What is leadership?

I’ve served under good leaders and bad leaders. Reflecting on my career thus far, I can say with certainty that I have managed to learn something regardless of the leadership capabilities I served under. My life experiences have helped shape my own definition of leadership. While serving under leadership I perceived as poor, I learned what not to do. Good leadership has taught me positive ways to work, interact and be effective.

You are like me in at least one way…your life experience has influenced how you define good leadership. While defining leadership can be difficult, it’s not difficult to recognize when you see it. Finding a few definitive words that describe everything leadership includes is challenging.

I am not afraid to admit that I have not always given good leadership. I’ve seen my mistakes and would like to think I have learned from them. Seeing and understanding the errors of my way, it has become a passion of mine to learn all I can about becoming a good leader. I have taught on the matter, read exhaustively on the matter and plan to continue to be a student of the matter for the rest of my life. Through all I have read and learned, I have managed to come up with a few single words that seem to do the term leadership justice. Here is my take on a few words I consider critical if you want to be a good leader.

The first is Influence. There’s a saying I like, but I can’t remember who to attribute it to. It says; if you think you are leading but no one is following you, you’re just going for a walk. That says a lot. If you can’t influence those around you, even if you have the positional title of a leader you may lack the moral authority that comes with influence. Moral authority is based more on your character and behavior than an organizational chart. I’ve lead teams, groups and individuals for years without a title. How? In order to earn the right to influence someone start with building trust, investing time and being genuinely concerned about them as a person. Be authentic and as personable as you are comfortable. This takes time and energy, but I can assure you it will be time well spent. Influence is often either out of your reach or control. When you lack opportunity to build relational trust and spend time with those you need to influence, it’s time to look for creative ways to make the most whatever opportunities you do get.

Second is servant hood. Leading may seem polar opposite to serving, but it is not. Sitting in your office, too bothered to be involved in the day to day working or life of those you lead is a sure-fire way to create an atmosphere that lacks cohesiveness, trust and vision. This type of atmosphere is never the intention of a leader. If you find yourself too busy with meetings or other priorities to spend time with your people, it’s only natural for them to feel ignored at best or unappreciated at worst. You cannot be slave to your calendar or even your customers to the extent that they will not allow you time to interact with those you lead. Getting your hands dirty, rolling up your sleeves…these are ways we describe someone that is willing to do what is necessary to help others, regardless of title or position. Do what you can to serve people well and they will serve you well in return.

Last is humility. I have been in many situations where the person with the highest position in the room also feels the need to be the smartest person in the room. It’s almost like no one else can have any good ideas – or at least ideas better than theirs. When you constantly pass down decisions without seeking input from those that are involved or impacted, you let everyone know that you are smarter than they are. While I understand that this may have to be the case at times, when it happens over and over and over again, the pattern speaks on your behalf and likely communicates a message you really don’t intend to convey. I consider myself to be fairly intelligent, but I am rarely the smartest guy in the room and that is OK with me!

Remember that leadership isn’t really about you, it’s always about those you influence and serve. Leadership is a privilege, a responsibility and should be taken seriously. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence play a huge role in your ability to be effective and humble at the same time. I already have plans to write on both topics in the near future.

I’m listening…

Are you really listening? It’s a skill, one that takes discipline, focus and consistency. I can tell you this much – if you consistently avoid listening to your people and do not allow them a voice in matters that affect them, eventually you will be surrounded by people with nothing to say. Good people will leave and you will be surrounded by mediocre talent, wondering what happened. You don’t want to be in a leadership role in that position and you don’t want people under your leadership that feel helpless, unappreciated and voiceless. You have to surround yourself and listen to the right people. You have to build systems and processes to solicit input from people at all levels. Good leaders are attracted to where their voice is heard! If you want good leaders, you have to make that a part of your organization culture.

So how can we listen well? How can we allow those in our sphere of influence to feel they are valued and heard?

Listen for strengths: Everyone has an idea of what they are good at and where they need improvement. It takes a good leader to recognize where they are weak and where they could use help. It takes an even better leader to allow someone to actually help them. Putting people in position to be successful usually means allowing them to pursue areas where they are naturally strong. Check your ego at the door and allow people to operate in their strengths, even if it happens to be a weakness of yours.

Listen for pitfalls: Every organization has systemic issues, to ignore them is woefully ignorant. As a leader, you are often far enough away from the day-to-day activities that you can’t see those issues clearly. Those under your influence likely have a better feel for what is actually happening in the areas that really matter. In addition to listening for pitfalls, you have to be willing to do what you can to help the team avoid them, or make changes that will help those that are suffering from the issues.

Listen for innovation: Not only will those around you likely be closer and more aware of issues, they will likely have some very innovative solutions to resolve them. Nothing speaks arrogance more than a leader who thinks all good ideas have to originate from them. A good leader understand they do not always have to be the smartest person in the room. A good leader is open to not only hearing good ideas from others, but acting on them and ensuring the right people get the credit in the process!

Listening will provide insight and knowledge as to the potential of your people. Once you are aware of the information, it is your job as a leader to use that knowledge wisely. Now that I’ve shared some of the people you need to listen to and why, my next entry will provide some practical ways to enhance your actual listening skills.