This week’s focus:
Why should anyone be led by us?
South Africa, the USA, and France, to name a few, are in the middle of leadership crises. What more can we say about the respective leaderships of Jacob Zuma and Donald Trump?
These and others are welcome reminders to all leaders that our leadership is, or should be, about more than us. “Obviously”, you might say, but look around you and I think you will find that the majority of leaders, placed under sufficient pressure (or not!), will revert back to self.
Perhaps the most important question any leader can ask of himself is: Why should anyone be led by me? It’s a tough question when you get into it, but it is likely to bring the best out of us under pressure. Certainly, that is what I have found when I have asked the question of some of my clients and their executive and management teams.
Of course, this is a question we should all ask of ourselves, even (or more especially) in relation to our role in our families. Whether it is at home or the office, what legacy are we leaving the next generation?
Monday Morning Perspective: “Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult.”
-Warren Bennis
