This post continues and develops last week’s theme, highlighting and furthering the thoughts and ideas about leadership that are of paramount importance to the role.
Quote 1
The Leader – William Merritt Chase.1875. Wikioo
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.”
Andrew Carnegie
This quotation depicts the opposite of humanity. It indicates how a lack of self-knowledge and awareness results in failure to lead people in any kind of productive manner.
There is no doubt that being ‘a great leader’ requires much courage and resilience.
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Abraham Lincoln
Climbing on others in order to ‘succeed’ will make people unpopular as leaders and will set a bad example to the team. Finding fault in others in order to try to boost oneself is a way of deflecting the focus from one’s own issues.
In addition, this way of ‘leading’ keeps other people at arm’s length and means the leader is continually setting themselves above people.
“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, ‘What’s in it for me?'”
Brian Tracy
Having a sense of superiority may indicate an inner lack of confidence, despite the high-handed façade.
“Let life kick you off your pedestal time and time again, until you lose all interest in being on pedestals.”
Jeff Foster
Humility in a leader is a highly important quality; not needing to be in the limelight, but encouraging the spotlight to shine on others, is the key to success in the role.
Attempting to climb too high could result in the leader’s fingers (or wings!) getting burnt.
Rubens, Peter Paul – The Fall of Icarus. 1636. Wikimedia Commons.
“Hubris, arrogance, is just one step ahead of loss of integrity, because if you think you’re better than other people, you know more, then you’re going to think, as many leaders have, that the rules don’t apply to them – so they lose their integrity.”
Charles Koch
Quote 4
Thomas Carlyle,Historian and essayist, 1879. By Mrs Helen Allingham (1848 – 1926) (Scottish). Wikimedia Commons
“A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.”
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
This quotation is principally about inspiring others, and developing and maintaining team spirit, in the manner of a highly functional facilitator.
Being an inspiration to other people is important in fulfilling our leadership aims and improving ourselves at the same time. Uplifting and enabling others, through our actions and our words, modelling productive and thoughtful behaviour, are ways of spreading our influence for the good of all.
“Be the most ethical, the most responsible, the most authentic you can be with every breath you take, because you are cutting a path into tomorrow that others will follow.”
Ken Wilber
A helpful, hardworking and empowering leader will model such attitudes to the rest of the team, establishing a culture of sincerity and conscientiousness. At times, they will demonstrate their own need for the help of other colleagues and will be confident enough to share their weaknesses and foibles when appropriate, in a professional manner.
- Gratitude
An illustration depicting “teamwork.” Employees help one another up a staircase. 2022
Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/195219893@N08/51924309260/
Author Digits.co.uk Images
“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”
Alfred North Whitehead
A good-enough leader will also show gratitude to team members, recognising and encouraging their unique strengths and achievements. It is important not to hold back on this, or to think that it is not necessary to express thanks.
No matter how self-confident they might seem on the surface, everyone’s spirit is raised by a heartfelt boost from a person whose opinion they respect.
‘Gratitude has been shown to be beneficial to the one who really feels it and to the person who receives it. Research indicates that gratitude is important to psychological well-being (Wood, Joseph, Maltby) and that it enables people to ‘build and maintain social relationships.’
Helene Schjerfbeck – Silence. 1907. Wikimedia Commons
“Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.”
Gertrude Stein
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this post, there are no perfect people, for everyone has their issues. However, those we tend to want to work with as our leaders generally lean towards being warm, smiley and spontaneous.
They are appreciative of their colleagues, rather than grumpy and resentful; they are without a sense of entitlement, they can laugh at themselves and the world, and are generally open-minded and accepting of others.
In addition, being respectful to everyone equally, no matter their position or status, is a very important quality for a leader.
Vincent van Gogh – The Dustman (1883) Wikimedia Commons
“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”
Albert Einstein
Quote 5
- Having the mettle to grasp the nettle!
Leaf shoot of Urtica incisa, scrub nettle, Uki, Australia. 2008. John Moss. Wikimedia Commons
“Leaders grasp nettles.”
David Ogilvy
Along with the ‘softer’ qualities, leaders also need considerable strength, courage, perseverance, initiative, persistence and an ability to maintain boundaries. ‘Grasping the nettles’ of life requires a good deal of determination and mettle, despite the potential risks, and it is essential to the leadership role.
It also demands awareness, knowledge and experience of how to manage ‘prickly’ situations (and people) and some problem-solving ways of thinking. As it is with some thorny issues in life, stroking nettles gently can be a ‘rash’ decision… they need a firm hand and a sturdy grip!
- Personal power
Young business woman. Eligrek243 from Pixabay 2018. Wikimedia Commons
What is important here is to also develop an awareness of our personal leadership power. What do I mean by this?
Personal power involves being confident enough to face difficult times and to deal with whatever life and work throw at us. Through coping with the inevitable knotty work-related dilemmas, we gain confidence, which increases our sense of personal power.
If everything always went smoothly, we would never learn to withstand stress and would feel powerless to face challenges. Having said that, personal power is not about being fearless, but involves having the courage to carry on, despite the fear.
Being self-possessed and having trust in ourselves means that we will feel more in touch with who we are, and will know the strength- and the limits- of our personal power.
Using our personal power wisely, and from a position of knowledge, experience and insight, we can develop the ability to influence others in a benign and beneficial way. It is important to remember that one of the leader’s prime tasks is to establish a culture that is empathic, non-judgmental, dynamic and productive.
“If you’ve created a work culture where vulnerability isn’t ok, you’ve also created a culture where innovation and creativity aren’t ok.”
Brené Brown
The culture in an organisation is something that is, or needs to be, initiated and set from the beginning; it will be passed on as the organisation develops. Culture involves ways of thinking, values, beliefs, practices and attitudes. These give identity and character to the team and the organisation, as well as establishing the way in which people relate to each other.
For example, if the leaders have established a strong awareness of inclusion and diversity, this approach will permeate the whole team.
“The only thing of real importance that leaders do is create and manage culture.”
Edgar Schein
Personal power is related to being authentic, true to oneself; in this way we can trust ourselves to deal fairly with others. Having clear vision and intuitive understanding of self and other will also contribute to our personal power.
We will not have to be authoritarian, we will not have anything to prove, and neither will we need to curb nor impose ourselves upon others’ human rights and freedoms.
If we are not chasing after power for power’s sake, then we are likely to be mature enough to have the personal strength to enable us to feel comfortable in the world, and most importantly, to motivate and empower others.
Inspiration – Marc Chagall.1963. Wikioo.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
John Quincy Adams
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Linda
© Linda Berman.
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