The role of leadership is shifting. Not because leaders want it to shift – it is shifting because people who are being led want different things from their leaders. We look to our leaders and expect they have proper leadership development, and have gone through organizational leadership.
There are two different scenarios:
In a time or crises or significant change, there is a clear, simple need that we want from our leaders. When leaders themselves are asked the question about what that is, most leaders miss the mark with their response…however their answers are predictable – direction, quick action, taking control, responding, decision making. It is my belief that this is what leaders do in crises or change, it is not what is most desired. What people want from their leaders is for them to be grounded…to be in balance…to know they are doing the aforementioned activities from a proactive place, not a reactive one. This exudes the confidence that all followers desire before they are willing and able to put their heart and soul into the actions that are being requested of them.
This begets the question of how does one become grounded? It is a lifetime work. The alignment of spoken values and day to day behaviors is key. We want to be confident in our leader. We want him/her to be connected to the center of the earth, to be credible. This credibility is directly tied to worthy values and demonstrated behavior. (Values are defined as closely held beliefs to which a person will commit their actions. If I say “fairness:” is a value and then do not act when I see unfair behavior, then “fairness” is not really a value. It is a desired behavior.) This alignment of values and behavior creates a confidence in the leader that acts a multiplier to their power. Energy is not wasted sorting anything out because the belief is that the leader is once again actively proactively.
The second reason that leadership is changing is that with the rise of technology and the information age, the leader has no choice but to surround themselves with people who know more than they do. It is virtually impossible to stay current in every aspect of doing business. If a leader is not grounded, how can they do that? (The only way is to micromanage…and thus chase away the very talent that is needed.) The traditional models of leadership suggest that the leader is primarily a problem solver and answer person. How can that be when the goal is to surround yourself with people who know more than you do. The role of leader has shifted to someone who is a learner and teacher. They must learn faster than everyone else and then teach what they know to everyone around them. This further demonstrates groundedness and reinforces confidence in the leader. Leadership Development and organizational leadership are foundational programs in management training.
Two thumbs up on how being grounded is a lifetime process. So true! And so challenging and often unsupported in a culture where failure is not an option.
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I like that you mention that the role of the leader has shifted to being a learner and a teacher. It’s not about the “knowing”, it’s about the “learning” and good thing too, because that is where all the fun lives!
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I love the references to “being grounded”. This instills confidence in leadership and, as you said, a true desire to follow through with requests made. Another word that comes to mind with the values aspect is “integrity”. I think this is another word for what you defined, and is far more valuable than decision making or management ability. Great thoughts–thanks, Tom!
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I especially like the references to leaders being learners and teachers, two roles that people often forget are part and parcel of effective leadership.
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