goals and then take the necessary steps to achieve them. They do not pick a technology or emerging trend and then try to match achieving a random goal with it.
Is there any trend that could be called “the new leader”? Or have things really not changed that much over the last 100 years?
I don’t believe things have changed that much in millennia.
However, we have gained a better understanding of the science of human behaviour over the last hundred years or so.
Attila the Hun, Alexander, Caesar, Lincoln and Churchill all understood how to lead people based on their experiences and intuition. Their leadership lessons are still eminently relevant today as they were then.
How can a leader avoid being corrupted by power?
The degree of power that a leader requires is determined by the goals that she must achieve. For example, the leader of a country requires different powers than the leader of a church.
Power is the possession of control, authority, and/or influence over others, and this power is then used to achieve a goal. Some leaders, such as presidents, possess all or parts of the three, while others, like Mother Theresa, may have only one.
Power does not corrupt.
Corruption is the degree to which someone’s action deviates from a moral value that a society, organization, or community has established.
The only preventive medicine for corruption of power is a healthy respect for and a diversity of others (diversity).
Where should leaders divide their time?
I think leaders have two “leadership continuum” scales that they must follow. Thinkers on the subject like McGreagor and Blake & Mouton demonstrate this idea as a vertical axis (concern for people) balanced against a second axis of “concern for task.
By focusing on developing and maintaining a laser-like focus on their goals, a leader can create a vision. By developing great people (people scale) and giving them the means to accomplish your vision, you have the necessary ingredients to achieve organizational success.
In other words, goal-directed visions that inspire their people to work through change and challenges equal a successful organization.
What’s the worst fault a leader can have?
I would say there are two.
First, it is essential to have and develop a diverse team of people, as unanimity can create a homogeneous group of like-minded individuals throughout the organization and lead to one-sided thinking. Without a diverse team, you will never develop creative solutions to stay competitive.
The second, and I think the most important, is moral courage. As a leader, you must be strong enough to do the hard but right work, recognize that not all decisions are popular, and be willing to prioritize your mission over being liked.
If so much material is written about leadership, why are there so few real leaders?
Who says there are so few leaders? I think the world is full of good people doing good work. Indeed, a Dwight D. Eisenhower comes along once in a generation, but WWII was won by millions of great leaders who carried out their commander’s goals.
Many people equate leadership with the power of authority, yet leadership is more about envisioning and achieving goals through the efforts of others.
Organizations that are failing lack leaders throughout their ranks.
Do you have to be a superhero to be a good leader?
No, leadership is like many other complex skills—it takes skills and practice.
That is why it is essential to develop leaders throughout your organization; although you can acquire knowledge and skills, it takes practice to master them.
Senior leaders should consistently coach and mentor their people throughout the leadership continuum.
Is a military model of leadership applicable to any company or not-for-profit, as it is based mainly on authority and discipline?
Researchers have shown that one highly effective model of leadership is demonstrated within the military. Many great military units approach motivation by following the “mission, values, and pride philosophy.”
They invest in their people by following practices:
- Over-investing in cultivating the organization’s core value:
Don’t briefly introduce your employees to the company – assign your most experienced and talented managers to focus intensely on your organization’s core values. And keep the frontline developing culture & value, no stop!
- Prepare every person to lead, including front-line supervisors:
Training every frontline person to lead has a powerful effect on morale. Do not frontline workers off or give them superficial attention. You must embrace the notion that front-line workers can lead.
- Attending to the bottom half, not just the top half:
Find the time to attend to the poor and mediocre performers, even if it means personal sacrifice. It is cheaper and easier to rejuvenate underperformers than to replace them. Sergeants, despite their legendary toughness, refuse to give up on any recruit who does not give up on themselves.
- Encouraging self-discipline as a way of building pride:
Demand that everyone act with honour, courage, and commitment. For example, Southwest Airlines turns its planes around in less than half the time required by most competitors… not out of fear of punishment, but out of a desire to be the best.
Can an excess of leaders turn into a problem?
Every organization is unique; therefore, it will require a different percentage of leaders. But every leader and supervisor must display some form of leadership; they cannot simply be bosses and expect the organization to become a great organization. For that matter, how can you have too much of a good thing? Is there such a thing as a company having too much profit?
What is better for a company that does not have a huge training budget: building a team of leaders or concentrating on building a team of efficient managers?
Managers can get things done, but they must be led and possess leadership abilities of their own. Otherwise, what will they get accomplished?
It takes leaders to have visions. Once you have your vision, it needs to be framed in general terms and communicated to your team.
Your team then develops objectives and ways & means to achieve the vision, none of which are leadership tasks.
Can someone be a good leader, but not a good manager? Which is better for a company?
Many managers struggle to lead because some leaders are unable to manage.
Neither option is suitable for anyone.
Both will strip the company of valuable resources — a leader who can’t get things done or a manager who cannot lead her employees.
What is a measure of success for developing leaders?
I’m not so sure if there is such an index?
Making a leader is a development process, not a training process, and development can be tough to measure.
For example, if you train someone to operate a forklift, you can then visit the job site to see if that person has actually acquired new skills. However, observing someone to determine if they have gained leadership skills is much more challenging.
Developing a leader is not accomplished in a two-week leadership course; this is achieved through trial & error, and practice.
Some indicators reveal the value organizations place on leadership skills: The Hay Group found that the corporate cultures of the world’s most admired companies are alike in many ways, but also differ from those of an ‘average’ company.
Research reveals that the dominant values in the world’s most admired companies are teamwork, customer focus, innovation, fair treatment of employees, and a clear vision. All leadership skills!
Average companies have overriding values of creating budgets, supporting management decisions, and minimizing risks.
The results: Great companies have leaders, while managers run average companies!
Is it asking too much of a leader to keep people’s loyalty in a company that is downsizing?
Leadership is more about enabling people to do their best & become the best, and that, my friend, develops loyalty.
Arguably, organizations with effective leaders throughout their organization will find themselves downsizing less often than those lacking leaders. That is because they will take the steps to catch the cat outside the place they have created.
If you have good leaders throughout the organization, you will find yourself making the right decisions when it becomes time to cut costs, being honest and compassionate.
An emerging trend in the new economy is working at home and teams connected via the web. How can one be a leader without regular eye-to-eye contact?
Most leaders still regularly visit the “office.”
In fact, they must be seen around the organization and be seen by others, as they are the role models.
Secondly, don’t punish the honest because of a few cheaters. The majority of people who work at home are among the best led, as they are motivated both extrinsically and intrinsically by being well-paid and having the freedom to perform their job as they see fit.
I would recommend having weekly or semi-weekly meetings to allow all the employees a chance to meet each other face-to-face, even if it is via videoconferencing.
And then deal with poor performers as the exception, not the rule.