You may consider this a strange question. What do\u00a0I\u00a0mean by \u201cleadership journey\u201d?<\/p>\n
Every now and then, it is good to look\u00a0back, and\u00a0take stock. Consider the journey you have walked as a leader.<\/p>\n
I mean more than\u00a0a\u00a0review\u00a0of what you did,\u00a0more than remembering the\u00a0highs and lows,\u00a0achievements\u00a0and failures.<\/p>\n
It is deeper than that. Have\u00a0I\u00a0grown\u00a0as a leader? Have I\u00a0grown\u00a0as a person? What difference have I made to the people around me? What legacy do I leave behind?<\/p>\n
These are tough questions.<\/p>\n
Do I push them out of my mind\u00a0and get on with\u00a0the business at hand, or\u00a0will\u00a0I be brave enough to sit down and face them \u2013 honestly?<\/p>\n
Early\u00a0days\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u00a0remember when\u00a0I\u00a0first became a leader,\u00a0I\u00a0did not give\u00a0\u2018how will I lead\u2019\u00a0much thought.\u00a0I\u00a0did what was necessary to get the job done,\u00a0to the satisfaction of\u00a0my\u00a0superior. It\u00a0did not enter my mind that there could be\u00a0different ways\u00a0of achieving\u00a0what\u00a0was in front of me.<\/p>\n I was focused on the task, the desired outcome, and did what I thought was necessary to achieve that.<\/p>\n My family, or the people I worked with,\u00a0or the broader environment,\u00a0rarely came into consideration.<\/p>\n Is there\u00a0a bigger\u00a0picture?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u00a0was only when I started looking a bit further, took note of how other people were leading, that I started to realize that the \u2018how\u2019 of leading is\u00a0actually an\u00a0important dimension.<\/p>\n I started reading books on\u00a0leadership, and\u00a0attended courses. I started speaking to some of the gurus in the field. I trained myself to become more observant. I looked at\u00a0cause\u00a0and effect more\u00a0closely.\u00a0I took on board the importance of \u201cHOW\u201d, and\u00a0learned the wisdom of\u00a0engaging with knowledgeable people. I started developing the ability to discern people who thought deeply\u00a0before they acted,\u00a0as opposed to\u00a0those that were only focused on their own ideas.<\/p>\n More than that,\u00a0I\u00a0felt I\u00a0needed to\u00a0develop\u00a0the skill of listening, before offering my own opinion.\u00a0When I listened to others, it\u00a0helped\u00a0me reflect on my own ideas, and I developed a broader perspective.<\/p>\n We are designed to grow\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The human being is\u00a0designed to grow. If he\/she does not, shrinkage\u00a0become\u00a0inevitable. This applies to our minds,\u00a0bodies\u00a0and emotions.<\/p>\n There is the danger that our duties and responsibilities begin to dominate our lives, and we do not devote sufficiently time to our\u00a0fundamental\u00a0needs \u2013 physical exercise, unhurried connection with those who play a vital part in our lives, and our inner selves.\u00a0How do we\u00a0learn to implement a daily routine, not only to\u00a0maintain\u00a0health, but\u00a0leave\u00a0enough time to dream and to love?<\/p>\n I realized that very few people get that right. I became aware of my inadequacies.\u00a0But that, in itself, is part of the growing process.\u00a0When we\u00a0acknowledge\u00a0our\u00a0deficiencies,\u00a0we can\u00a0start working on ways to overcome\u00a0these.<\/p>\n More than organizing, controlling, facilitating\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I began to realize that leading is more than organizing,\u00a0controlling\u00a0and\u00a0facilitating. To lead\u00a0effectively\u00a0it is important to understand the bigger picture.\u00a0Maximizing of\u00a0profits for the company is a limited goal. Appreciation of what our operation contributes to our society\u00a0and\u00a0how our operation\u00a0impacts\u00a0the environment in which we\u00a0function,\u00a0are serious considerations.<\/p>\n Balance\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n When we are immersed in, what, to us, is our life\u2019s work, it is easy to become the slave of urgency. Sometimes a deliberate effort is needed to achieve a balance in our daily routines, so that\u00a0we do not get swallowed up by the activities that scream for our attention. Some people engage a lifestyle coach to\u00a0attain\u00a0the necessary balance.\u00a0Whatever we need to do, we all\u00a0have to\u00a0find a balance between what we MUST do, and what is good for us in the long term.<\/p>\n Challenge the mind\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As\u00a0leader, one of your responsibilities is to introduce\u00a0new ideas.\u00a0In order to\u00a0find\u00a0new ideas, you need to be aware of what is happening in the world. Not only\u00a0must we\u00a0learn how to use new gadgets and\u00a0technologies, and\u00a0find out how these can\u00a0impact\u00a0society (for good or otherwise), we need to expand our mind. This happens when we devote time to read, watch interesting documentaries, listen to inspiring music, talk to wise men and women.<\/p>\n Your mentorship\u00a0role\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As a leader, you are a mentor. Others who work with you watch how you lead.\u00a0While you are\u00a0largely responsible\u00a0that everyone\u00a0knows\u00a0what they\u00a0have to\u00a0do, do you give them sufficient leeway to work out \u201chow\u201d they are to\u00a0accomplish\u00a0it?<\/p>\n Nurture\u00a0important relationships\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n We rely on people\u2019s contributions to reach our goals. Let us show our appreciation for their\u00a0commitment,\u00a0and dedicated input. In this way the people we regularly interact with feel valued, and they are encouraged to continue giving their best.\u00a0Good relationships are\u00a0maintained\u00a0through thoughtfulness and availability.<\/p>\n Embrace confrontation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Things do not always run the way we\u00a0anticipated. Sometimes,\u00a0this\u00a0is the result of forgetfulness or negligence. Other times it may be a consequence of conflicted agendas. Shoddy work, or wrongdoing cannot be ignored.\u00a0The leader needs to accept that confrontation is par for the course. However, it should be done in a respectful way so that we do not make enemies unnecessarily.<\/p>\n Teach others to be honest\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately, not everyone is committed to doing what is right. With more sophisticated technologies available, many exploit\u00a0the\u00a0capabilities of these technologies to enrich themselves (often\u00a0illegally). The leader needs to be vigilant to\u00a0possible scams, and analyze what may seem like outrageously\u00a0favorable schemes,\u00a0to be\u00a0absolutely sure\u00a0nothing underhand or illegal\u00a0is\u00a0entered into. Our colleagues need to see our commitment to transparency, and correct practice.<\/p>\n Develop a vision for the future\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n A leader is often under significant pressure. In that\u00a0state\u00a0he finds it difficult to\u00a0see\u00a0serious issues that affect\u00a0the wider\u00a0society and the world \u2013 issues of poverty, injustice,\u00a0climate change, to mention a few. The challenge for the leader is to\u00a0establish\u00a0a personal lifestyle that he does not become immune to the struggles of fellow humans who have not had the privileged journey he\/she has had.\u00a0You cannot call yourself a leader if you do not actively\u00a0seek\u00a0to make this world a better place.<\/p>\n