Are great leaders born or are they made?
If you are not blessed with naturally good leadership skills from birth, is it possible to develop these?
Everyone will have their own thoughts and opinions on this, but it’s probably a combination of both and of course different leadership styles appeal to different people.
Some might prefer a more ‘transactional’ style where the focus is on things right and in a structured way whereas others might like a more people-oriented approach that inspires rather than directs. Either way, there are some definite traits that distinguish a great leader from a poor one, so let’s examine what some of these might be.
It is quite impossible to come up with rules and regulations that cover every possible work scenario and great leaders recognise this, but clearly there needs to be something that guides people to do the right thing when making decisions within the business.
For this reason, great leaders are role models of company values and taking a values-based approach to decision making is a generally a pretty good benchmark against which to assess the right thing to do. I recall once hearing of a big US department store that used this approach for their customer service staff and while this newfound freedom was initially a bit uncomfortable, it did work appear to work very well for the business and customers alike.
One classic behaviour of great leaders is that they take ownership for things, even when they go wrong. By comparison, you will find poor leaders looking for scapegoats, ascribing blame and finding excuses for things not getting done. Interestingly, when anyone simply owns their mistake, people tend to be supportive of the individual rather than vitriolic, what else can they do? Learning by making mistakes is the hallmark of people with a ‘growth mindset’ which is becoming increasingly recognised as key to great personal performance and another characteristic of great leaders.
Excellent leaders make everyone feel involved and part of the team irrespective of their race, sex, religious orientation, etc. I am not talking here about ‘inclusivity’ for inclusivity’s sake since this does not necessarily foster the best team, but I do mean having a genuine respect for what each person brings as an individual. This is not as easy to do as it appears since we all have our ‘unconscious biases’ that may cause us to favour certain people over others, but recognising that this possibility exists and overcoming to make sure that everyone feels equally valued is a clear characteristic of great leaders.
When it comes to leadership, there is no one-size-fits-all model and so leaders that possess Emotional Intelligence (EQ) – that is being sensitive to the feelings of others and understanding the impact of their own behaviours on other people – clearly stand out. It is said that it is a person’s intelligence (IQ) that’s what gets them a job and it is EQ that enables promotion or advancement. The fact is people are motivated by different things and in different ways and those leaders that understand this and adapt their behaviour accordingly are bound to get more out of their team members.
Finally, the main reason most people go to work is that they like to feel they are doing something worthwhile. Perhaps surprisingly, this consistently shows up as more important than money but it is that feeling of doing something that makes a real difference which is incredibly satisfying. This sense of personal satisfaction can be greatly enhanced by leaders who take the time and effort to help people in their team understand why what they are doing matters. This is further underpinned by leaders who give credit where it is due (rather than take the credit themselves) and personally thank individuals for their contribution(s). You will recognise those leaders who do this well as they are able to specifically identify why the contribution mattered as opposed to simply saying “great job”.
Ian Ash ACC, AInstIB
Managing director OrgMent Business Solutions – www.ombs.com.au
What business topics would you like to learn more about? Email your suggestions and feedback to ianash@ombs.com.au
