The world is struggling right now for no other reason than we have ineffective and incompetent leadership around the globe by and large. Ego’s, turf wars and fanaticism remain the order of the day and still it appears that throughout history, leaders have learned nothing.
Leadership: Good or bad, born or made?
As a person who develops leaders internationally at all levels, I’m often asked the question as to whether Hitler, an international leader, was a good one? It’s an interesting question, because even mentioning his name causes some people to shudder. As one of the world’s largest mass-murderers, Hitler had key competencies of leadership, for good or bad.
He was influential, committed and had a strong vision for the future. And millions followed him blindly. But his leadership competencies were used to murder the marginalised in society, making him a feared, egotistical and brutal murderer, not a leader.
We believe that there is truth that some leaders are born and others are made. To rule one out would be a mistake. Leadership courses and leadership training become valuable in helping those born or made to lead become more able and understanding of what it takes to lead well, although many don’t get it right.
Effective leadership means two things in any Organisation: Making sure the tasks are done well and efficiently and that their relationships are robust and solid.
The newest of the leadership ‘styles’, servant leadership is a philosophical way of leading, where the leader focusses on helping those down the line thrive in their roles by removing obstacles and challenges that may impede their progress. There are ten guiding principles a Servant leader should follow. This style has been adopted by large Companies and continues to sweep through the corridors of leaders.
To be an effective leader is not difficult and many aspects of it can be learned through leadership training, attending leadership courses and learning how leadership forms part of strategic management. But leaders need to master key competencies to succeed that are critical to how they are seen by others and the ability to influence.
We’ve been successfully developing leaders and emerging leaders for 20 years so contact us for a chat about your leaders.