Leadership Lens: Observations from a teacher turned executive recruiter
The best leaders are alacritous, not aggressive, writes Hender Consulting general manager Andrew Reed.
I turned 60 this year as a white, Anglo Saxon and privileged man. Having personally watched the effects of good and not so good leadership for 40 years in two stimulating and rewarding careers across education and recruitment, I recently decided to significantly ramp up some very public messaging regarding leadership in a currently troubled world.
I have also become a passionate and authentic supporter of The Leaders Institute of SA due to their life and career changing work in leadership development through immersive programs such as the Governor’s Leadership Foundation (GLF). I am certain the GLF inspires professionals to lead with greater humility, integrity and purpose.
Over recent years, I deeply fear that an entire generation of young men are being taught by certain older male global (and occasionally local) leaders that leadership is underpinned by aggression, dishonesty, misinformation, bullying, division, deflection, disrespect, power, denigration, bigotry, money, bravado, spin, insincerity, trickery, brutality, hubris and a refusal to admit mistakes or limitations.
I also fear that the same generation of young women will decide that they can only rise to leadership by mimicking these appalling role models.
True leaders are beacons for how others should behave. They are authentic, warm, calm, kind, humble, modest, empathetic, resilient, sincere, honest, civil, respectful, gracious, good-humoured, responsive, generous, proactive, ethical, curious, discreet, measured, vulnerable, versatile, flexible, open-minded, self aware, confident without arrogance, inclusive, receptive, hard-working, trustworthy, courageous, courteous, collaborative and one of my absolute favourites: bright (smart and positive).
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Speaking of bright, the reason that smart negative people make such bad leaders is that they might often know the right answer but this intelligence is wasted as no-one is listening to them anymore. Balancing EQ with IQ is therefore critical.
I also love the word alacrity which is often defined as cheerful willingness. This is so valuable in leadership as it creates the opportunity for a leader to delegate and empower. Rather than dismissing or criticising bright ideas and demotivating colleagues, alacritous leaders respond to suggestions with phrases like “That could be a great idea. Why don’t you develop the business case and let’s have a serious look at its merits”.
And furthermore, I implore everyone to stop mistaking courtesy, kindness, warmth, empathy, grace and vulnerability for weakness. Some of the best leaders I have ever seen have had all of these qualities. I am horrified when I hear the phrase like “Yes – he is a bit of a bastard but he gets things done”. This assumes things cannot be achieved any other way which is a complete myth. Making a tough decision is not an excuse for being an awful person. The end does not justify the means.
For many years now we have been asking candidates at interview for the best two reasons not to choose them for the job. The overconfident people with hubris and without self-awareness and a genuine comfort in their own skin fight the question often beyond belief, falsely believing that admitting a limitation or conceding that they are not perfect will somehow disadvantage them. The best candidates breeze through the question by simply answering it with honesty and humility, which never fails to impress the interview panel.
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In our experience, the best leaders are also very comfortable speaking about who they are as well as what they have done. They are values driven and acutely aware of the important personal influences that have helped forge their professional proposition. They praise honestly in public and challenge constructively in private. They return every phone call and respond to every email.
Genuine leaders use examples not adjectives and facts not spin to describe their achievements and let the audience apply the appropriate descriptor. They treat every interaction as though the person is a potential referee. They understand that relationships and reputation take years to develop and seconds to destroy and they behave and do good deeds without immediate personal benefit and wait patiently for people to notice. They proactively identify, declare and manage conflicts of interest. They put no energy in to pretence but instead re-allocate it to the work they are responsible for. That is, they let their work speak for itself.
A good leader never says “Don’t you know who I am”.
A good leader does not say that they don’t suffer fools. This sort of leadership simply makes everyone else in the room feel like a fool. The ability to disagree without being disagreeable is precious. And a good leader avoids buzz words, management speak and self compliments. It is for others to decide whether you are a gifted innovator, visionary, global thought leader, guru or genius!
Leadership comes with an obligation and is a privilege not an entitlement and a journey not a destination. There are no perfect leaders. Consequently, the best leaders draw upon mentors, colleagues, customers, friends, family members, current affairs, professional development opportunities for insight and feedback to help them be even better.
And contrary to a common but flawed view, leadership is actually not about who you know but instead how you behave.
Leadership matters, so let’s all commit to lifting the tone.
After a 15 year career in education, Andrew joined Hender Consulting in 2002 and is the current General Manager. In his time with the firm he has been entrusted with some of the most important leadership and governance recruitments in SA and beyond. Having appointed literally hundreds of CEOs, senior executives and non-executive directors, he is completely focussed on helping entities find and assess contemporary leaders. There are currently over 100 SA entities across a broad industry spectrum led by a professional recruited by Hender.
Leadership Lens is a monthly column produced alongside the Leaders Institute of South Australia. Click here to read the series.
