What it means to lead, debunking myths and finding your why

Are you feeling overwhelmed as a new leader? Do you feel like leadership is beyond your grasp or that a lack of leadership skills is holding you back? Leadership isn't a job title, it is a skill that can be acquired, developed and refined. The fact that you have started this course shows that you are keen to reflect on how you lead now or in the future. CMI research has shown that the majority of new leaders come to the role without any formal training, this can prevent them doing their best at their leadership role. The aim of this course is to give you a pointer in the right direction and set you up for leadership.

What is leadership?

Beyond authority leadership is about the ability to influence, guide, support and develop others. It exists in how we deal with others and how others see us. Regardless of hierarchical position the role of leadership can emerge in how we operate. Leadership is about taking responsibility for others, sharing goals and working to create an environment where people work together to achieve them.

Some myths of leadership

Leaders are born not made: The idea of the natural born leader is common, there are some people who seem to take charge of circumstances. You may or may not believe this is you. However, leadership is what you do not who you are. The techniques and behaviours of the leader are learned and refined.

Leaders have all the answers: This is rarely true! It is common for a leader to have been promoted because they are good at a role. In this sense they can be very knowledgeable and experienced in what they were previously doing. However holding onto this fallacy for very long is risky as no one person holds all the information and insight. The best leaders can gather information from their team and other sources and recognise the expertise of others, using this information to make sensible decisions.

Leadership is about being the boss: Some of the best leaders are collaborators, getting the most out of those around them and building the best teams. Developing and supporting others is the leader’s biggest skill.

You need to be an extrovert to be a good leader: This is simply not true, leaders have very different personalities. Differences in leaders bring different traits to the role. There are also different leadership styles that can be adopted for leaders. The ability to consider a decision and listen carefully to different viewpoints is a key skill, as is the ability to communicate clearly.

 

Finding your purpose as a leader

It is important when considering a new role as a leader to define the purpose of what you, your team, and your company is trying to achieve. Simon Sinek has a really good Ted Talk entitled ‘How great leaders inspire action’ for which we get the quote ‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’. It is worth taking time to consider what ‘the why’ of your organisation is, this could be a corporate purpose or goals that your area are working towards. What values are at play within your team and how do they impact the culture? 

Your leadership style will also be reflected in this way, people won’t see what you do but why you do it. Because of this authenticity is important, your actions should reflect your style and values so that you can be clear on your own why as a leader.

Connecting your leadership style to company purpose

Aligning your leadership style to the purpose of the organisation and the outcomes desired has the highest chance of motivating a team to work together and retain alignment to goals and values of the organisation.

One of the key roles of the leader is to align their team to the bigger picture of what is going on in the wider organisation. This allows better collaboration between teams in larger organisations, and between organisations and other stakeholders. Your team will also benefit from seeing how their work contributes to goals, regardless of if they are organisational goals, the goals of your customers/clients or bigger social or environmental goals.

Tip for this week

Reflect on your company’s mission, vision, purpose and values statements, consider the following

·       Why does my company exist?

·       What impact is the company trying to make?

·       How does my team/area contribute to this vision?

·       How do I articulate this why to the team, can I improve this?

 

Next week we will be looking at a few different leadership styles and how being able to vary your style can get the best from your team.