It is well known that a manager and a leader are two different titles. One school of thought has it that a manager manages things and a leader leads people. Thus, it follows that the concepts of management and leadership are two different skills sets.
Today we shall focus on leadership and the thought-pattern traits of leaders with great leadership qualities. Though female pronouns are referenced in this article, it equally applies to other genders.
A leader first thinks of the team. Thoughts of themselves are always the last consideration or an after-thought. This is what captains on ships and aircraft are taught. We are leaving aside whether it manifests when it is a case of life and death. True leaders think what is best for the team with little consideration for the consequences it would have for them.
Leadership is a continuous and evolving process. Thus, the school of thought is that a person can only be described as a great leader once the leadership position had been vacated and a full post mortem performance is done on the leadership. The thinking is therefore that as long as the leader still occupies the leadership position, she could, at best be described as a leader with great leadership qualities. This presupposes that the prescripts are met. A person only has great leadership qualities if, in addition to their pre-existing skills, they strive to be better leaders.
When it comes to the accolades ceremony, these leaders let their team members take the front seat. Leaders take a back seat. However, they step strongly to the fore when the chips are down. They take great pride in the attainment of the team goals, with little consideration or personal accolades for them. They generously shower others with personal complements. They understand that the more confident, content and driven each member of the team is, the more the team is capable of achieving. A leader with great qualities has the mindset that team members can only perform to the extent that they are capacitated, resourced and led. The thinking is that the highest goal the team can achieve is determined by the high water mark of the skills, ability to inspire, and the quality of leadership.
A leader does not perform technical works per se. Leaders meet their targets through motivation and inspiration. They motivate and inspire others to achieve predetermined goal s / objectives. This is not to say they will not perform technical works. This is only attended to if it is geared towards inspiring and motivating the team or would significantly ease the attainment of the goals / objectives.
Great leaders wear their senior position as a badge of honour for the trust bestowed upon them instead of as a chip on their shoulders. Quality leaders blame themselves (the mindset that they themselves are at fault), not their team members. They take accountability for the failures of each team member and the team as a collective.
Their thought pattern is along the following lines:
If I appointed more or more appropriately qualified, skilled and experienced staff,
If I robed in more qualified an experienced team members,
If I communicated more regularly, clearly and effectively,
If I planned better, worked harder and was more diligent,
If I listened more effectively to my team,
If I capacitated and resourced my team a little more,
If I assigned roles and responsibilities more smartly,
If I spent more personal time with each or certain members of my team,
If I displayed better or more nuanced smart leadership,
If I paid a little more attention on one or two of my team members when they went off target,
If I lent a helping hand when one or two of the team members struggled,
If I were just a touch more considerate, a touch faster, a touch quicker, a touch more supportive, a touch more patient, slow to judge and quick to complement,
the predetermine team goal objective would probably have been attained.
IN team meetings, a great leader will publically and unashamedly vow that she is the reason why the team did not meet their targets. Only a leader who has confidence in her skills will take accountability like this. They never let the team take accountability for failure without pointing a finger at themselves. This does not mean that they will not take appropriate steps with a staff member if needed.
This mindset does the following:
Cause the leader to do personal introspection, prompting her to work on what could or should have been done better;
Assist the leader in identifying the external factor(s) that precluded the team from meeting their targets / objectives; and work on correcting same; and
Indirectly inspire the team to do more, as the leader point’s fingers at no one else but herself. This is particularly powerful if the team has seen and experienced how the leader has gone beyond the call of duty and did more than the team required of her.
A leader is a person who drives her team to achieve objectives and goals. A great leader capacitates, supports and resources her team and inspires them to achieve more than the sum of their parts.
Continue to apply and improve great leadership skills.
Upwards and forwards
By Sidney Pretorius