4 Key Competencies to Becoming a Leader's Leader (and Why it Matters!)

What type of leader are you? Are you the type who delegates or one who motivates others?

For centuries, the predominant leadership model has been the leader-follower model: the leader makes the decision, the follower implements it. For the vast part of history, it has worked. 

In ancient Egypt, the leader-follower model was responsible for the building of the pyramids. In the Industrial Revolution, we saw this approach render the production system much more efficient.

But increasingly, businesses are moving towards a leader-leader model style, where there is less hierarchy. Where employees themselves wish to become leaders, rather than just being passive ‘doers’. Where actions warrant purpose. And purpose inspires people.

A couple of months ago, I read David Marquet’s book: Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders. In it, he outlines the principles of the leader-leader model, gained during his naval career as a junior officer on a USS Sunfish, then applying it, once he became Captain.

The approach is simple. According to Marquet, the four primary pillars of the leader-leader model are as follows:

1.     Release Control – All leaders tend to retain control of a situation or a task, more so during stressful or high-stake periods. But according to Marquet, releasing control is critical to the leader-leader model. It creates a space of shared responsibility and accountability amongst team players and more importantly, it motivates everyone to be equally involved in tackling the task.

2.     Competence – A great team can only succeed if they have the tools they need to unlock their potential. The leader should always ensure their team are well equipped to tackle any task.

3.     Clarity – Setting a purpose, objectives and targets is critical to sustaining motivation. Leaders should clearly define what the organization is trying to achieve, outline how each employee is working towards this goal and track progress made.

4.     Courage – For Marquet, leaders should resist the tendency to delegate. They should have the courage let go, trust their team and be confident and comfortable enough to let others take the lead, even when things are looking uncertain.

EO has been embracing this leader-leader model for 35 years. The very nature of EO – a network of more than 16,000 leaders – means you have to take a leader-leader approach. Particularly, because, we entrepreneurs are all leaders in our own right, and not the biggest fans of being told what to do.

And so without noticing it, I have been practising and honing this skillset since I joined the network 14 years ago.

For the leader-leader model to be truly effective, leaders need to have an intimate understanding and appreciation of their colleagues and how they like to work.

Through EO, I’ve learned to do this.

First, I understood the importance of adjusting a leadership style to the person, situation and timing. As a global chair, I learned that the way to engage my fellow member leaders will differ from person to person. I also realised that how I motivate a member for one task today will differ from how I would have motivated them in past, and possibly in future.

Secondly, I’ve learned the power of influencing change by embracing a fellow leader’s core strengths. For example, if I know a chapter member is significantly adept at a specific task I need help with, I will be leaning on that member to guide me on how we can tackle the problem together.

Finally, EO has taught me to accept that I am far from perfect. And that is okay. Our collective minds, strengths, and knowledge is what makes us better leaders. By continuously listening to others and learning from them, I’ve recognised the importance of humility and vulnerability. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Because only together, we grow.

EO has given me the tools to practice what Marquet has been preaching - I'm steering the ship today, and inviting my fellow leaders to help propel us toward the shore.

That’s the type of leader I want to be.

So here I’m inviting you to think – what type of leader are you? And how do you want to inspire growth, motivation, and trust among the fellow and future leaders you want to influence?