Living Great Leadership

“What kind of leader are you and what kind would you like to be?”

Leadership from the heart creates greatness. Great leadership happens when other leaders are created because they are inspired by the leader they follow.

In this context, greatness is the ability to positively impact the long term performance of your organisation through the people you lead. This is even more pertinent in a changing world experiencing wars, climate change, the pursuit of equity in resource distribution, post-pandemic workplace readjustment, AI and changing political values that easily invoke feelings of fear born out of uncertainty about the future.

In this climate people need capable, knowledgeable, accountable leaders who have the ability to lead from the heart. They need leaders who are able to create a sense of certainty and calm in the organisations they lead not simply by their words but by their behaviour.

Yet leadership from the heart is probably the toughest way to lead. It demands empathy. It demands walking the talk even when it is uncomfortable to do so. It demands knowing when your personal concerns need to be kept in check because you have to prioritise the needs and concerns of others. It means paying attention to the people without losing your business edge in solving problems and implementing solutions for business success.

Leadership from the heart has the potential to create lasting transformational change in the lives of people. I call it living leadership because not only does it have to come alive, it has to respond to an evolving world.

• Pause to reflect

In 2016, the world was challenged to reflect on leadership. The world was watching the USA vote for a new president. Looking back, it seemed like the ultimate leadership case study made up of a wide range of approaches to leadership. Yet when the chips are down, what do people really want in a leader??Over the years I have reflected on that election relative to leadership in other parts of the world. Sometimes, it is easier to think of leadership outside of ourselves. My reflections led me to conclude that we get the leaders we create based on what we demonstrate as acceptable. This is because the leaders we create are the ones who can present their hearts to us in ways that we believe in, can relate to and accept.

• Relevance to business

I have found the idea that we influence the kind of leaders we get to be no different for businesses. Leadership that emerges as relevant at all levels of an organisation is largely driven by the culture of the organisation. Leaders set the tone and model certain behaviours. If these behaviours are embraced and rippled throughout the organisation, culture is created. People who align with this culture emerge as the next generation of leaders, but the key challenge is what kind of culture-defining behaviours the people accept. It becomes a self-reinforcing repetitive cycle.

• Living leadership

So here is the question. What kind of leadership are we each living? Is it the kind we want reflected back to us? The way we each live our leadership determines the kind of leadership we find acceptable. It determines the kind of leadership we promote and the kind that ultimately gets to be in front of us.

During the course of my professional career, I have been led by some great people. I have encountered great business leaders and people who are so poor at leading they did not deserve to be called leaders of any form. While I learnt from both kinds of leaders, the lasting impact of a great leader who leads from heart is undeniable.

• Observations from my experience

Leaders are supposed to amplify the right energy in their people. When leaders are poor at their role, they focus on amplifying their positional power by driving division. The ensuing chaos allows them to divide and rule.

Poor leaders distract. Don't allow yourself to be distracted by the noise of poor leadership. Stay focused. Do what is right. Don't spend all your energy debating the attributes of a poor leader. You have your own future to create. Don't let noise rob you of that.

Watch and learn. People don't become poor leaders because they gained positional power. Power only provides a greater platform for all to see their leadership approach. Work on your leadership approach, values and behaviours. You have the ability to influence the culture of your organisation.

• Representation matters

To create new and right leaders, we need representation. People need to see relatable examples of leaders to inspire them into greater action. Anyone with leadership responsibility should see this as an area to invest in for their development.

What really motivates and drives me is my firm belief that, through business, we can transform our world. Not only must we lead from the heart to create great outcomes in the short term but we need positive outcomes that are sustained long term.

• Prosperity, visibility, responsibility and accountability

The world's greatest need today is the creation of equitable prosperity. As a business leader, you may not be in a position to influence the whole world, but within your organisation people need to feel a sense of equitable access to prosperity. Prosperity in this sense is about long term outcomes for the individual. It takes leadership driven by a heart of empathy to understand and commit to this. Leaders need to balance the head's focus on short term profitability and survival of the business in uncertain times with a heart that takes a longer term perspective for all.

To create a generation of great leaders for the future, we need a critical mass of visible ethical leaders today. Leadership visibility can be challenging for some leaders. The ability to reach out, be seen and heard does not come naturally to all. However, as with all skills, this can be taught and learnt. Let the people feel your presence and connect with your empathy.

The real challenge for leadership visibility is values. With visibility comes exposure. Exposure not just of what you do professionally as a leader but how you do things. It also shines a light on who you are, your choices and consistency. So it goes without saying that it takes a high standard of ethics to truly lead from the heart.

As ethical leaders, we must go beyond ourselves to embrace the right behaviours that other people demonstrate around us. We cannot be the only good example. By embracing others, we create a critical mass that will influence the wider organisation.

Great leaders take responsibility for the positions they hold. This is only possible with a willingness to be held accountable for their actions that are transparent to all.

• Ready to live great leadership?

How do you think these attributes are reflected in leadership today? Is your view a generalised view or is it based on specific examples??How about your own leadership? Where are you now how do you intend to evolve?

As we navigate a new year, it is within our power to influence outcomes for all within the year. As a leader, what is your focus? Can you lead from the heart to balance the head approach so your decisions and actions consider empathy for the people you serve?

The world needs you to practice living leadership.

#leadership #businessgrowth #equity #changingworld