Recently I had several conversations, all unplanned on this topic… leadership… they just happened to come up or segue from other topics. It was interesting because some of the folks I was speaking with were established leaders, some were “up and coming leaders” and some were speaking about “their leaders”.
The biggest take aways and learning about leaderships were as follows…
- Leadership is not a title; it is about assisting other people to see a vision or make a goal a reality. Too often we think leaders are the “bosses” or CEOs or the ones with fancy titles. Leaders are the ones that unite the team to achieve the common goal… they can be the corner office person, or they can be the coordinator level person. It is their innate or developed traits that make them a leader… not the title or role assigned to them.
- Leaders guide the team to this “shared purpose” that inspires confidence, trust and commitment through creating clarity, enabling others to act and creating an environment where people can do their best work
- Really great leaders have to be able to balance both “blue sky” visions and dreams along with practicality, reality and sometimes (but not always) working within the rules
- In our sector leadership can be the ideation of a great activation because that person can see opportunities and engagement where others cannot and articulate it so everyone understands not only the experience but the desired outcome and success of such an activation. Or it may be the salesperson who listens diligently, understands the need of the client and can deliver a proposal that meets those needs (or exceeds them) while staying within budget and delivering a positive ROI for both the partner and their own organization (does not lessen profit margins nor but extra work on other team members without compensation). Or it could be that “internal signing authority” or “boss” who uses that practicality insight to note where issues may arise or costs are too high or other elements and uses them as teaching moments and works with that person to find a solution to make it work versus just says “no we cannot do that”.
- Not everyone is designed to be a leader, nor does everyone want to be a leader, to have leaders we need followers and they are just as important. These are the backbones for success for the leaders being leaders – the ones that make those visions and goals happen, they are the ones that are nurtured, coached and encouraged as an important part of the team… because they are an important part of the team.
What I truly came to understand at a deeper level than I had already learned and experienced in my 43+ years in business since graduating from university is that leadership is less about directing others and more about elevating them. It’s the practice of showing up with integrity, courage, and empathy—qualities that inspire people to follow not because they have to, but because they want to. Lol… not sure I always meet those qualities… but I have a clearer pathway drawn out for me now to try and follow.
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