The Essentials of Leadership

Here’s a recap of our recent ‘Grit to Great’ coaching session on the essentials of being a good leader. “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch.

My Younger Years

I shared that from my earliest memories, I’ve always found myself in leadership roles. It began in primary school, where I served as the class monitor. In secondary school, I took on roles as the chairman of my batch and president of various clubs. My journey continued into college and university, where I was frequently entrusted with leadership responsibilities. Looking back on those experiences, I now realise I wasn’t truly a leader then.

I say this because I focused on proving myself and achieving my goals. I only became aware of the true essence of leadership in the last few years.

Embracing Leadership

Two years ago, I had an epiphany and finally found my purpose as a mentor, and a coach to serve others. I’ve understood that being a leader is not about being perfect; it’s an ongoing growth process. Leaders should be allowed to make and learn from mistakes to keep evolving and improving.

I discovered that the key to genuine leadership is self-awareness, which sets leaders apart from mere bosses who may excel in their roles but lack awareness of their impact on others. Leadership is, first and foremost, about relationships, building trust and rapport with others and inspiring them to be their best selves.

The Path to Becoming a Leader

One advice I can give my fellow leaders is to consider what leadership means to you personally. Being a leader means serving others, not vice versa. It is about learning to put the greater good before your own personal needs. Having a clear vision and values will help become your compass as you go through this journey.

It is also about shifting your mindset: Gone are the days of leaders having to be the most intelligent person in the room. We cannot have all the answers, so we must hire good talent to create a powerful and dynamic team.

I remember my mum asking me if I was afraid of hiring people that are better than me. David Ogilvy’s quote comes to mind: “…if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants.”

I emphasised that my role is not to be the best but to value and empower the people I have chosen to be on my team.

Leadership, to me, is a journey of self-discovery, growth, and service to others. It’s a path worth exploring for those willing to impact the world around them positively.

The Essentials of Leadership Part 2

The essentials of leadership continued.

In the session, we also covered advice on how to become an effective leader. I acknowledge that this path is a challenging one to tread. You will need to get over the need to be liked as you help others grow and become the best version of themselves. Some may not see through your real intentions and be resistant to our guidance, but we must stay the course.

Self-awareness is also a quality that we need to develop as leaders. Reflecting on our actions and learning from our mistakes is essential to improving our mindset and skills.

Leaders are good listeners. They are open-minded and listen to feedback, and have a willingness to grow and learn when they encounter something new. In that regard, leaders must also know when to take risks and rise to the challenge.

A leader also makes people feel valued. We must remember to relinquish the reins at the right time, giving our team ownership so that they learn accountability and responsibility. When people are trusted, they perform better and give their all.

We must give credit when and where it is due. Acknowledge good work, and more will follow. Conversely, we must also know how to correct mistakes and ensure our team learns accountability.

Q&A

The team brought up some good questions during the Q&A portion, and they are worth noting here:

• Q: Can anyone be a leader? How and where do we start?
  A: I believe anyone can be a leader if they choose to be one. If you are willing to serve and the answer is yes, that’s an excellent place to start. For me, the true essence of being a leader boils down to being able to help others grow.
• Q: How should the saying “people don’t leave companies, they leave their bosses/managers” be handled or addressed?
  A: It can be easy to chalk it up to a problematic boss, but the truth is, sometimes, it may be that the role is not proper, or you and your manager may not be the right fit.
• Q: As a leader, which is more effective, for your team to adapt to your leadership style or for a leader to adjust to the different types of people in your team? How do you navigate that?
  A: Everyone is different, so you should take a closer look at the situation before coming up with a response. A good leader adapts to the strengths and personalities of the people in his team and approaches them differently. For example, some might need tough love, while others grow when they are gently motivated.

I’ll wrap up this recap with a quote from Simon Sinek: “Leadership is not a rank or a position; it is a choice—a choice to look after the person to the left of us and the person to the right of us.”