I know a little about leadership; I was ‘one’ once too.
Leadership involves tough decisions; balancing ‘the many’ and ‘the few’.
No matter how difficult & uncomfortable those decisions are to make it’s not the ability to make a ‘tough’ decision which shows whether you are a leader. No. Leadership lies in the communication and application of the decisions you make.
Anyone can flip a coin; heads you win tails you lose.
But when you look into the eyes of the people and explain what you’re doing and why; they know whether that decision was made for, with or in lieu of the people.
It’s true that many will ‘buy’ the rhetoric. But put simply they’re the ones who aren’t ready to admit the truth. It will have to grab them with both hands first.
Leadership lies in the hands of those who are able to walk with the intelligent and empathic doubters. Not yes ‘men’.
Leadership is not about grandstanding, celebrating arbitrary success factors or percentage points.
Its not about being a peacock; putting on a ‘beauty parade’ to hide the shit storm that lies behind you.
No. Leadership is demonstrated in the strength of your human connection and answering the question. The tough questions; that’s what you’re paid to do. Not answer the question you want to answer. Or even worse give no answer at all.
The truth lies not in what you say but in what you don’t say. And the people see that.
It’s true, there are things that ‘can’t’ be shared for fear of compromising... wider aims. But people deserve the respect of leaders by acknowledging that openly too.
I’ve sat in boardrooms where like nodding dogs those paid to lead have ‘followed the boss’ - even though they were wrong; for fear of losing their jobs.
Leaders don’t make people feel that way either.
Leadership is about creating a true sense of collective responsibility. Where decisions feel like they are taken together. Where people believe that they effect change too. The right change.
Yes. Leadership is about empowering the little voices, the doubters, the concerned, the frail and the loud voices too; which challenge your leadership - to ensure that actions are ‘right’ and ‘true’.
The true test of leadership doesn’t rest in whether the decisions made were right in the end but in whether those that stood with you, when the decisions were made, would stand in solidarity with you after the event.
It rests with the people on the frontline working tirelessly ‘for you’ and the cause they got behind and ether their belief remains strong.
Yes. The true legacy of leadership is whether the people would stand with you again.
So let’s see in years to come how many of those standing side by side now; stand that way again.
I’m grateful that those standing on the left and right podiums at 5pm will stand strong for us, but fearful that they wouldn’t stand there again given ‘the choice’.
I hope I’m wrong🤞
Stefan