What makes a good leader?
Plaudits to the Bloganuary team for another provocative prompt, this time digging into the question of leadership. I’m tempted to wax lyrical about the merits of many present and past members of our team. So many good leaders over the years. But the hour is advancing so I need to curtail my scope if I’m going to produce anything worth reading. I’ll try to offer some personal perspective on what makes a good leader, but first I’d like to touch quickly on our current and ongoing leadership transition.
We’re currently midstream a changeover from Pam to Pam and Glen. This evolution of our little leadership team has been advancing, remarkably smoothly, given the fact that it was unanticipated until about a month ago.
In recent years, Pam and I have developed a collaborative dynamic that relies on in-person meetings and constant Trello interaction, texting and mobile phone video calls. But as of the beginning of the new year, Pam has been advised to step back as she undertakes some overdue physical rehabilitation. The news was daunting. We’re adapting to a fraction of Pam’s hands-on, day-to-day, 24×7 “air traffic control” that has ensured the beauty and wellbeing of Rosslyn, ADK Oasis, the Westport Yacht Club, and a couple of additional properties.
But for luck and good fortune we’d be in a pickle, so to speak. Fortunately the fates were forgiving, for a change. Glen “Pickles” Gehrkens, an HR veteran who’d been helping us out for the better part of a year as a part-time painter, stepped into the breach. Here’s an excerpt from a post about Glen that I published several months ago.
Glen’s painting skills quickly proved a perfect match for us. As evident as his dexterity with the brush were his many other virtues: adept problem-solving, attention to detail, efficient and consistent organization, A+ communication, and a remarkable ability to learn new skills.
Needless to say, we leaned on Glen more and more as weeks turned to months. Although temporary / part time status was determined by his career as a recruiter and human resource manager, Glen’s productivity and collegiality lead us to solicit more and more of his time.
(Source: Thank You, Glen!)
For nearly a month Glen and Pam have been collaborating and streamlining what could have been an exceedingly clunky transition. Working together, working with me, tackling the seasonal punch lists while juggling near term projects and inevitable crises, Pam and Glen vision, communication, and synergy have been remarkable. Susan and I are feeling profoundly grateful to both of them for managing this period of flux with even temperament and steady navigation. So far, so good!
With the exemption exemplary leadership of these two by way of introduction, I will share some thoughts on what I believe makes a good leader.
Non Ducor Duco?
The Latin phrase “Non ducor duco” (I am not led, I lead.) gets bandied about in leadership talks. Sounds appealing. Sounds bold. Sounds appealing. Right?
It’s tempting to accept this leadership assertion as self evidently good. But perhaps it isn’t 100% perfect. Strong, bold, courageous,… but also lacking in humility. Potentially prideful. Overly removed from the rest of the cohort. Overly simplistic.
In my opinion, a good leader leads in no small part through humility, in no small part by virtue of collegiality cohesion within the cohort, and in no small part by by serving a broader vision, or expressed differently, by being lead by a collective mission. Semantics? Perhaps.
Humilitas Occidit Superbiam
Let’s consider another Latin phrase, “Humilitas occidit superbiam.” (Humility conquers pride.)
This resonates with my understanding of leadership. Humility goes hand-in-hand with compassion and empathy. A good leader chooses to understand their team, to identify with and respect their team, to cultivate curiosity in each individual’s character and strengths and challenges, and build meaningful relationships within the cohort. A good leader practices what s/he preaches.
Ductus Exemplo
And this brings us to another Latin phrase, “Ductus exemplo” (leadership by example), that speaks to a oneness between the leader and the lead. A good leader demonstrates rather than demands. A good leader influences the team through action. A good leader exhibits the example for their cohort. This is mentorship. Humble but effective.
I hasten to add that a good leader’s example is authentic. This authenticity depends upon transparency, sincerity, and integrity. Passion for the team’s mission is important, but equally important is the leader’s respect for their team.
Praesis Ut Prosis
Let’s push this quality of respect a little further. I mentioned above my reservations about the Latin phrase, “Non ducor duco.” The humble, respectful leader does not lord it over the team. “Praesis ut prosis ne ut imperes” (lead in order to serve, not in order to rule.)
For this reason, a good leader is open to diverse opinions, questions, concerns. A good leader is confident but curious. A good leader is always learning, growing, evolving to better serve the team and the mission.
Docendo Disco
When it comes to learning, a never-ending journey at the root of good leadership, I’ll fall back on another Latin phrase. “Docendo disco, scribendo cogito.” (I learn by teaching, think by writing.) I am certain that both are true. Although this links back to the idea of mentorship mentioned above, it open the door to a couple of interesting ideas when applied to leadership.
I believe that a good leader is a good learner is a good teacher. Mentorship depends upon one’s learning to others. And through that instruction learning is expanded and deepen. Sometimes it is even challenged or questioned through the process of teaching.
And the notion that writing improves thinking rings true for me as well. Developing ideas through writing (or art, or some other communication, medium, for that matter) enriches the cognitive process and fortifies learning.
Perhaps these are less universal attributes for leadership, but for me they are essential.
And speaking of learning and leadership, a good leader learns through failure. A good leader understands the importance of failing upward.
Semper Sub
And I will finish with one last Latin phrase, “Semper Ubi Sub Ubi.” (Always wear u derwear’)
This is bastardized Latin, to be sure, but it’s a phrase that has stuck in my mind since high school when it filtered through the student body after surfacing in a Latin class.
I offer it as a reminder to take everything I’ve said, with a grain of salt. Memorable Latin phrases add artificial gravitas, but they’re only as useful as the relevance to your own experience. Nothing more.
And my own experience, at present, is that I have all sorts of ideas still bouncing around in my head without suitable Latin phrases to organize them or time and patience to develop them. And so I’m going to wrap up with a data dump of my last few undeveloped, jumbled up thoughts if you’re brave.
Are you ready?
Please remember, always wear underwear. (Good leaders do!)
So, let’s see. A good leader is focused but flexible. Not easily distracted or scatterbrained, but nimble so that course corrections are a familiar and fluid part of standard operating procedures. A good leader encourages intelligent risk taking and invests in resilience so that rebounding is efficient. Resilience in many ways is an important trait not only for leadership but for prioritizing within the team and mission. There will be setbacks. How does a good leader recognize them? How does a good leader respond to them? How does a good leader learn and progress from them?
A good leader — an effective leader — empowers every member of the team to grow, to question and dissent, and to be recognized for their accomplishments. A good leader is an active listener with an abundance mentality. Optimistic, but realistic, patient but growth/progress oriented.
Another essential quality for a good leader is creativity. It’s important to lead with analytic acumen, but I would argue that creativity is just as important. In some cases, maybe more so.
And what about a willingness to acknowledge and manage ambiguity? I find that overly linear and/or binary thinking can hamstring leadership. But becoming comfortable with ambiguity and even appreciating ambiguity opens up considerations and possibilities that might otherwise have been overlooked. Embracing complexity and contradiction does not stand at odds with progress and performance. It enhances both. How we manage ambiguity distinguishes good leadership from mediocre leadership.
I better abbreviate this before I put you to sleep! I should really circle back to better organize this post. Hhhmmm…
What do you think?