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Ask for an opinion and you will get a broad range of views on what makes a good leader if not a great leader and the list is endless. If you ask any leader, they will no doubt tell you that they have learnt all their leadership lessons on the job with hands on experience of winning and failing and by observing their bosses, mentors, peers and role models in action. External research conducted by Joe Owen, a serial entrepreneur and one of the world's foremost experts on the subject distils the essence of good and effective leadership down to five key qualities. 1) Having a vision
2) Motivating others
3) Being good in a crisis
4) Being decisive
5) Honesty and Integrity
Vision
Every leader needs to start with a clear vision with the following components to the story;
• This is where we are now
• This is where we are going
• This is how we are going to get there
What separates the remarkable from the everyday vision is the ability of the leader to engage his/her people by personalising it and by enlisting their help on how to get there and, of course, selling the benefits of what's in for them. Great visions always involve stretch and take people to a place worth striving for. Remarkable visions involve passion and purpose and values. They connect, unite and engage.
Motivation
The next step involves inspiring and motivating others to build momentum. All good leaders understand people are vital to success and will cultivate an environment of personal growth and development. They will take an active personal interest in their people, look out for their interests and encourage a climate of open communication and dialogue. Effective leaders cultivate leadership in others by practising the art of delegation. They walk their talk and treat others how they would like to be treated themselves. They consider the whole person in terms of well-being and seeing their true potential rather than merely just a resource and are at times a life coach as well as a business coach.They are often instinctive in reading others and will go the extra mile in terms of the welfare of their people.
Crisis
Every business no matter how stable will have a crisis at some point. Good leaders have early problem recognition radar.They are scenario planners always anticipating potential issues and risks. This is imperative given the fact that people hate uncertainty, fear and doubt so look to the leader to bring certainty optimism and hope to a situation. Staying positive in a crisis whilst being honest is an art in itself but seeing the opportunity and the positive out of the difficulty will calm the situation and restore a degree of order.
Decisive
Making decisions even if they happen to be the wrong decisions are more important than not making any at all. Procrastination is a confidence killer and inaction merely serves to increase panic in a crisis situation. Honesty and Integrity
This has far less to do with morality and ethics; though everyone wants to identify with a great role model they also appreciate humans aren't always perfect. Business honesty is about being upfront with people, tackling the under performing team member despite their popularity or having the difficult but necessary conversation with the client. Good leaders build relationship and trust .It is all about being respected rather than about being popular. The mark of a great leader revolves around courage, contribution and responsibility, namely the courage to act where others floundered. Churchill is a very fine example of this. He had the courage to lead the country at the time of the greatest threat we had seen. For all his natural gifts he worked to make himself a better leader. He was a student of personal development. His dedication to self improvement and effectiveness resulted in an extraordinary ability to persevere and motivate others. He immersed himself in the war effort and was a significant presence with his visits to the troops on the front line and the latest bombed out London neighbourhood. His innate optimism rallied the people. From his earliest days Churchill had worked at developing his reserves of courage. He had spent his entire life preparing to lead others. A successful life in business requires a good deal more courage than most people imagine. This comes from being clear of one's values.
Accepting we can't all be as great as Churchill we can work to become the best possible version of ourselves. This means getting clear about what we value most as this will give us the confidence and the clarity to lead others and stand up for what we truly believe in. These values don't exist on reports or annual reports and plagues they exist in what we do and how we act.They exist in our hearts and they give us the sense of purpose to act when we need to.
Kath Roberts has spent 12 years of her working life in senior leadership roles and is now a successful home-based entrepreneur.She coaches individuals looking for lifestyle change and the chance to be their own boss. To learn more please visit: Alchemy4thesoul.com
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