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Leaders - Start to Finish

The Big Idea

Nowadays, leadership is not limited to the level of the senior managers. At every level in the career ladder, employees are expected to work towards this particular goal - of becoming a leader in the future.

In order to properly do this, it is important to identify certain things with regard to the employees and the organization as a whole.

There is no hard and fast training program to create and mold future leaders. Each organization and each employee has their own individual requirements. Development programs must be tweaked to tailor to the differing needs.

Whether an organization has an existing development program or is planning to develop a new one from scratch, these basic building blocks will serve as tools in order to come up with an effective curriculum.

 

■ Chapter 1: Authentic Leadership

Without authenticity, a person will simply go through the motions of becoming a good leader but will lack the substance needed in order to really develop into a significant leader figure.

Authenticity is that which gives peace of mind, ensuring a person that something is indeed the real thing. An authentic leader is someone who is genuine and honest - not only with his subordinates but also with himself. This type of leader exudes self-respect and self-esteem, and does not compromise his principles. It must be understood that authentic leadership is not what the individual does, but what he or she is made of.

An authentic leader is also one who has and continually develops self-mastery, by acknowledging his or her emotions and intuition or gut feel, by showing his or her human side, and by never asking others to do what they themselves would not do.

■ Chapter 2: Taking Stock in the Human Side of Leadership

Business is not just about making a profit.  Taking care of your people is one of the most important aspects in successfully running any business.

Nowadays, it is important for people to not only love their work but also the people they work with everyday.  Without this kind of passion, they will treat their work as just a job, something that keeps them going financially.

Leaders must understand that in order to successfully lead people, they must not only appreciate what their subordinates do; leaders must be able to appreciate subordinates as people.

Treating people in an organization as persons instead of just seeing them as the positions they are filling are two entirely different things.

Starbucks, for example, took this a step further, by treating their employees like family.  In the late 1980s, Starbucks became the first company that offered full health benefits to their part-time employees, taking into account that these people are doing everything they can to make ends meet.

The Body Shop, on the other hand, focuses on giving back to the community, with employees that are not only concerned about having a regular job, but finding meaning and purpose.

■ Chapter 3: Understanding Leadership Competencies

Just because a person possesses the expertise and technical know-how does not necessarily make him or her a good leader.  What is important is that the person has the qualities needed for him or her to effectively manage and positively influence the people around him.

How can one determine if a certain person is competent enough to become a good leader?  It is important that this person not only possesses the required skills, but also that he or she is aligned with the company's values and objectives.

It is important to note that regardless of the challenges that people face in their professional lives, what is important to them is that they know where they fit in with regard to the bigger picture.

There are two basic categories when talking about competencies: (1) human capability and soft-skills intelligence; and (2) cognitive ability or technical skills and expertise.  Though these two types of abilities go hand-in-hand, studies have shown that in order to ensure a person's success, it is important that he or she hone his or her soft-skills intelligence.

In a study involving 500 organizations, it was concluded that emotional intelligence is more important than a leader's IQ, in which it distinguishes the world's best leaders.

 

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