Why we Should.... and Should Not .... want to Lead.

Perhaps the greatest question any person who is considering committing their life to the world of leadership that they need to be asked is, what is driving that ambition? Why do we want to take these responsibilities on and what are we hoping to achieve from this commitment? Leadership is the greatest privilege that can be bestowed on an individual, it gives us the opportunity to shape the future and to inspire the actions of others. It also has the potential causes much damage on many levels, Society, organisational, individual. It carries with it huge responsibility that should never be dismissed, ignored or belittled.. We should never forget in leadership that our actions and deeds have huge ramifications, not only for those in our immediate proximity, but for many we we do not even meet. So the basis of why we want to embark on this journey is so critical to the ultimate outcome.

I have been hugely fortunate to work with and observe some outstanding leaders in my 30 year career, I have also experienced some very poor examples...... the greatest differentiation lies in the question above. What are the true motives of a person in wanting to lead? My observations. I hope they help somebody to decide if the journey is worth committing to. You owe it to yourself, but perhaps even more importantly, you owe it to the lives of those you are about to touch both near and far to ask yourself this question.

What Should Leadership Not Be about?

PROFILE & IMAGE. - Too often individuals fall into the seduction of the trappings of leadership. They see superficial things, status, position, title, image, profile. Leadership is seen as the root to all of these. No genuine leader starts with these at their heart, in fact often the greatest leaders will actively avoid some of these, although they will not shy from the limelight if they feel that will aid the cause of what they want or allow others to not be impacted by their bright light. The greatest examples of leadership promote none of the above they are based in selfless individual action; Viewed in that way, leadership can be sponsored and nurtured in many different places, we must encourage such a mindset. A leader defines themselves not be the actions they take when people are watching, but often the actions and decisions they take when nobody is watching. Have a purpose outside of yourself, that puts others and their betterment at the heart of your approach. And be prepared to let them take the credit for what they do, it ultimately reflects on your leadership.

POWER & CONTROL. - The second group of motivations which should be avoided at all costs are those that believe leadership will give them power and control and help, in the process, make them feel important. No sustainable model of leadership can be based on such a model and no leader can expect to sustain a prolonged duration as a leader with such a mindset. If your motivation is to reassure you that you have control of all decisions and you want to micro manage all circumstances because it makes you feel powerful and important then do not embark. The destructive effect on others, and the impact on yourself make such motivations not able to last the test of time, situations, complexity and growth. Sustainable motivations lie at exactly the opposite end of the spectrum, in your will and desire to empower others and let themselves take control of their own destiny. In that way you allow others and yourself to grow.

FEATHERING YOUR NEST. -The third group of flawed drivers centre on self gratification, self indulgence and ego. If you perceive leadership as a route to making your life easier, more comfortable or making you feel good about yourself in an egocentric sense, then consider something else. Leadership tests our integrity to the core, done well it is incredibly hard work and requires many personal self sacrifices. Sustainability is based upon the promotion and development of others first, not yourself. It also demands you are prepared to make self sacrifices in your own life, operate with the great self discipline and control, no matter what the provocations or temptations are. Do not seek trinkets and trappings - leave those for the Christmas tree. Excellence is defined by how little time you sit in a comfortable office - not be how much.

TO MANIPULATE OR CHEAT - Finally, you should not try to lead based on a mindset of influencing and manipulating outcomes towards solutions based on short cuts or easy options. Temptation may be high - but it has no sustainable end result. Whilst some situations we face in leadership require simple and uncomplicated decisions, many require the tough choices to be embraced and the hard yards to be walked - taking shorts cuts is cheating yourself, your colleagues and those that depend on you. If you believe you can get results in such a way then you will fall short. Honesty and integrity must be cornerstones of your motivation to lead, they inspire, they build trust and they mean that whilst the route to achievement may not always be the quickest or easiest it will be done in a sustainable way. We often face a choice, doing things the easiest way or the right way, for the true leader that is no choice at all.

Why should we want to Lead?

So why should we want to take on what is one of the toughest commitments anybody can make..... We should start from a simple premise - if you enjoy helping others and inspiring actions within them to achieve, then that in itself should provide our core purpose. If selfless commitment to build success with others is your goal then the motivation and rewards become hugely powerful and the platform for good leadership is established. The greatest rewards and motivations can be seen in others not yourself, they include :-

• The looks of complete satisfaction in people's eyes when they develop and deliver on personnel potential that they never thought they had.
• The smiles of satisfaction when colleagues achieve great results.
• The sense of togetherness fostered when you see a group of individuals become a great team.
• The sense of humility when you help the fragile become strong and take control of their own future.
• The chance to grow and develop yourself as you learn and increase knowledge from others around you.
• The sharing once in a life moments of achievements with others as you deliver on chosen endeavours.
• The bonds of human emotion built by supporting others through adversity.
• The chance to deliver on something you truly care about in life through inspiring others to believe in the same ambitions.

Those that take on the challenge quickly realise that leadership can be one of the loneliest and mentally challenging environments we can experience as humans. Moments of utter isolation, tough choices, hard conversations and taking personnel responsibility for failures are the price of leadership that has to be paid. To do that our motivations must be grounded in values that transcend ourselves, ensure your reasons why are based in the principles above. The passion and belief in success through the development of the human spirit in others is the most powerful motivation of all. The greatest of leaders will all carry this at their heart and all aspire to the goal of selflessness.

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