Introduction
Sometimes you find yourself having multiple conversations on the same subject matter with a variety of people in quick succession. That’s been my experience recently, and the topic has been leadership.
Interestingly, there has been an abundance of such conversations with Millennials. Discussions have surfaced around the leaders they report to, and the leaders they aspire to be themselves. I enjoy the opportunity of hearing from much younger people on how they are not only developing as leaders, but also the values they see in effective leaders. Learning from others, especially across generations, is something that helps stimulate deep thinking and understanding.
This blog article is a culmination of these conversations, where I aim to distil some thoughts and reflections on how I view leadership. When finding myself having multiple discussions on single topics, such as leadership, I’ve found it helpful to write my thoughts down to help clarify them.
Reflecting on my own journey, I started as a very young leader, blessed with the ability to be in positions of leadership since I was 17-years old. I was in Year 12 at school when promoted to Shift Manager at my local McDonalds restaurant. In the 25+ years since that time, I have made many mistakes. I have also witnessed or experienced the impact of decisions and actions of other leaders.
Discussing leadership, reflecting and thinking about qualities possessed by leaders we admire, is something I enjoy. No doubt it will be a recurring topic in this blog, but for now, I hope that the following thoughts help you on your leadership journey.
What is Leadership?
If you were to ask ten people, you would probably get ten different definitions of what leadership is.
I can’t claim authorship of this statement, and many have asserted this well before my time, but I can’t put it any better than: Leadership is influence. I believe this definition originated with John C. Maxwell and has since been quoted by many other authors and advisors over time.
For some people, leadership is the ability to hold a position, and so they go after rank and title, and when they get there, they think that they are leaders. However, if you agree with me that leadership is influence, then leadership can’t be restrained by a title. Not, therefore, being constrained by a title, you would also agree that both the influence and subsequent impact can be both positive and negative.
Further, if you agree with that leadership definition, we can also agree that leaders exist who do not hold a specific leadership title, e.g. manager, supervisor, director, etc.
No matter if you are in a team, work for a business, are a member of an organisation, or are in a place of education, there is no doubt that you can identify leaders who do not have a title. If you think about these influential people in your teams, you know the immense impact they have on the bearing of the organisation and the overall culture.
More interestingly, let’s push the leadership statement one step further and state that; Everyone influences someone.
Therefore, it is fair to say that;
Everyone is a leader, it is just that some people also have an official title.
So, in the process of examining the meaning of leadership, we should always consider what kind of influencer we want to be.
What makes a good leader?
Like you, I am sure you have read countless books, blog articles and publications on leadership. Often, they list out numerous traits of a good leader with the usual suspects of; integrity, intelligence, conscientiousness, self-esteem, learner, listening skills, and the list goes on.
Like me, I am sure you have read countless books, blog articles and publications on leadership. Often, they list numerous traits of a good leader with the usual suspects of: integrity, intelligence, conscientiousness, self-esteem, learner, listening skills and so on.
When considering any such inventory, you could easily replace leadership with another word like an employee, brother, sister, friend, colleague, etc. Or you may even see these qualities listed as the core values of a company. While undoubtedly significant in leadership, or company values, all of us would hope that these virtues would go without saying. Thus, when thinking about a good leader, we must push past traits, not excluding them, but also not stopping here.
Since beginning a formal leadership role, I have had a never-ending supply of books either given to me or recommended for me to read. In my early days, it was paperback, whereas today it is all online in various forms. Reading through the material over the years, it is not hard to observe that ideas and approaches to leadership often change. There are new recommendations, the latest thinking, newest programs on how to be a better leader, approaching people management, driving results, increasing team cohesion and the like.
Through all these changes in leadership theory, I can’t help but think about all the various leaders I either know personally or whom I know of in the real world. Leaders from many backgrounds, such as business leaders, world leaders, actors, sportspeople, etc. When considering these leaders, fairly or not, we can also label them as good leaders or not so great leaders.
Interestingly, we can recognise that leaders coming from diverse backgrounds, may have been taught leadership in a different era, and may or may not ever have had formal training. Despite the differences there is a common, timeless thread:
Character
Character, more than traits, is helpful to think about and understand when deeply thinking about leadership. As already mentioned, styles & approaches to leadership will change, but the character of a person is foundational to effectiveness.
“Styles & approaches to leadership will change, but the character of a person is foundational to effectiveness.”
Contemplating the types of leaders and people with influence identified earlier, we can easily see that there are dimensions of their makeup that define the results.
Let’s explore character some more.
Why is character important?
Often, character definitions are simply a collection of traits, or a set of morals, ethics or some variation of an integrity statement. The statements can be so fluffy they are either hard to understand, or it’s almost impossible to relate them to any practical measure. How often do you, like me, read blogs on “Three character traits we hire for” or similar? Such character inventories read like an insurance policy; if we hire people with these character traits, all will be well. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the case.
All of us have a unique character. In our character, good or bad is who we are as a person.
“Our character determines not only the type of leader we are but also our ability to be successful.”
Let me give you an example. Imagine you want a new car and ask an F1 race team to build you a car. The car would be made with precision, able to withstand high speed and turn corners like they don’t exist. The character of this new F1 car allows it to withstand these kinds of dynamics. However, if we were to take this F1 car and use it for school pick-up, shopping, and taking the kids to afternoon sport, it would not be a good result. The character of our new F1 car is not suited for this different set of dynamics.
Another way to think of character is: it is the sum of a collection of parts.
Relating character to people, and to our leadership, perhaps a practical definition of character is: Character is our internal capability to act on the daily demands.
“Character is our internal capability to act on the daily demands.”
If we lack an internal capability (or components in using the F1 car analogy) to perform a task, we will fail. It can be possible to have very positive traits, but the overall character dynamic is preventing success. Our internal capabilities, well above and beyond traits, are what will define if we are successful or not. Unfortunately, the internal capabilities seem to get the least amount of airtime, and literature usually focuses on traits, knowledge, results and the like.
Let me give you another example of this. I bet you work with some friendly people, people you would trust with your life. You would be happy stating they have the moral compass of a saint, and are people that everyone admires as trustworthy, of high integrity, kind and funny. However, when considering their professional remit, there is just something holding them back. They can’t seem to grasp a hold of any commercial realities, understand the market, or deal with problems. They get frazzled when under pressure, and you can see this holds them back. Often, it is frustrating for everyone involved.
The issue of success in this example is not a lack of opportunity, nor the absence of personality traits, but one of character. There are capabilities or internal makeups inside us that, when under pressure, will either perform, fail, or not be in existence. Our upbringing and formation over the years build our character. In the end, it is our character that drives the outcomes.
To be sure, when describing character, any lack of capabilities or failure is not negative. We should never presume our current situation can never be changed. Let’s discuss this in more detail.
Growing in Character
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Your upbringing is who you are. Your family is x; therefore, you will be x as well. It’s who you are, accept it. Your generation is a failure; you will never succeed.
These are absolute statements, and fortunately, they are not valid. However, unfortunately, we too often believe them to be true.
When considering our character, we all have internal capability limits, ceilings, and obstacles that seem to derail us. I have a long list. However, what I don’t believe is that my upbringing has set my current set of limitations in concrete, and growth is no longer possible. Neither should you!
What we all have is a long list of opportunities for development, discovery, and growth. None of us are defective, deficient, broken, irreparably damaged goods or the like. We are human. In accepting this, there is a journey before us, and we need to get on with it.
In opening this article, it was on the back of multiple conversations with Millennials, and up and coming leaders. Has there ever been a generation that has been so mocked and abused as the Millennials? Consistently, we are regaled with everything that is apparently wrong with Millennials. But the reality is that the issue is with all of us. We are all missing some capabilities, and personally, on the serious side, I find it very disturbing that older generations pick on younger people in this manner. More on that later.
I haven’t written this blog with concise, headline statements, but to help all of us, especially upcoming leaders, realise that change is possible. In defining a practical side to our character, my hope is that it will encourage you to dig deeper. The only thing holding us back is the courage to recognise our character may not be where it needs to be, and that we may be blind to what is happening.
“The only thing holding us back is the courage to recognise our character may not be where it needs to be, and that we may be blind to what is happening.”
To this end, I suggest connecting with people close to you for feedback and finding the right circles that will challenge and support us. Where required, finding professional help that will aid in unpacking and re-packing our character, may be useful.
Conclusion
I started this blog by stating that leadership is influence. We also agreed that the influence could be both good and bad. And we discussed the importance of character.
Putting all this together in the light of leadership, we must recognise that those we lead will all have aspects of their character that needs development. In the same breath, also, facets of our character will need development. Realising these attributes is foundational to an effective leader, as in so doing, it is what will result in our ability to make an impact.
“Realising that aspects of our character will need development is foundational to being an effective leader and for our ability to make an impact.”
In focussing on helping others grow with respect for their specific needs, we also grow ourselves and realise our own needs concerning character development. For me, this is how I define servant leadership. Not merely doing stuff for other people but going deeper and working with them on plugging the gaps. Effort and time are required to provide structured feedback, promoting situations that enable practice and growth, and providing a new blueprint for having a positive experience.
So many people, including myself, have been in challenging childhoods, school environments, and early workplace settings which have left a lasting impact — impacts which have not always provided the best experiences for growth, learning and personal development. In wielding influence now, the opportunity exists to provide people with support structures that will take them to great heights and to achieve things they thought not possible.
“Realising that aspects of our character will need development is foundational to being an effective leader and for our ability to make an impact.”
Richness and fulfilment in leadership come from not only our personal growth but helping others transcend their current realities.
The rewards not only help the company but brings many fruits and riches to everyone involved.
And finally, if you are a Millennial leader, I hope that you will push aside the negative messages and be courageous. Nothing is locked away and unchangeable, and you can overcome any situation before you.
For the rest of us, Gen-X’ers, and the generations before me, I hope that we find the courage to encourage. To build up and not tear down. If something is missing from any leader in our circles, our job is to help.
Leaders, as you embark on or continue your leadership journey, may we focus on character. We love quoting people like Richard Branson by saying “If you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers. It’s that simple.” Is that just a throw-away statement? Instead of focussing on 10x’ing a business, how about we concentrate on 10x’ing the people around us. The rewards are more significant and more satisfying over time.
“Instead of focussing on 10x’ing a business, how about we concentrate on 10x’ing the people around us.”
