Leadership: what the world most needs today

Published: 2011-08-01   There are 4 comments ... please add yours below

An American friend wrote to me last week that “The Tea Party is a bunch of crazies. But, they have put our intransigence on the table and deserve credit for refusing to just let things go until we are even more bankrupt. The country is crying out for leadership with a vision … a strategic vision for our future.” Regardless of nationality or political allegiance, people around the world are looking for leaders, who lead. What would your people say of you? Leading or a dithering? Deciding or avoiding? Doing or talking? Here are seven actions to consider.

The Economist recently commented* that “The similarity between the European and American (financial) dramas lies in the protagonists’ refusal to face reality.” And, “For all their talents, both Mr Obama and Mrs Merkel are better at following public opinion than leading it.” This is either a big insult or an even bigger truth. So, let’s turn to possible actions.

1. Vision: have you worked with your people to define what you want your business or venture to look like in, say, three years time? Have you established the most important parameters (say, revenue, unit costs, distribution methods, etc.) and the strategy to get there?
2. Communication: have you talked up the urgency and importance of change? And, given concrete examples of what it means? Have you built buy-in and showed that you’re passionate and totally determined to succeed in what is ahead?
3. Taking charge: is everyone clear you’re putting yourself and your job on the line, that nothing but full commitment is acceptable? Are you leading from the front; but equally creating champions, who can also communicate messages and help you drive things forward?
4. Decisions: have you identified what activities need to be stopped so resources can be reassigned? Have you terminated people, who are unwilling to sign up for the tough and urgent work ahead? In testing times, there’s no room for passengers.
5. Problem-solving: do you have intellects around you to solve the really difficult issues? People who can cut through complexity and ambiguity? People, who can be creative and courageous? New times demand new solutions. Are you giving them full backing?
6. Teamwork: how are you going to reach out to everyone – building them into a unified group that’s determined to crash through the problems and the old constraints to a new and better business model and competitive positioning?
7. Self-leadership: above all, are you willing to adapt how you lead? To do whatever it takes and learn whatever you must, so you exemplify the flexibility and change-readiness that’s at the core of getting through turbulent times – to a new and more settled period of success.

Neither you nor I can control the circumstances, in which we may have to lead. Barack Obama was elected on hope but has had to operate in a time of fear. As leaders, there is nowhere to hide from what fate serves up. So, it’s shape up or, in due course, be shipped out!

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership^®