22 September 2020 - What makes a good leader?

Let's face it, we are currently witnessing many leadership traits that aren't meeting the mark of what we would describe as a good leader. If you take the political arena as one example then you will have a smorgasbord of poor standards to select from. Here's just a few words to describe some of the traits we are seeing from, can you believe, voted in leaders. 

It doesn't bode well and it makes you wonder on who you should look to when trying to shape you own skill base to be a good leader. You could suggest to look at some of these political leaders and choose to act in the exact opposite way as a basic guidance. 

There are, fortunately some leaders in our world who are demonstrating strong leadership traits and seem to be steering their countries through this current crisis with better success rates. Take for instance, Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand Prime Minister. Her skills are based in good communication and expressing empathy with her people. Throughout this crisis Jacinda has delivered clear and consistent messaging and has made better decisions, while managing people's expectations. She has worked collaboratively with her party to define a plan and delivered it well, with the majority of the New Zealand people in favour of these outputs, understanding that they are done for the greater good, even if for the short term there are lifestyle inconveniences. Mostly, Jacinda has shown that she is standing with her people and showing that she too is making the same sacrifices.  

So, how can we be more Jacinda?

For a start, you don't need to be in a formal leadership role to show leadership qualities. It comes from within and how you act around others. If you are working within a team and can identify something that requires attention then be the one to speak up and help fix the issue. Put your mindset into a solution based setting. Ask yourself, how can I help solve this, as opposed to assuming that someone else will sort it. Putting yourself forward to solve a problem, and actually deliver, will help your leadership and also highlight your skills and ability to them. It's a win, win for all.

While it's honourable to put your hand up and help out there are some skills that will empower you from 'happy helper' to true leadership potential. These are soft skills that aren't commonly taught in a formal environment, but learnt, generally over time by the individual. 

Having recently attended a webinar featuring Rosemarie Wilson, Mindset and Leadership Coach, she offered a slide on the key elements of what makes a good leader. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemarieywilson/

The centre point of Emotional Intelligence is a term that is being spoken about more as we see different leadership traits rise from the traditional autocratic, and even robotic, lead style. Leaders are showing their vulnerability. Let's face it, no one knows everything and a good leader will surround themselves with a diverse team to help get to the right decision. It is then the responsibility of the leader to communicate clearly and with empathy.

The different sections surrounding central Emotional Intelligence point are worth briefly touching on:

Self Awareness - no one is perfect. Your self awareness to identify your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses and then do something about them will bring self improvement.

Self Regulation - this might have something to do with not eating all the cake in one sitting, but I'm not sure I could strongly advocate that. But seriously, being self aware and then regulating your behaviour will help to show others how you are as a person, a leader. It's about your external presence.

Motivation - like I said, soft skills are learnt and an individual needs to have the motivation to make the positive changes in their mindset and behaviour for true leadership qualities.

Empathy - it's the phrase, to walk a mile in another person's shoes to fully understand them. By thinking about how the person could be impacted from any request or decision you make before you take action may help to make a better interaction with that individual. 

Social skills - are you considered approachable? Do you collaborate well with others? Is your communication style open and listening? Do you communicate regularly and consistently?

Consider all these above factors and continue to work on each element so that your overall Emotional Intelligence 'score' rises. This isn't something that happens overnight. It's a long journey that every good leader progressively works on, always finding ways to improve on the elements. 

If you are interested to learn more and work on your own emotional intelligence then I can recommend Brene Brown, https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?language=en and her book Dare to Lead. https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/