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Art of Leadership #1

The Image of Leadership

Whenever I think of the vital aspects of leadership I think of a cartoon sheep with a red tie: the Leadersheep (google it!). Words like values, vision, mission, purpose and all those ingredients flare up in my mind. I think of principles, role models, charismatic people and of Barack Obama. In fact 'What would Obama do?' is a question I sometimes ask myself - first off he would start a sentence and then in the middle pause for a minute.

Only when we have to put leadership into action do we realize the first hurdle: communication. For instance change management, admittedly one of the more challenging fields of leadership, is virtually all about the right communication strategy.

Mindset of an Agile Leader

To be an agile leader you have to be prepared to improve on a daily basis. Take every opportunity and everyone you encounter - every client, colleague, mentor, memo, every email, every pitch, every conversation, status meeting, project kick-off, and so on. Sometimes a bad example can teach you more than a role model - embrace every opportunity fully and openly.

In my office at home I have a large poster on the wall. The headline reads 'The Art of Leadersheep' and the poster depicts some crucial principles of leadership. It is a great reminder and I regularly challenge myself to abide by those rules on a daily basis. For example, I consider myself as tolerant to making mistakes in certain environments (more about that in an earlier post see here). This means, even though I try not to, I make mistakes from time to time. I always try to be the first to admit my biggest mistakes, even in case nobody else has noticed (yet). It's not so much the fear that others might notice my blunder eventually, but rather the desire to live up to my own standards at all times, that drives me. On the other hand, when I face a problem, I analyze it and make an attempt to describe it as well as possible, so other people may quickly be aware and understand the core issue. Pointing and shouting out the problem is fine. However in 99,9% of the time I don't just stop there, but I also offer some advice towards some kind of solution.

Don't Play the Blame-Game

Here's the beer problem: Every time someone spills beer at a party you can usually witness two kinds of reactions: One: people start to giggle and to point out the accident. Two: people quickly pick up the bottle and immediately rush to the kitchen to return with cleaning tissues to limit the damage and to clean up the mess. The more the party has progressed, the obvious the difference between those two types will be displayed. Type one is the 'bystander': she's not much help in that situation. Worst case some of these bystanders even crack some jokes about the accident or even the culprit. Type two is the 'helper': she is way more useful to solve the problem. In work we regularly encounter both of these types of people. 

Key Takeaways

  1. Be a helper and don't play the blame game.
  2. Surround yourself with trustworthy allies and you'll be invincible in whatever you do. 
  3. Build a network of helpers - people who don't feast on other peoples' mistakes, but fight for the best outcome, regardless of their personal short term reward.
  4. Have the courage to make and to admit mistakes.


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