This week’s focus:
Why should anyone be led by us?
South Africa, the USA, and Brazil, to name a few, are in the middle of leadership crises. South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has been found by the highest court in the country to have acted unconstitutionally and another court has indicated that his 783 charges of corruption were incorrectly dropped and may be reinstated. In the US elections, Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton and others are not exactly setting the leadership world alive.
These and others are welcome reminders to all leaders that our leadership is 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.
In fact, it has currently prompted me to offer some leadership workouts over breakfast with client organisations. We seldom get a chance to stop and look at our effectiveness as leaders! Probably high time we did! Let me know if you are interested.
Monday Morning Perspective: “Be yourself, more, but with skill” – Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, authors of Why should anyone be led by you?
Kind regards,
Lauron
