Leadership is a distinctly human capability
Leadership is a distinctly human capability
For too long we have had the leadership of the few. Whether they were born to rule or educated to lead, leadership in the past meant the few in charge telling the rest what to do. Command and control bosses used fear to ensure compliance with the rules. ?Leadership is no longer the exclusive preserve of the few, we are beginning to appreciate that leadership is a fundamental capability of being human. ?It is a hidden asset that can be nurtured and grown and deployed to help us as individuals and in teams to perform, to learn, to think, to problem solve, to care and ultimately to thrive.
Leadership is never about maintaining the status quo. It might be good management to lock in place what is, but it is not leadership. Leadership is always about change, learning and improving. It is always about going from today to tomorrow. To lead is to go from here to there. Taking people with you is the collective ambition. Doing it alone might be the first step on a personal journey.
Steps in democratising leadership: mindsets we need to reimagine leadership for a new age
1.?????? Leadership is a human capability: we are a species that has the ability to reflect on the life we want to lead and make choices about what we will and won’t do. Overtime and with experience that leadership capability changes and grows as we ourselves change and grow. Just as our life is unique, so too our leadership is idiosyncratic in style and in the way we interact with the world. The opportunity is that we can all do it better. For too long we have expected too little of ourselves and others. We can learn to be the best version of ourselves in what we do and help others to do the same.
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2.?????? Leadership is not being perfect, its being authentic: leadership is saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Authentic leaders lead with the heart and the head and stand for something beyond self-interest. The starting point is knowing who you are and what you stand for. It’s who turns up as much as what you do that builds a reputation as a leader. Those who are given a team to lead have additional responsibility. They can give people greater confidence and hope or lead them into greater doubt and uncertainty. Building trust demands transparency and that begins with authenticity.
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3.?????? Everyone is a leader in the life they lead and the work they choose to do: we all lead our lives – we may not lead them well, but we lead them nevertheless. We have the capability to lead ourselves to a better future, but we also can lead our selves astray. Leadership is what we do in the now that creates the continuity between the past and the future. Although the past may well shape us, it doesn’t have to define us. Leadership is about the decisions we make today crafting the pathways to a better future. Knowing what matters most in the life we want to lead is the first step forward.
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4.?????? Leadership grows with life-long learning: being human means we are all a work in progress, with the ability to continually evolve, grow and develop our potential; leadership is not fixed. It can be improved and developed and when we bring a growth mindset to our development, we can free ourselves from the constraints of our past and the entrapment of the habitual. Breaking free of a self-limiting mindset can prevent stagnation and help us, face our fears and go where we have never gone before. The times today call us to awaken the human spirit and stimulate the growth potential we all have.
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5.?????? Leadership is both a “being” and a “doing” act: the being of leadership concerns character and intent. It is who turns up and what you stand for. The doing of leadership is concerned with actions and impact. It is what you do and the priorities you set. People don’t see a leader’s values, they see what they do and then infer their values. ?Authenticity and credibility are strongest when what we say and what we do are consistent. If we can stop doing things that don’t work or are contrary to our values, we could take a great step forward. Trying to please everyone, do everything, criticise others or micro-manage is not leadership. Building trust is essential for leaders and requires the transparency that grows with authenticity.
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6.?????? Leaders create more leaders: the world we have today is increasingly uncertain, complex and volatile and is beyond the scope of the few, no matter how talented. We urgently need leaders who create more leaders and build the leadership in all people. Organisations of the future and those with a future, need agility to change direction quickly, innovation to change in unforeseen directions and collaboration within to change coherently and comprehensively. This requires leadership at all levels, from all people working autonomously, but connected by purpose and a commitment to shared principles.
At the very least, leaders should not suck leadership from teams, they should have higher expectations for the people they lead. The challenges we face today are extreme, but the opportunities have never been greater. Our people are better educated and better equipped to provide the imagination, ingenuity and leadership we desperately need. Personal leadership can be empowering and life affirming, but it is through our collective leadership that our true human potential will be found and applied.
The promise of artificial intelligence brings with it unbelievable opportunity, but also significant risks. It provides the tools to harness intelligence and knowledge we need to accelerate our development. The essence of our humanity and what makes us truly human is what we can bring to our work with technology to ensure that we meet human needs, not vice versa. Integrating technology and capabilities that make us distinctly human can be personally liberating, but embraced collectively will enable us to change the world.