Rethink Leadership

Leadership is a position?

Certainly, the person holding the leadership position has a very important role to play, determining the success and failure of the organization. But that's just the beginning.

Ministry is an achievement of the past. That chair asserts authority or is a reward for a journey up. But whether that position continues to work is another matter. It depends on the mindset, competence and stature of the appointee. Consider leadership not just as a position but above all as a responsibility, requiring to be elevated and equipped in a methodical way.

A Report by Harvard Business Review indicates that the average age of a manager is 30, but it is not until the age of 42 that they are trained in leadership skills. That number shows a lack of preparation in most leaders. That is the reason why many businesses fall into a situation where capacity does not keep up with the demands of development.

Leadership is not just a position but more importantly a responsibility that, in order to complete well, one needs to be equipped with competencies in a methodical way.

Leadership is the leader?

This is obviously true in most cases. But take a look at how the mallards winter every time they are in the cold season. They shifted in a V-shape, which scientists discovered, a law of lift created by the first flight for the flight immediately after it. This saves up to 71% of energy. Without doing so, the mallards could never fly for thousands of kilometers.

The fun hasn't stopped. It was noticed that the leader of the herd did not enjoy anyone's lift, so he quickly got tired. Then it receded on its own, and at some signal another mallard flew to the top. Just like that, they swap leading roles for each other rhythmically.

Leaders don't have to be good at everything, know everything, be ahead all the time, always take the lead. If so, the team is only as large as the leader's size. Knowing how to promote the power to create a winning team requires that the team must carry a winning culture, which is a culture that contains many important characteristics such as "efficiency", "trust", "constructive spirit",    "win-win mindset", "symbiotic cooperation", "excellent execution", etc.

It's a leader's job to make every single person on his team say this: "I'm a valuable member of a winning team. I'm doing a lot of meaningful work in an environment of high credibility." Once employees say that, that's when "pioneering" becomes a strong spirit in every position, not just in the leader.

Leadership is leading others?

This is true but not enough, especially putting leadership in the knowledge economy and digital age completely different and challenging. It can be said that the fourth industrial revolution plus the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have almost completely disrupted the structure of the organization in both breadth and depth, causing leaders to rethink a lot of things, including leading others.

It is almost impossible to lead others, when all doors are open and the freedom of each individual rises. Deep down, there is a tug-of-war between the need to "be yourself" and "to belong to something bigger than yourself." For that reason, today's leadership should shift from trying to lead others to "leading yourself and helping people lead themselves." At that time, the labor relationship is no longer "boss" and "employee" but becomes "partners" based on voluntary dedication.

In order to pursue this philosophy, the leader must create a big enough vision, a strong enough cultural foundation based on universal values and enduring principles. Then, lead without leadership, govern without governance. In other words, leadership relies on culture to create voluntary engagement, not just goal-setting or system-building. And this is the progressive leadership philosophy of this era.

These shares are summarized by us in the model "The 4 Essential Roles of Leadership", you can learn more below.

The 4 Essential Roles of Leadership Model

Source: FranklinCovey Vietnam