What it takes to be a leader in 2010

“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible”

1. Being responsible sometimes means telling people what they don’t want to hear

Trying to please everyone is usually a recipe for mediocrity. Treating everyone the same irrespective of their contributions, will reinforce the behaviour of those who are not pulling their weight, and frustrate those who are going the extra mile. Also in challenging times, it is the role of the leader to be visible and to communicate challenging messages when necessary.

2. If people stop bringing you their problems – ask yourself why?

If people are not coming to you with their problems and issues, it may be because you have empowered them to test their own solutions. However, in many instances, it may be because you are no longer leading them. They have either lost confidence in you and your leadership abilities, or they don’t view you as approachable, or they have concluded that you don’t care about them. It may also be because you implicitly perpetuate a company culture that interprets asking for help as a sign of weakness.

3. Don’t be swayed by ‘experts’

Leaders don’t need to know all the answers, but they do need to know the questions to ask and where to find the answers. Slavishly following the latest management fad reduces credibility. Management techniques are not magic mantras but tools to be reached for at appropriate times. Seek the wisdom of the experts, but always use your own judgement.

4. Never neglect details

Yes, leaders need to be concerned with the big picture, but not at the expense of knowing the details. How credible is a leader when he or she cannot answer a question their audience feels they should know?

5. Leader as chief disorganiser

The job of leader is not to be the chief organiser but the chief disorganiser – someone who consistently challenges the status quo and encourages others to do likewise. ‘If it ain’t broken why fix it’ is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the downright scared. It is the mindset that assumes today’s realities will continue into the future.

6. You don’t know what you can get away with until you try

When you ask enough people for permission or input, you will eventually come up against someone who sees their job as saying ‘no.’ The thinking of many middle managers is ‘if I haven’t explicitly been told ‘yes’ then I can’t do it. More progressive managers and leaders say ‘if I haven’t explicitly been told ‘no’ then I can’t do it.’

7. Endeavours fail or succeed because of the people involved

The role of a leader is to create an environment that will attract, retain and unleash the best people. Good leadership encourages everyone’s evolution. Great leaders know the importance of the recruitment process. Pick the right people; seek intelligence, judgement, ability to anticipate, loyalty, integrity, energy, balanced ego and the drive to get things done.

8. Organisational charts and titles count for little

If you have to use your title or status to get others to do something, you have already lost the argument. Real power is the ability to influence and inspire. Too many organisations extract minimum compliance to minimum standards rather than unleashing the power of their people by fostering leadership talent.

9. Perpetual optimism is contagious

Leaders who whine and blame engender the same behaviour in colleagues. Great leaders effectively marry realism and optimism.

10. Great leaders are great simplifiers

In today’s Information Age, a lack of information is not the issue in organisations – making sense of the information is. Great leaders discern information for their people, highlighting what they need to focus on, what that means and why it is important. A leader’s vision is lean and compelling, not vague and buzz-word laden. Decisions are crisp and clear not tentative and ambiguous.

11. The person at the coalface is right unless proved otherwise

Great leaders shift power and accountability to those who are bringing in the beans not those who are counting them or analysing them.

12. The true test of leadership

If you want to know whether or not you’re a leader, just answer this question - is anybody better because of you? Do the people you work with say, because of him or her, I’m a better person or I’ve been able to find skills and talents I didn’t know I had, or develop skills that were latent.

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