Leadership - Simply Put!

Introduction

In the Marstan Guides "Introduction to Business Management" and "HR Management - Simply Put!", we said that successful organisations do more than administer the terms and conditions of staff; they help to develop their people to fulfil their potential.

One of the best ways of doing this is to exercise leadership.

What is Leadership?

Considering the importance of leadership and the impact that it can have on people and organisations, dictionary definitions are very disappointing. They include:

• n. The position and function of a leader
• n. The ability to lead

The problem with dictionary definitions of leadership is that they define it as a noun.

Leadership is much more than that. Leadership needs action – a verb!

Leadership also touches emotions, which means that there is a certain indefinable quality about it.

What is the best way of understanding Leadership?

Because of the indefinable qualities, it is better to look at examples and to tune into the emotions which you feel when you are inspired by something.

Behind every great achievement by a group of people, you will find examples of leadership.

You will find leadership in music:

• The conductor of an orchestra “sees” the whole score of a musical piece and has a vision of what it will sound like when played with passion. Enthused by that vision, the conductor inspires each and every member of the orchestra. He or she takes action; guiding and coaching groups of musicians and individuals; making it clear how their part fits into the overall score and how important it is.
• Together, they work, practice over and over again and ensure that they hit the standards which they set themselves. Without forgetting the practical and financial needs of the Producer to provide music which will sell-out the event, they finally arrive at the performance. During the performance, they are not seen as a group of individuals playing different notes on vastly different instruments. They are seen as a whole delivering a perfect sound and an emotional experience to the audience.
• All this from the vision of one person - That’s Leadership!

You will find leadership in politics:

• Anybody who has read or listened to the speeches of Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King are in no doubts about what leadership is all about.
• These people all conceived an idea which they strongly believed was for the good of all. They developed the idea and expressed it clearly, using words which touched the emotions as well as the mind. They had a desire to communicate their message to as many people as possible; to influence them so that the idea could come to fruition.
• “I have a dream....” – That’s Leadership!

You will find leadership in business:

• When the young Bill Gates founded Microsoft with a vision of “A computer on every desk and in every home”, he began to change the way people think and they bought into the idea – That’s Leadership!

Leadership is not about forcing people to do as they are told. True leadership has to be directed at achieving something worthwhile. Alan Keith, (VP of Genentech) said:

Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to make something extraordinary happen.

So, Simply Put!, leadership is the ability to lead; to enlist the willing aid and support of other people to accomplish whatever it is you and your organisation want to achieve. And to do that you need to be able to influence, inspire and mobilise your people.

Is there any difference between Leadership and Management?

Yes – a profound difference. One of the simplest answers to this question was provided by Professor Warren Bennis:

Leaders are people who do the right thing. Managers are people who do things right.

Basic distinctions between the two are:

The best leaders can both lead and manage where need be. They care about both the big picture, the vision, and the small picture of detail. They’re available on a day to day basis to help their managers deal with the running of the business while continually monitoring if this activity is aligned with and on track to achieve the big picture.

Effective leaders stand out from managers by their ability to make people feel valued, to inspire and energise them, to help develop their creativity and to encourage them to take risks and learn from mistakes.

In the same way, the best managers will also demonstrate leadership skills. However, their primary responsibility is to ensure the ‘jobs’ get done.

Are leaders born or made?

There is no easy answer to this question.

Leaders are so good at inspiring others and getting people to follow them, that they make it look natural. People assume that they are born leaders. However, if we consider two great orators, Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill, it is clear that they used powerful words and their voice to influence people. Whilst they both wrote their own speeches, they are both known to have worked long and hard to get their speeches right; using as few words as possible and ensuring that the right words were used to make an impact and affect the emotions of their audience.

Therefore, perhaps everyone is born with the potential to be a leader. Whether or not you fulfil that potential depends on how your personality develops, how you use your life experiences AND whether or not you engage in your own personal and professional development.

The very best leaders have in common an empathy with people and a commitment to lifelong learning so they develop both as a person and in the quality of their leadership.

Being appointed to a leadership position doesn’t automatically make you a leader. You’ll certainly have ‘formal authority’, power given to you organisationally by virtue of your role. However, true leadership is based on ‘moral authority’ gained as a result of the quality of your character, your integrity, your ethics and values and whether or not you walk your talk!

What are the key roles of Leadership?

Dr Stephen Covey, an internationally recognised authority, suggests there are 4 key roles of leadership which begin and end with the organisational results you want to achieve.

1. Modelling

   Choosing to live by example and being true to what you know is right. Who you are as a person and how you behave sets the tone for your leadership and the organisation as a whole.

2. Pathfinding

   Creating a shared way forward, including strategic priorities, which connect what the customer is passionate about with what the organisation is passionate about delivering. Keeping the end in mind and finding ways to achieve it.

3. Aligning systems and effort

   Just as you need to re-align the wheels of your car at times, you need to re-align organisational systems and energy when they’re off track. Otherwise you risk not achieving your desired results and wasting time, energy and resources.

4. Empowering

   Fostering the talents, energies and contribution of your people through encouragement. Creating an environment where people feel safe enough to speak out, whatever the issue, and willingly contribute their ideas, energy and talents because they feel motivated to do so.

Can I afford the time to apply Leadership?

Yes. You cannot not afford the time to apply leadership!

Without ‘leadership’ it’s like you trying to steer a boat without a rudder or build a house without plans; crisis management, high stress and sick absence, poor work relationships, frustration and potential ‘burn-out’.

A major problem in business, particularly SMEs, is that they’re ‘over-managed and under-led’. (Harvard Business Review Jan/Feb 2010).

So if this is you and your organisation, you’re not alone. The good news is you can use this guide and start developing your personal and professional leadership right away.

Remember, everyone is born with the potential for leadership. It’s what you do with that potential which counts.

Further Information

If you are interested in providing stronger leadership and re-energising your company, there is no better place to start than refining your strategy, vision, mission and strategic objectives.

If you are clear about what you want to achieve, make it clear to other people and treat them with respect; there is a much better chance that they will follow you with enthusiasm and achieve more individually and collectively.

The following Marstan Guides will help you to meet this objective:

• "Strategy and Business Planning - Simply Put!"
• “Vision and Mission Statements – Simply Put!”
• "Strategic Objectives – Simply Put!”