Principles On Leadership
What makes a good leader great? How do you know if you are a good leader? There is a seemingly endless supply of books, articles, and other resources directing individuals in enhancing leadership qualities. However, why? Why are so many looking for ways of growth, improvement, and insights on becoming an effective leader? The issue is defined in the question. The number of quality leaders is few, and the ones that are leading effectively do not concern themselves with outside opinion. If you are assessing yourself and asking if you are a good leader or not, the best place to begin this inquiry is within those you currently lead. For an individual to be a leader, there must be an organization or environment in which leading is required. Looking at the hierarchy of human development from childhood into adolescence and adulthood, observations on leadership within the sociological world are observable. I enjoy taking my children to parks where they can expel energy, socialize with other children their age and engage in the social arena of familiarizing themselves with people from different walks of life. As I supervise my children, I watch the kids organize themselves into groups for the games they wish to play. How do they organize themselves? Typically, an adult is not present, and one of the children steps up and takes command and dictates what they should all do cumulatively for the maximum amount of fun for each individual.
“The number of quality leaders is few, and the ones that are leading effectively do not concern themselves with outside opinion”
In observing children, I realize that some are born natural leaders, and some are born followers. Watching children, one understands that this is an essential paradigm in society as some see a group of individuals who need direction, and some seek to administer it. Research concerning leadership and different theories lead me to understand the Functional Leadership Theory and its application in assessing the qualities of an individual regarding leadership philosophies. One precept this theory highlights is the transformational and transactional-oriented influence influential leaders apply to organizations and situations to adapt to the external environment for efficient resource use.[1] Applying this theory to the problem of the children at the playground, it becomes clear. If the children play independently, the fun is limited to the child; however, if the child incorporates another individual in play, the experience doubles and continues the more children participate. However, a structure must be implemented to organize the members participating effectively for the ultimate outcome of the maximum amount of fun. One child may step up in an attempt to collect the group, but they lack the necessary God-given skills to see the “big picture” of the collective group, yet they manage to pull off a rudimentary game of play; however, it leads others to feel neglected, left out, and quit the play leading to a decreased amount of fun collectively. Now, apply this to the workplace for adults, and the results remain consistent.
In the workplace, these principles are also applied. An individual may have been in an organization for some time, and because of tenure or placement, they are promoted to be in a leadership position. Being promoted into a position does not logically follow that they are the best person suitable to lead appropriately. The individual may be good at managing people but fail at leading people. In my experience, an individual may be adequate at administration, logistics, and even social skills but lack the leadership quality. When this transpires, the organization becomes less effective as they are not adapting to the external environment necessary for a synergistic workforce and increasing productivity. The issue is not that the individual is wrong, but that the individual is not suited for leading in the best possible capacity because they were not born or wired for a leadership position. Regardless of the number of books, articles, workshops, and seminars a manager attends, they will never move past what they were never hard-wired to be in the first place. However, there is a remedy for managers who recognize that they are not natural leaders and principles for those who are natural leaders to follow. Here are my recommended steps in pursuing effective leadership for managers who find themselves in a leadership position and those leaders who may have yet to be appointed into a position in which they are the prima facie leader of the organization.
“The issue is not that the individual is wrong, but that the individual is not suited for leading in the best possible capacity because they were not born or wired for a leadership position.”
Delegate
Regardless of if you identify as a manager or a leader, this principle must be understood for either. A good leader delegates their authority to those who are gifted, or well suited in that specific category. For instance, if you are the top echelon leader but recognize you are not wired to be a leader, you must delegate to the individual within your organization who possess these qualities. Look for the individual who takes the initiative, naturally attracts those they work with, empowers others, and leads by example in their work tasks. If you are a leader, you must recognize that you cannot do everything yourself. The success of an organization cannot have a single point of failure. Ask yourself this. If I were to leave this organization, could it continue without me? If the answer is no, then you are failing in delegation. If the answer is yes, then the following is how you are training your replacement. A good leader leads from behind, pushing others to advance, achieve, and stretch them beyond their perceived limitations.
“If you are a leader, you must recognize that you cannot do everything yourself. The success of an organization cannot have a single point of failure”
Yes, the leader does need to be primary in many of these situations, but not in every case. A good leader does not have to be the face and voice of the organization for every event, conference, or meeting. If the leader believes that the meeting will not go “according to plan” unless they lead every session, they are failing to delegate to others in developing their leadership skills. When a leader delegates, the focus of failure or success does not lie solely on one individual's shoulders; rather, it is disseminated amongst other leaders who can execute the vision and values of the organizational leader. Many organizations may have several natural leaders, and it is the goal of the primary leader to identify them, train them, and empower them. The manager must do the same, as the leader can come alongside the manager and assist them in developing strategy, executing the vision, and establishing values.
Establishing Values
A good leader establishes values for the organization and ensures everyone knows what they are working towards. During my time in the military, there were many occasions I was forward deployed to a new organization in which I had to seek out what the values and mission were for our specific area of responsibility. The importance of an organization must be interwoven within every person that is working in that sphere. Place the values in front of them, highlight them, describe them, and continually emphasize them. Human beings are wired for purpose and mission. If left without the inner motivation of what they are working for, the job becomes purposeless, and stimulation decreases significantly. You can tell what the company values based on the employee's performance. You can identify the type of leader based on how the organization's individuals work together.
“You can identify the type of leader based on how the organization’s individuals work together”
Suppose the culture of the staff is hostile towards each other, lacking in communication, and perceives their duties as more critical than other departments. In that case, that tells you the leader values selfism and not the good of the collective whole. The leader models the values that they wish for others to follow, and the followers act according to what they perceive as their leader's values. The followers look to the leader for affirmation, validation, and encouragement. If the leader does not provide these qualities to those who serve underneath them, how can one expect those to replicate what has not been modeled? The adage, “do as I say, not as I do,” has no place within the work environment. Instead, the leader must vocalize the values, identify them, promote their importance, and demonstrate the values/herself so those serving under them will replicate and model their interpersonal skills after the leader.
Selfless
Good leader understands that they are in a leadership position to lead other people, serve other people, and promote the organization. However, when the leader makes the organization about themselves, this perspective is severely distorted. Leaders do not look at those serving under them as their “worker-bees” but as people, they are meant to serve. Selfless leaders interact with their subordinates, get to know them personally, and demonstrate to those serving under them that they are essential, beneficial, and vital for the organization's health. The selfless leader does not assert that they are selfless by telling the team, “look at how selfless I am; I did this for you.” Instead, the leader performs selfless acts for those under their care. They do not ask someone to do something they are unwilling to do. If the leader serves those who work for them, then when the subordinates are asked to do a specific task, it is not met with opposition or questioning. It is completed with acceptance and understanding that the leader would not ask something of me they are not willing to perform themselves.
Clear Communicator
When interacting with a leader, the subordinate should not leave the interaction scratching their head, wondering what is expected of them. The leader must be able to communicate the standards in a way that does not promote confusion or disunity within the organization. One aspect of a clear communicator is not creating an environment of chaos but of clarity. Clear communicators articulate the mission, desires, goals, and values to the team as transparency in communication is vital for the health of an organization. Timidity in leaders often coincides with mistrust in the subordinates, leading to a “protect the idea” mentality from the leadership. The concept of “protect the idea” is the position leaders take as they embrace the fear, rejection, and mistrust concerning those under their care. “We are not sure if the team is ready to hear this yet” or “I do not believe the team needs to hear all the details” are a few of the phrases associated with this concept, ultimately leading to a breakdown in communication and a causal chain of events to toxicity with the workplace.
Promoting a healthy work environment in which the staff team consists of a diverse group demographically and clear communication assists those with longevity in the organization and those with recent onboarding. For example, an employee working for the organization for ten or more years affects the mindset and outlook of a new individual more effectively than the overall supervisor. Suppose the senior employee is accustomed to dysfunctionality, lack of communication, and unsure of the organization’s values. In that case, they will be disgruntled, anxious, and ready to move on when the situations suit them. The senior employee is only as loyal as the paycheck they receive and is not committed to the organization due to the lack of communication during their tenure. As the new employee is onboarding and assigned to this senior employee, the motivation, excitement, and anticipation regarding the perspective opportunities will quickly be extinguished from this senior employee’s outlook on the organization. The new employee facing this negativity will question their decision and most likely will resign, move on, or be a non-committal employee doing just enough to earn a paycheck and fill a place for someone motivated. Who is at fault in this scenario? You may point the finger at the disgruntled employee who perverts the mindset of the new; however, they are only a product of the environment created by the leader.
“The senior employee is only as loyal as the paycheck they receive and is not committed to the organization due to the lack of communication during their tenure”
Ultimately, the leader is responsible for the organization's health, mindset, and well-being as they are the primary communicator for values, mission, and philosophy for the rest. The leader does not merely cast the vision and expect the subordinates to execute with vague terms, jargon, or ambiguity. The leader casts vision clearly and concisely and facilitates questions to ensure each organization member fully understands the desired outcome and purpose for the work conducted. Leaders communicate the values, the mission, the future, and the overall goal for why everyone does what they do.
Empowerment
The word empower means to give official authority or legal power to or promote an individual's self-actualization or influence. This term is analogous in the modern work environment context, as many associate varying levels and degrees with empowerment. True empowerment comes from the leader to an individual or group of individuals for delegation and employee “buy-in.” However, false empowerment is typical across the corporate world. Many leaders prefer a centralized power focus on themselves and are hesitant to empower others with responsibilities they hold with tight hands. The centralized position of power and leadership possessed by only one individual leads to two dilemmas, narcissism and micromanagement.
A narcissistic leader is a cancer that spreads to other subordinates and other micro-leaders of other departments as they replicate what is modeled. The narcissistic leader holds meetings where a veiled attempt of buy-in from the team is conducted in mission planning and development. However, unknowing to those in the think tank, the narcissistic leader has no intentions of incorporating any ideas, concepts, or designs into their vision for their mission or their purpose. The emphasis in a narcissistic leader continually points and must point to themselves and not allow others the actuality of possessing any form of influence on the mission or idea. However, in these meetings, the leader is the host and shuts down anyone who does not fully agree with their concept and causes others to remain silent in fear of letting down the boss. A domino effect of narcissism spreads across the work environment and continues throughout the organization, leading to high turnover rates and dissatisfaction amongst employees.
“A narcissistic leader is a cancer that spreads to other subordinates and other micro-leaders of other departments as they replicate what is modeled”
However, the micro-manager creates similar issues stemming from a different root cause, mistrust. The micro manager does not trust or believe in those they lead to executing the vision or mission without direct involvement stemming from the narcissistic tendencies of that leader. The micro manager may empower an individual only to question and push back on every decision and choice, emphasizing how the leader would conduct it better or more efficiently. The response to a micro-manager leaves employees feeling useless, helpless, and inadequate, and workflow becomes less synergistic and more monergistic. The employee does not have the necessary tools to operate freely in their hired position, leaving them to question their value and their future within the organization.
Empowerment is trusting, enabling, and equipping employees to execute the vision the leader communicates. The leader allows freedom and opportunity for the employee to succeed or fail and is there to commend them when they succeed and help them when they fail. The empowered employee experiences true job satisfaction and buys into the organization as they see they directly impact the organization and affect change.
“Empowerment is trusting, enabling, and equipping employees to execute the vision the leader communicates”
In Sum
If you are a leader or aspire to be one, I pray you read through this article and identify within yourself if you are a leader or a manager. If you are a leader, follow these principles to create a healthy organization and employees who look forward to coming to work. If you are a manager, identify the leaders within your organization and empower them to assist you in your position. Continually remember that you deal with objective thinking and feeling individuals who wish to have purpose and happiness in their workplace. People naturally desire and long to have meaning and contribute to the good of the whole; instead of ripping that away from them, encourage them and value them so that you will have longevity in your position and create a healthy environment lasting well beyond your time at the organization.
[1] John Antonakis and Robert J. House, “Instrumental Leadership: Measurement and Extension of Transformational–Transactional Leadership Theory,” The Leadership Quarterly 25, no. 4 (2014): pp. 746-771, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.04.005, 746.