What I learned from talking to 30 business leaders
During the turbulent teenage years (and for a bit afterwards), my daughters weren’t always keen to heed the advice I willingly and frequently dispensed to them. Annoyingly, they’d get the same advice from one of our family friends and happily act on it. While I was grateful for trusted friends with shared values, it would have been quicker if the girls just listened to me in the first place.
Jesus also experienced this when He returned home to Nazareth and began teaching. All four Gospels report the people, including some of His own family, scoffed at Him. Jesus responded by noting that, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family” (Matthew 13:57, NLT). I feel His frustration.
Reflecting on this, I introduced interviews with practitioners into the units I teach for the MBA. I wanted to glean from them advice on how theories and concepts translate into practice. Students, then, don’t just have to take me at my word—there’s another perspective. I started this practice by recording more than 30 interviews for a leadership unit. It’s proven to be remarkably successful with students who frequently express appreciation for the variety of voices.
I reviewed many of these interviews and found five recurring themes.
The first: God first. He should be the basis for our mission and purpose and the foundation for our leadership.
The second: people. Following God’s example, we need to love people to lead them. Key to this is developing and maintaining positive relationships. Communication, especially authentic listening, is important, as is maintaining mutual respect and common courtesy. Being authentic and humble also keeps relationships in balance (by not elevating ourselves or diminishing others).
The third: dynamic leadership. As leaders, we must be able to change ourselves and effectively introduce organisational change in ways our people can adapt to and not feel alienated or threatened by. A number of the leaders noted that in doing this, you must be able to distinguish facts from fads.
The fourth: feedback about organisational and personal performance. Leaders need to ensure they’re measuring what matters, not what’s easy. A crucial step is to follow through and deal with any inferior performance or performer. Leaders should also have a few trusted sources who are prepared to say when you’re not doing OK. Great leaders then take self-corrective actions.
The fifth: succession planning. Begin this from day one. If you care about your organisation, ensure there are always a few people ready to take your place. Several leaders said you also need to know when to move on. That’s not always easy.