In most organizations the leader forms the heart, the central part around which almost everything evolves. If you were to take this heart out unexpectedly, or without someone stepping into that space, the organization will probably struggle to thrive and even to survive.
It happens often that this person who is the heart of the organization, does not have a heart! Leaders in other organizations, colleagues and employees describes him/ her as "heartless".
It's amazing that you can find numerous websites on "How to have a cold heart", but practically none about how to become a warm hearted person! On how to become heartless, I have sourced the following:
1. Do not accept apologies from anybody about anything.
2. Focus only on the task at hand, not the people involved in getting it done.
3. Do not reflect on, or celebrate successes, always think and talk about what still needs to be done.
4. Be angry at everybody about everything.
5. Always be callous, curt and distant. Do not show any signs of affection or care.
6. Be unavailable and always too busy for talk about personal issues.
If you do this long enough, you will surely become a cold and heartless person. If that is what you want to be.... (I worked with a leader once who actually wanted people to fear him and to experience him as strict and curt!)
By far, most people are positive and enthusiastic about a leader (as well as a colleague or a friend) with a heart. -Rather than the opposite.
So: How do you become a person with a heart? I think the comprehensive answer would be this: Learn to appreciate and love people. -I say comprehensive, because to learn to appreciate and love people is certainly not simple. For some of us it is really not easy to show interest in people and not only in the tasks that needs to be done to reach the goals that we have set.
If you want to have a heart, you would have to work at this: Learn to listen to people, be more understanding and sympathetic. Be more compassionate. Bé a fellow human. Learn to show some emotion. Show grace!
Think on this: Is your heart for the people you work with growing or shrinking? -What would the implications of that be for you as a person? -And as a leader?
Friday 22 June 2012
Thursday 14 June 2012
Followership
We are all familiar with the saying that "everything rises and falls on leadership." I fully agree with this notion: The quality of leadership; the integrity of a leader; the pro-activity, or passivity. -In short, the type and level of leadership, is in direct correlation to the effectiveness, innovation and growth path of any organization.
Leadership is very important. In many ways we underestimate the impact of bad leadership, or the lack of leadership in the world. There is a growing need in an ever increasing scope of society for "better" leaders.
BUT: I think that we as leaders sometimes overestimate our importance as leaders, as being the primary indicator of organizational effectiveness and success.We tend to forget, or at least underestimate the importance of followers and what I like to call followership.
Without followers there will be no real leaders. Central to the understanding of the concept of leadership, is the fact that the leader leads somebody, or something. Without followers the person who thinks that he/ she is leading, is in fact only taking a stroll -and that could become a lonely solitary walk!
Followers are those people who support the leader. They believe in what he/she does, or endeavours to do. They are adherents and attendants, fans and some would say disciples of the leader.
I believe that there is a growing need for followers in the world: People who are really willing to follow the vision, passion and direction of someone else. People who will give their undivided support and loyalty to someone other than their own being. People who are willing to push aside their own agenda and ambitions for that of somebody else. -In a time of ultimate self-centredness, that is a scarce commodity!
The best leaders come from amongst the group of people who knows and understands what it means to be a follower. Leaders should intentionally place themselves in situations where they are required to be followers. -Only by experiencing and understanding followership, can you grow in leadership.
Would you be willing to follow the leader that you are? -Why should anybody else follow you?
Leadership is very important. In many ways we underestimate the impact of bad leadership, or the lack of leadership in the world. There is a growing need in an ever increasing scope of society for "better" leaders.
BUT: I think that we as leaders sometimes overestimate our importance as leaders, as being the primary indicator of organizational effectiveness and success.We tend to forget, or at least underestimate the importance of followers and what I like to call followership.
Without followers there will be no real leaders. Central to the understanding of the concept of leadership, is the fact that the leader leads somebody, or something. Without followers the person who thinks that he/ she is leading, is in fact only taking a stroll -and that could become a lonely solitary walk!
Followers are those people who support the leader. They believe in what he/she does, or endeavours to do. They are adherents and attendants, fans and some would say disciples of the leader.
I believe that there is a growing need for followers in the world: People who are really willing to follow the vision, passion and direction of someone else. People who will give their undivided support and loyalty to someone other than their own being. People who are willing to push aside their own agenda and ambitions for that of somebody else. -In a time of ultimate self-centredness, that is a scarce commodity!
The best leaders come from amongst the group of people who knows and understands what it means to be a follower. Leaders should intentionally place themselves in situations where they are required to be followers. -Only by experiencing and understanding followership, can you grow in leadership.
Would you be willing to follow the leader that you are? -Why should anybody else follow you?
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Leadership 101.5
In the world Cafe style of shared learning we sit around tables with cuppuccinos and lattes.
Some sit with their apple/-juice and we talk. We talk about talk. (Have you noticed how many times we tend to do that?)
Whenever there is talk about leadership some of the following questions and concepts are always part of the conversation: How does a person become a leader? Can leadership be learned?
Are we all leaders? Do you need a title (to lead)? What IS leadership again??
You can Google a 1000 definitions of leadership and we will still be talking and asking the same questions. This is because leadership is not static.It has many faces and facets. It can be personal, individualistic, dictatorial, corporate, collective, strategic, operational, + + +
-At is best leadership is situational and contextual.
One of the first definitions about leadership that I was exposed to, was the one by J.Oswald Sanders: "Leadership is influence." It still speaks to leadership on many levels.
The ancient Greeks used the word "strategos", or strategist and the Romans had the Latin concept of "imperator" to describe a military strategist. This later became "Emperor" or Ruler, wich is not what we generally have in mind when we talk about leadership these days.
The world is in need of effective leadership. Countries like China tries everything to lure talented people to the different levels of their leadership needs. "We can compensate for the absence of many skills and resources, but we struggle to overcome the absence of effective leadership".
-George Barna.
How much of this effective leadership lies in leadership skills? -The ability to think strategically,
to see a different future and to work at realizing it. How much of it lies in Emotional-, Spiritual-, Moral- and Social Intelligence? How much in character?
To paraphrase the former US Forces Commander and Chief, Norman Schwarzkopf: -Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. -If you have to leave one: Leave strategy.!
Some sit with their apple/-juice and we talk. We talk about talk. (Have you noticed how many times we tend to do that?)
Whenever there is talk about leadership some of the following questions and concepts are always part of the conversation: How does a person become a leader? Can leadership be learned?
Are we all leaders? Do you need a title (to lead)? What IS leadership again??
You can Google a 1000 definitions of leadership and we will still be talking and asking the same questions. This is because leadership is not static.It has many faces and facets. It can be personal, individualistic, dictatorial, corporate, collective, strategic, operational, + + +
-At is best leadership is situational and contextual.
One of the first definitions about leadership that I was exposed to, was the one by J.Oswald Sanders: "Leadership is influence." It still speaks to leadership on many levels.
The ancient Greeks used the word "strategos", or strategist and the Romans had the Latin concept of "imperator" to describe a military strategist. This later became "Emperor" or Ruler, wich is not what we generally have in mind when we talk about leadership these days.
The world is in need of effective leadership. Countries like China tries everything to lure talented people to the different levels of their leadership needs. "We can compensate for the absence of many skills and resources, but we struggle to overcome the absence of effective leadership".
-George Barna.
How much of this effective leadership lies in leadership skills? -The ability to think strategically,
to see a different future and to work at realizing it. How much of it lies in Emotional-, Spiritual-, Moral- and Social Intelligence? How much in character?
To paraphrase the former US Forces Commander and Chief, Norman Schwarzkopf: -Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. -If you have to leave one: Leave strategy.!
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