This old adage is so true whether applied to recruitment methods, meetings or retaining talent to name but a few areas.
Blog
Take The Lead - Be Yourself More With Skill!
For years now there have been views expressed that leaders are born and not made; that someone leads and someone follows - good old leadership/followership theory in action..! However from my perspective (and I have seen this demonstrated) this is less than true and, more importantly, damaging! This attitude can hold back the potential of people and create a certain tired and inflexible culture in a business.
Line managers who believe leaders are "born and not made" are not going to seek out people who are different to themselves; they will hire "mini-me's" instead of being inclusive leaders. They will not recognise the need for cultures to grow, develop and change.
Interestingly, as quoted by Lidija Globokar in her Forbes article "The Two-Way Street of Leadership", millennials don't agree with the old rules of leadership and the strict rules of hierarchy. Also, according to Deloitte's Millennial Survey 2018, they are also ready to take action if they're unhappy with a management or leadership style; 43% of millennials envision leaving their jobs within two years if their employers do not change their behaviour.
Leadership is therefore a way of behaving differently in different contexts; depending on the person/people who are in front of you, setting ambitious goals, making clear what is expected of people and telling an inspiring story about a future that is just within reach! Most people are capable of displaying at least some of these leadership skills at the right time, at different moments. We sometimes need to ignore job titles and seniority, and allow anyone who can take the lead to do so.
I believe anyone can lead providing they are given support and stretching tasks from which they can learn, which also means allowing for mistakes. As a leader, ask yourself some of L.David Marquet's "Turn the Ship Around" questions:
1) Are your people trying to achieve excellence, or just trying to avoid making mistakes?
2) Do you spend more time critiquing errors than celebrating success?
Finally, Realise that there are as many ways to lead as there are leaders and situations; one size does not fit all;
Aspire to be yourself - be authentic and create your leadership legacy (more about this in a future blog!); and
Do provide the environment for leaders to be made!
Line managers who believe leaders are "born and not made" are not going to seek out people who are different to themselves; they will hire "mini-me's" instead of being inclusive leaders. They will not recognise the need for cultures to grow, develop and change.
Interestingly, as quoted by Lidija Globokar in her Forbes article "The Two-Way Street of Leadership", millennials don't agree with the old rules of leadership and the strict rules of hierarchy. Also, according to Deloitte's Millennial Survey 2018, they are also ready to take action if they're unhappy with a management or leadership style; 43% of millennials envision leaving their jobs within two years if their employers do not change their behaviour.
Leadership is therefore a way of behaving differently in different contexts; depending on the person/people who are in front of you, setting ambitious goals, making clear what is expected of people and telling an inspiring story about a future that is just within reach! Most people are capable of displaying at least some of these leadership skills at the right time, at different moments. We sometimes need to ignore job titles and seniority, and allow anyone who can take the lead to do so.
I believe anyone can lead providing they are given support and stretching tasks from which they can learn, which also means allowing for mistakes. As a leader, ask yourself some of L.David Marquet's "Turn the Ship Around" questions:
1) Are your people trying to achieve excellence, or just trying to avoid making mistakes?
2) Do you spend more time critiquing errors than celebrating success?
Finally, Realise that there are as many ways to lead as there are leaders and situations; one size does not fit all;
Aspire to be yourself - be authentic and create your leadership legacy (more about this in a future blog!); and
Do provide the environment for leaders to be made!
Blog Posts
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“If you do what you’ve always done; you’ll get what you’ve always got”Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Tuesday, 22nd February 2022 at 11:30am
This old adage is so true whether applied to recruitment methods, meetings or retaining talent to name but a few areas.
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One of the positives of the pandemic is that there is no longer the monopoly on leadership due to position.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Friday, 17th December 2021 at 9:30am
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I have previously written about "Belonging - what does this mean to you?" (http://j-w-c.co.uk/blog-display/293). I want to now build on this and consider it from a team's perspective and what it means if you are a manager leading a team currently.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Wednesday, 8th December 2021 at 8:15am
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Earlier this year, I completed my Mental Health First Aider Training (MHFA) England, something I had wanted to do for a little while.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Friday, 19th November 2021 at 8:15am
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Recently, I was delivering the "First 90 Days in your New Role" for LHH. This is a workshop which generates great discussion around helping people who are still interviewing to find their next appropriate opportunity and to think about how they would answer this question at interview.Posted by Jacqueline Jardine - Tuesday, 21st September 2021 at 3:15pm
