It does not make sense to be a leader if you don’t want to make the world into a better place. If you are doing it for money, for your ego, or by sheer accident, because there was nobody else to do it – forget it. You will suffer and the people you lead will suffer.
Having said that, in my mind I have just eliminated a lot of leaders in the world, who are not there for the right reasons. In my world there is no excuse for leaders who make others suffer and who are too arrogant to learn from the mistakes they make and from the feedback they are getting.
But who am I to say what is right and wrong?
Well, I am kind of lucky, because I just don’t care about the right or wrong aspect of stuff. I think these labels do not take us any further in shaping our experiences in the world, because they are simplifying whatever happens around us and they are there to create the blaming culture nobody likes living in, however, most of us contribute to creating.
Does this mean I do not believe in things? I do not hold certain values? NO, not at all, and this is what I will tell you about in a second. But it means that I do not consider my approach to the world, towards leadership absolute. I believe in it, that is mine, but I do not think this is the one and only way you can be successful. It works for me.
So what are the few things I hold dear as a leader?
DIALOGUE – first and foremost. We need to be in constant, sometimes joyous, often painful dialogue with each other to understand needs, performance, professional and business realities. Without dialogue there is no understanding, alignment, feedback, reflection. It sounds simple, but actually, this is the hardest to master on the leadership journey and I will talk a lot about it.
INTEGRITY – again crucial. Walking the talk, or doing as you say. Being honest and transparent. Sometimes it is not as easy as it looks. However hard you try, there will be moments when you need to be selective about information you are sharing. But if you are careful enough, there is a way to be able to communicate without breaking your promises.
PEOPLE FIRST, PROCESSES NEXT – sounds agile,” Individuals and interactions over processes and tools”, doesn’t it? For me it was a given basic even before I first heard about the Agile Manifesto. When I became a mother, my grumpy father-in-law often said, “Babies are not machines!” when we were complaining about the messed up schedules, unpredictable sleeping times etc. Whatever process you need to implement, remember, people are not machines. And you are better off that way.
TRUST – OMG, this will need some separate posts: trust as self-confidence, trusting the process, others, your organization… trust in life. It is deep and complicated and as far as I am concerned, I am a trusting type of person, you do not need to earn my trust, and it is hard to lose it…but if you lose it, it is really hard to get it back.
INCLUSION – my friends will be surprised I did not start with this, because they know how crucial inclusive leadership is for me. But hang on, this is not a priority list!
Inclusive leadership is in a way everything: it needs dialogue, integrity and a people first approach. It means the ability to build amazing teams where people feel valued and they know they are making a contribution.
Yes, in a way Inclusive leadership covers it all. It is like a signpost. A solid reference. Something that I will always be working towards as a leader.
Before we can play the Values Game, I would need to hear your Fantastic Four! What are the values you hold dear as a leader? Where do you put most of your energies? What are the things you are not ready to let go? Tell us about your values, we are curious at curious@mindberriseconsulting.com