One of my first discoveries as a leadership coach was that many leaders can’t tell you what they believe about leadership. This is sometimes true of even very senior executives.
Imagine asking an engineer who designs bridges “So what are the main principles you have to adhere to as you design a bridge?” and discovering that they don’t know the answer. How disturbing would that be the next time you are suspended over a river surrounded by the massive weight of four lanes of cars, trucks and buses. And yet time and time again, I’ve seen leaders in business stumble over the same question applied to leadership. You ask “What are the main principles you adhere to in order to give your team, unit or company strong leadership?” and they stumble around gradually pulling their ideas together.
So here’s the challenge. Right now take out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left half of the page, write down the CHARACTERISTICS great leaders tend to have. Think about their character, their personality traits and their values. This is what you believe about the kind of person a strong leader needs to be. For example, you might say they have to have integrity or be trustworthy. On the right side of the page, right down what you believe about the ABILITIES strong leaders should possess. Think about both high level skills (e.g. being able to see the big picture and think strategically), and very down to earth practical skills (e.g. being able to listen).
It might take a few days to ponder this challenge, and maybe talk it over with someone else. You might need to go to a few books or websites on leadership to fill in your lists. When you get it done to your satisfaction, you will have discovered what you really believe about the attributes of strong leaders and the principles that guide them. This can shape your own development as a leader, and help you see the kind of leader you want to be and need to be. It is your personal foundation for your leadership.
