Episode #470: Guiding Principles Of Leadership (Part One)

We pick up ideas on leadership from multiple sources – books, training, articles, blogs, guidance from mentors and personal observation. What we usually fail to do is compile them or collect them in one place. This sporadic approach is also completed over a long time span, so we forget more than we retain. Here are sixteen principles of leadership which we all know, but which we will benefit from by reminding us of what we have forgotten and by collecting them in one place.

1. The first step toward success is identifying our own leadership strengths. This is not what we do though is it? We usually focus on what we are doing poorly. That is looking into the past. By concentrating on our strengths, we can build on those and keep growing, rather than beating ourselves up about being less than perfect.

2. Communication is built on trusting relationships. But what builds trust in relationships? Being fair with staff, vendors and clients is an integral part of this. Recently we had a case where there was some international pricing available for our training, which was higher than what we charge locally. We could have easily taken the additional money. In straitened Covid times that cash would have been welcome, but where is the trust if we do that?

Trust also means doing what you say, when you say it and how you say it, which sounds easy, but many things get in the way of executing on these undertakings. Regardless, we need to keep our eye on our integrity and follow our truth north values

3. Motivation can never be forced. People have to want to do a good job. Imagine one of those cartoon scenes where the boss is loudly screaming “be motivated, be motivated, be motivated”, such that the staff members hair is blowing back off their head. We know that is ridiculous, but what do we do instead of telling people to be motivated? Aligning the individual’s values and those of the enterprise is a key start. Also understanding their individual motivations and making sure the company can help them achieve their goals is another one. So here is the million dollar question – do you know the values and goals of each staff member and do you know these over time, because goals can certainly change?

4. There is nothing more effective and rewarding than showing a genuine interest in other people. The key word here is “genuine”. This means no hidden agenda, instead a pure curiosity about individuals we meet in business and life. Fake pleasantries to gain a tip and then obvious displeasure with the insufficient amount of the tip, is a classic example of the opposite of what we are talking about. In Japan, we refer to the “eigyo smile”, the fake “sales smile” to win business in the B2B world. People are fascinating and when you show a pure interest, you learn so much and they feel the genuine nature of your interaction. As leaders, let’s be curious.

5. Step outside yourself to discover what’s important to someone else. Deadlines, targets, quotas, the daily email deluge, bills to be paid, endless meetings – the rough and tumble of business is relentless. In the process we can be consumed by our world and forget that there are other worlds which are impacting the people around us.

As an example, I recently observed a company owner vigorously networking at an event and another guest make a snide comment about what they are doing. Maybe that guest sailed through the pandemic unscathed. The owner however had been clinging on by the fingernails, but there was no appreciation for that. This is what happens when the focus is on ourselves.

We lack empathy for others and for leaders that is a disaster, in particular, in a market where staff can easily jump ship and get another job, if they don’t feel they are being looked after. Empathy is not an occasional thing – you are either empathetic or you are not and as leaders we had better become empathetic if we want to succeed in modern business.

6. Nobody is more persuasive than a good listener. This sounds so counterintuitive doesn’t it. Often we think being persuasive means having the gift of the gab, dominating the flow of the conversation, steering the direction of the content and driving forward hard, through force of will. This usually presents itself as finishing others sentences for them or cutting them off, as we interject our genius contribution.

This is so prevalent, that when someone actually shuts up and lets us talk, we feel liberated, energised and valued. Dopamine is flooding through our system and we like that person. We take a more positive view of who they are, what they have to say and what they want. Introverts in particular are very open to this form of communication. So to be listened to yourself as a leader, let the other person do all the talking.

7. Team players are the leaders of tomorrow. I saw a quote the other day which flagged the three Cs as being critical to success for leaders – creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. This element of collaboration is relatively new. When I was growing up in business, Jack Welch was the dominant role model. His image was that of the dominant leader, driving results through force of will, pushing subordinates hard and casting overboard anyone who didn’t measure up. It was a Darwinian struggle of zero sum outcomes. Today, we have a different business world in front of us and the ability to tap into the collective intellect, energy and commitment of the whole team is seen as the winning formula.

I can see this weakness in myself. I now tell my son, he shouldn't think he has to do it all on his own like I did. He should seek support, mentors and collaborators. I wish I had been smarter about this, rather than treading the path of the hairy chested individual, trying to do it all on my own – I have been a notoriously slow learner!

In Part Two, we will continue with principles 8-16.