When I was asked to speak on how leadership and learning are indispensable to each other, I asked myself isn’t it a contradiction in terms?Leaders are supposed to know everything. Aren’t they?
And the answer was no.
It is my personal belief from my36 years of corporate experience that the Art and Science of Leadership has to be learnt from scratch, no one is born a leader and leadership itself has to be contextual to be effective.
It is like parenting in a sense, there is no primer. You are dealing with human beings at the end of the day. And they are so delightfully varied and complicated and fascinating.
So my submissionis that leadership is a continuous process of learning.
To quote Kouzes and Posner:
“It’s not the absence of leadership potential that inhibits the development of more leaders; it’s the persistence of the myth that leadership can’t be learned. This haunting myth is a far more powerful deterrent to leadership development than is the nature of the person or the basics of the leadership process.”
Looking at some of the greatest leaders of the world, Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, Julius Caesar, Mao Zedong, Abraham Lincoln or Nelson Mandela(a veryeclecticchoice thanks to Mr Google) you realise thattheyallhave some qualities in common.
“There’s nothing more demoralising than a leader who can’t clearly articulate why we’re doing what we’re doing”
Kouzes and Posner
They were so successful because they had a vision of the future, the courage of their convictions, focused to the point of obsession, the ability to build consensus through evangelism, oratorial skills, strong egos and most importantly strategic planning skills.
I asked myself though would they have continued to be successful?
My belief is that Disruptive Leadership is short term by nature and that leadership is contextual and situational. Exceptional circumstances need exceptional leaders. In “normal” circumstances leaders need a different set of skills to build, grow and nurture organizations.
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. “
Martin Luther King, Jr.
We don’t need to be famous to be leaders. Not being sexist here, but Oprah Winfrey says women are natural born leaders, at home, in our family, in our community. We of course, let the men believe they are, because we are smart!
How do I define a TRUE leader?
Someone who is Human, Humane, Tough, Honest, Disciplined, Knowledgeable and not frightened. Someone who has the courage of their convictions. Someone who Raymond’s calls a complete man (or woman).
What this list does not cover is the 200% commitment required to be a TRUE Leader.
Some rules to become a TRUE LEADER.
Rule 1: Learn to commit
200%. You need to have your skin in the game to succeed.
Shashi Tharoor, quotes how the UN, Secretary General Kofi Annan used to tell the story of the hen and the pig discussing the problems of the world.
“The hen says, you know the world has so many different problems, we can get together, we can solve them, and the pig says, but you know we are only a hen and a pig, what can we do?
The hen says, well let’s disaggregate the problem.
Take hunger, for example: I provide the eggs, and you provide the bacon; and between us, we’ll get hunger licked.
So, the pig thinks for a second and says, you provide the eggs and I provide the bacon, huh? So, yours is a contribution, mine is total commitment!”
Rule 2: Learn to lead
Leadership can be learnt. Self-reflection, commitment and a good deal of effort is required to reshape your thinking, habits and communication, but it’s completely within reach.
Indra Nooyi’s 5C Framework of Leadership makes a lot of sense here.
- Competency (become the ‘go-to’ person for a particular skill)
- Courage and Confidence (be willing to speak up and out)
- Communication skills (‘you cannot over-invest in becoming a better communicator’)
- Consistency (‘you can change your mind, but only against a consistent framework’)
- Compass (‘integrity is critical in a leader’s job’)
Rule3: Learn to cope with failure
You need to fail. Success is only good for social media, does not teach you anything. In fact, you feel deflated and say to yourself “is that all?” You truly learn only when you fail.
How do you cope with failure?
- First, just accept how you feel. Give yourself permission to feel the pain
- Remember: you’re not a failure just because you had a setback
- Remind yourself: anyone who wants to do things of value in life will fail
- Examine the truth
- Be constructive and learn from this situation. Commit to being open to the bigger lessons
- Be willing to change
- Find inspiration and support from your world
- Move forward again, don’t get stuck in mulling this situation over for too long
- It is not enough to have only a Plan A. In today’s VUCA world you need to have a Plan B, C, D all the way to Z
Rule 4: Learn to take responsibility for your actions
Let the buck stop with you. It is not someone else’s fault. We waste precious time in recriminations. Say sorry and get on with your life.
Don’t waste time on envy and self-pity. Or on conspiracy theories. Remember people don’t have the time or the interest to target you constantly. You are not a victim.
Walk the talk, when you lead a team. You cannot delegate responsibility. And the hard conversations. Don’t try to be popular, be respected and respectful. And share your knowledge.
Rule 5: Be current, keep learning
Ask yourself a tough question, are you learning? Something new, everyday.
Or have you retired mentally? Are you a 35-year-old geriatric? Take a formal course every quarter, this learn on your own, never happens, believe me.
Rule 6: Learn to say NO
Learn to say NO, but for a reason. You are going to have clients who ask the impossible. Or a colleague. Or a boss. But have a reason for saying no, not because you feel like it. Remember to be weak is to be miserable.
Don’t try to be an unhappy, reluctant Superman/ Superwoman.
Rule 7: Learn to delegate
Leaders enable others to act.
Obviously you can do things better than people junior to you, that is why you are the leader and they are not. How will they learn if you do all their work and yours?
And I say it again, remember you are not Superman/ Superwoman.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
Ronald Reagan
Rule 8: Learn to balance your work and life Work life balance, becomes an issue, when you don’t like your life or your work. Or both. If you love both you find the necessary balance automatically. One thing which helps is to organise the day to day stuff with military precision, including the mechanics of your personal life. More so when you become a leader.
Rule 9: Learn to keep your 5 avatars in synch
“The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
In sum, leadership is about learning and evolving. Build your own leadership style without being rigid about it. Your style needs to evolve and be contextual. Transactional at times, democratic maybe, autocratic sometimes, maybe bureaucratic if required but ideally Laissez-faire.
Leaders show the way.
“When people see you doing what you say, then they have the evidence that you mean it. Otherwise, it’s just words. Your actions send the loudest signals about what other people should be doing”
Kouzes and Posner
Let me leave you with something to think about.
Can all of us become leaders? Do you have what it takes ?And the toughest question, do you want to be one?