Leadership in absentia !

More often than not, people recognize leaders by their followers, by their accomplishments or by their popularity! We come across leaders being respected and acknowledged especially while they are with the team. This respect mainly could stem from either the charisma the leader brings to the table or the authority that they like to wield. In essence this is leadership being felt because of the presence of the leader.

However there is something more to great leadership and that refers to people being acknowledged as leaders for the great work they do or have done in the past. This acknowledgement doesn't happen in their presence. It is widely spoken about in the absence of such people. Their impact is so deep that teams remember them for their great legacy left behind and that is what makes them so special. This is indeed Leadership in absentia.

In my early career, I always admired bosses and leaders who had people throng just to be with them. They would attract people around them like a queen bee. Their charisma was an unfailing magnet that helped them to have followers. However, over the years I've realized that in many organisations and functions that I've interacted with, I found that they often refer to the past, especially that of a leader and their leadership style. They would speak very high of their past leader and appreciate them for all their good that they did. To me this seems even more authentic a feedback on leadership than that of providing feedback in front of the person.

Over the many years I have begun to see a lot more merit in leadership in absentia and hence I would like to share my experiences of how to prepare for such leadership:

1. Build a diverse team: Ensuring that we have a diverse team can help in the long run. Diversity helps with the team coming up with different ideas, thoughts and perspectives that can help in growing a community, let alone a business. There's a lot more respect for each other when the team is diverse. There is always more than one point of view and open discussions become the order of the day. However, in a homogenous team ideas could become stale, processes become monotonous and decisions be more mundane and hence a proper leadership legacy will not be fostered.
2. Building Trust within the team: Trust can only be built and not bought. This can be effectively done by leaders serving their team in an unbiased manner. Leading from the front and leading by example also becomes a great testimony for trust-worthy leaders. Such leaders are open to ideas and ensure they give equal opportunities for all to voice their opinion. This helps the team to be equipped and ready to take on their new roles if they are given an opportunity.
3. Empowering your team: Sometimes we find that leaders may not want to give up their seat of power or authority. They are skeptical of the future and they do not have trust in their team. In such cases, empowerment never happens. Empowering your team is the best way to prepare for your departure or in other words - your succession. Holding them accountable for all their actions and decisions while you are around can be a good foundation for the future. I have personally always liked the idea of many religious institutions who rotate their priests or nuns from being Superiors, Provincials, etc., for a term and the following term they would just be ordinary members in their congregation. This change is the biggest test of humility for a leader. If leaders succeed in practicing this then you know that leadership in absentia will not be difficult.
4. Managing from inside out: One of the key principles in building great leadership continuity in your absence is managing your people well from the inside. Whether it be identifying talent, training them or empowering them for larger roles, it all needs to start from within. This will give members a lot of confidence and trust in the system.

Every organisation wishes to have great succession plans, uninterrupted services to customers and an outstanding leadership team who can continue to live the legacy of the organisation. In my opinion, most of this - if not all, depends on trying to build plans for the future with the assumption that people will change and hence building astute leadership is key.

So as we focus on leadership in absentia, I reckon, that Jesus Christ could be cited as a great example. Through His ministry He has, in an unparalleled way, demonstrated leadership in absentia and with respect this is recognized across the world.

This article is written by?Willis Langford,?an unbiased, result driven & passionate HR professional who has a flair for technology and keen interest in making this world a better place with a zest for life.

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