Modern Leadership: What they don't teach in leadership trainings?

Animesh Chaturvedi

What is Leadership?

Oxford dictionary says "Leadership is the state or position of being a manager or the person in charge"

Let me start by disagreeing with the Oxford dictionary. Leadership is so much more than a position of power or a designation. Positions and designations might (and will) change and therefore, leadership is a state of mind, a state of continuous development and positive reinforcements. To some, it comes naturally and to some it comes through training along with the right mindset. I do believe that majority of folks can be trained to be good leaders.

“Leadership is the ability to articulate a vision, to embrace the values of that vision, and nurture an environment where everyone is motivated to reach the organization’s goals and their own personal needs.”

-Greg Thomas

In this article, lets take a glimpse at some of the modern leadership essentials that are generally not covered in the leadership trainings.

Role modeling:

A leader’s ability is to role model a set of principles and values and inspire individuals within the organization to accept those principles and values as their own. This also relates to a leader’s ability to plan incremental accomplishments that set the stage for future success and goal attainment (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, pp. 14).

Find a role model. What does he/she do? What emotions do your role model show or not show?

WWXD is a great concept in this aspect of leadership quality. Where "X" is your role model. Someone who is most inspiring in your life and someone who you look up to (could be your parents or a sibling, your favorite sportsperson or someone at work). So, WWXD is "What Would X Do" in a situation that you find yourself in.

Having a purpose-leading self

The thought from Cummings talks about finding the purpose in life. It also works beautifully in finding the road towards leading with a purpose.

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting".

—E.E. Cummings

Our purpose makes us distinctive and is independent of the designations.

Purpose is not some jargon-filled catch-all (“Empower my team to achieve exceptional business results while delighting our customers”). It should be specific and personal, resonating with you and you alone. It doesn’t have to be aspirational or cause-based (“Save the whales” or “Feed the hungry”). And it’s not what you think it should be. It’s who you can’t help being. In fact, it might not necessarily be all that flattering (“Be the thorn in people’s side that keeps them moving!”). (Craig and Snook) (Craig and Snook, HBR 2014)

Think hard about your purpose and put it to action.

Defining the culture

Is your office only about business and targets? If the answer is yes or may be, then its time to look deep in the sustainability of such business set up.

Defining a culture of the team and organization is top driven. Shaping a culture is a formidable task, since many of the valuable qualities a leader are never taught in a classroom. People learn from life. Emotional maturity, authenticity, and a strong character are all essential if leadership in a culture-driven company is to be effective. It is also imperative that there is an alignment between the leader’s passion, the company’s mission, and the corporate culture in which everything transpires.

If you see yourself asking questions like "Everyone else is doing it. Nobody will find out. My boss told me to. It’s not exactly illegal. The end justifies the means. We didn’t have time to check. It won’t hurt anybody", you should know that you are doing something wrong.

Continuous learning and improvement

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

– John F. Kennedy

Today’s workplace requires that leaders keep pace and continually learn new procedures, strategies, and technologies to stay updated on the developments in their domains. Great leaders never stop training. As Brent Gleeson rightly said, “If you think you are done learning, you will fail. Check that: You have failed.”

With all the responsibilities of managing teams, it gets difficult to constantly be aware of our own development and growth. We expect our team members to learn and grow. We would never tolerate if somebody stopped learning. If we want our teams to continually sharpen their saws then we have to do the same. Learn from experience. Be willing to try new things. And be flexible in the face of new or changing information.

Bringing rationality in practice

Rational leadership means dealing with human nature and with reasoning. It deals with being in control of one’s self by having the power to control your brain and thought processes to actually think before you speak, act, or react to any given situation. 

This is a great trait to have for someone who can take the emotion out of any situation and look at just the facts before making a decision. Although, this may sound dry and even robotic, this type of leader is always reasonable, well grounded, and appreciable. They are always analyzing the details, the facts and the reasons behind each before making any decisions, or acting on anything they do. This is not against the concept of emotional leadership but augment it. 

The goal of rational management is to make full use of the thinking abilities of the people and to direct that ability towards meeting the organization's problems and concerns.

Courage

““The longest journey you will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart.””

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Leading is a courageous act in itself. It involves being out there all the time, bringing change, and challenging the status quo. Courage is one quality that distinguishes great leaders from excellent managers.

The definition of courage is “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.”

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently."

-Maya Angelou

Courage is another leadership quality that can not be taught in the classroom. We learn it from our life experiences. Without courageous leadership, the organization is risking withering down of the R&D, product pipelines, financial investments and investments in employees. Courageous leaders are people who are able to push through uncomfortable situations. They are willing to make difficult decisions and do not back down when things get too hard.

Understand and value difference

“The goal is to work toward a world where expectations are not set by the stereotypes that hold us back, but by our personal passion, talents, and interests.”

-Sheryl Sandberg

Leaders must maintain a diverse workforce and create a culture that values diversity. You are a leader truly invested in creating a diverse organization when you stop consciously thinking about creating a diverse organization.

We might all have biases and stereotypes as part of our growing up. In neuroscientific terms, making the connection between a person and a stereotype occurs within 300 milliseconds of encountering someone and then behave based on our preconceived biases. Leaders must learn to unlearn the stereotypes. As a leader, one must constantly think about how to handle bias and conflict. Demonstrating that you value others. Effective leaders do not ignore the differences, they understand and embrace them.

Being Resilient

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

-Nelson Mandela

Resilience is a vital human quality, also known as grit. Leaders who are resilient work hard and persevere to achieve their goals. They are unyielding in the face of hardship. They are also extremely focused and loyal in their passions. They commit to their area of interest for the long term–they are marathoners as opposed to sprinters.

Since setbacks are unavoidable, leaders need to show how they anticipate and deal with the setbacks and pitfalls. Leaders need to stay in control during tough times and continue to believe and be positive. Nothing demotivates the employees more than a drama on the floor by a leader who is not in control of emotions.

Tech Savvy

“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.”

-Christian Lous Lange

The times we are living in are the times of technological tsunami. As leaders, one can not be technophobic. There would be situations where you will not understand the technology that you need to use. You WILL Fail. Let that not deter you from experimenting.

View technology as a servant to help you, not as a road block to your traditional working style. Keep focusing on the benefits the technology and not the trouble it might initially cause you. Get comfortable being an amateur with new technology. As leaders, you are not generally expected to be the master of the technological know how. Thankfully, there is help available. Look around, there are always people who love technology. Those who just naturally gravitate to the digital solution for everything. Ask for help and have fun with technology.

Disclaimer: The views presented here are personal and have nothing to do with Novartis.