WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 Hey everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought, 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:05.440 Thoughts If It Were You by Neogentrics. Here we 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:08.240 are yet again for the next episode of Season 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:13.000 3. How you guys doing? Today's topic is going 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:15.699 to be on leadership. I feel like it's something 00:00:15.699 --> 00:00:17.660 that I should definitely cover, considering that 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:21.219 we just covered caffeine yesterday. Or at least 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:23.579 in the last episode. There's a lot of things 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:27.199 to consider. Like, everyone... who thinks that 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:29.879 they understand or know what a leader is, or 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:32.659 exactly how to describe a leader in their own 00:00:32.659 --> 00:00:37.039 terms. But what I'm going to do today is I'm 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:39.299 going to actually explain what is a leader, a 00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:42.320 few leadership traits, and maybe some strengths 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:44.840 a good leader needs. We'll see how far this goes. 00:00:45.579 --> 00:00:48.280 But let's start with, first off, what is a leader, 00:00:48.380 --> 00:00:51.750 right? Everyone has their own... about what the 00:00:51.750 --> 00:00:53.710 meaning of the word leader or leadership is, 00:00:53.869 --> 00:00:57.289 and the words are widely used across organizations 00:00:57.289 --> 00:01:00.530 and countries in a huge range of contexts, including 00:01:00.530 --> 00:01:04.069 religion, national, voluntary, organizational, 00:01:04.290 --> 00:01:08.650 it just depends. However, the only idea that 00:01:08.650 --> 00:01:11.170 can truly be said to be completely common to 00:01:11.170 --> 00:01:14.430 all concepts of leadership is that the leadership 00:01:14.430 --> 00:01:18.299 is the person in charge of or leading Their followers. 00:01:18.420 --> 00:01:21.459 This is a known fact, right? So, what we're going 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:23.200 to do is we're going to explain more about what 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:25.719 it means by the terms of leader and leadership. 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:28.260 And we'll also explain that leadership can also 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:32.680 be both formal and informal. And short and longer 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:37.140 term, depending on where and how it's being used. 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:41.620 So, with that being said, let's get started. 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:45.219 Alright, alright, alright. First off, first off. 00:01:45.939 --> 00:01:48.719 Defining what a leader is. This is probably one 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:50.780 of the most important things that we've got to 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:53.799 do here, right? Is define what a leader is. It's 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:56.239 understood that most people understand, or at 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:57.859 least think they understand, what a leader is. 00:01:58.040 --> 00:02:01.299 First off, the word lead. It means to show a 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:04.599 way by going first, to proceed, to direct, to 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:09.900 guide, to conduct. Whereas the word leader is 00:02:09.900 --> 00:02:13.219 one who leads or goes first. A chief, the head 00:02:13.219 --> 00:02:16.340 of the party, an expedition leader, things of 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:19.050 that nature. Based off of the dictionary in, 00:02:19.189 --> 00:02:21.349 I do believe it's the Chambers English Dictionary, 00:02:21.370 --> 00:02:25.710 that's what I have here. I have, oh wow, this 00:02:25.710 --> 00:02:28.370 one's old. It's the 1989 edition, so this is 00:02:28.370 --> 00:02:31.110 about as far back as at the moment I have, but 00:02:31.110 --> 00:02:33.789 we'll just go with that. This definition therefore 00:02:33.789 --> 00:02:37.349 covers both formal and informal leadership, okay? 00:02:37.710 --> 00:02:40.530 The leader might simply be the person at the 00:02:40.530 --> 00:02:42.969 front of the group, either in a physical or metaphorical 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:45.490 sense. or they may have been appointed to the 00:02:45.490 --> 00:02:48.550 position regardless of circumstance. There are 00:02:48.550 --> 00:02:51.949 other definitions of leadership, okay? For example, 00:02:52.289 --> 00:02:58.250 Frederick Arnander, in his 2013 book, We Are 00:02:58.250 --> 00:03:00.150 All Leaders, suggests that leadership is not 00:03:00.150 --> 00:03:03.830 a matter of position, but a mindset. In the article 00:03:03.830 --> 00:03:09.250 written in the Nigeria's Premium Times, I think 00:03:09.250 --> 00:03:16.219 his name is Bamidel... Ademola Alatetsu, don't 00:03:16.219 --> 00:03:19.460 quote me on that. I struggle pronouncing a lot 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:22.099 of African names. He basically stated, a leader 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:24.419 goes in the front, leads the way, and by his 00:03:24.419 --> 00:03:27.039 actions, people follow. And then, of course, 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:29.620 the late Nelson Mandela also said that a great 00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:32.159 leader of South America, who's a great leader 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:35.520 in South Africa, once said, it's better to lead 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:37.919 from behind and to put others in front, especially 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:40.620 when you celebrate victory, when nice things 00:03:40.620 --> 00:03:43.620 occur. You take the front line when there's danger. 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:46.060 Then people will appreciate your leadership more 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:48.039 because they know that you actually mean well 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:53.379 by them. So, it's clear from all the definitions 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:55.219 of leadership that a leader must have followers 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:57.960 by definition to go first, and there must also 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:02.740 be people behind you. So, he who thinketh he 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:05.759 is a leader and had no one following him is only 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:08.699 taking a walk. Therefore, you're basically talking 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:13.060 to air. As weird as that sounds, it's pretty 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:14.800 straightforward, don't you think? So something 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:18.009 to keep in mind. Okay. Formal and informal leadership. 00:04:18.389 --> 00:04:21.910 A leadership appointment, such as a chief executive 00:04:21.910 --> 00:04:24.589 role, carries a degree of formal authority and 00:04:24.589 --> 00:04:27.069 power. In other words, the chief executive can 00:04:27.069 --> 00:04:29.970 be, by virtue of their position, ask other people 00:04:29.970 --> 00:04:32.790 to do things and expect to be obeyed. They can 00:04:32.790 --> 00:04:34.629 also delegate their authority to other people, 00:04:34.670 --> 00:04:36.810 members of the board, for example, or senior 00:04:36.810 --> 00:04:39.069 and junior members within the organization. These 00:04:39.069 --> 00:04:41.810 people can then exercise that power on the leadership 00:04:41.810 --> 00:04:46.060 or leader that's given orders to have. However, 00:04:46.300 --> 00:04:49.259 few chief executives, or any of other leaders 00:04:49.259 --> 00:04:51.660 for that matter, can afford to rely only on the 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:53.620 power and authority vested in their position. 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:56.920 They also need what's known as informal power. 00:04:57.579 --> 00:04:59.920 This is the power that comes from people wanting 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:01.819 to follow their leadership. It is the result 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:03.779 of a leader being inspiring, or charismatic, 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:06.060 or creating a vision that people want to believe 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:08.459 in, or simply that the leader is doing what their 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:11.579 followers believe is the right thing to do. Okay? 00:05:12.110 --> 00:05:15.129 We'll definitely dive into some leadership skills 00:05:15.129 --> 00:05:19.310 more. I started doing this a little bit before, 00:05:19.490 --> 00:05:22.410 I do believe, in the previous season. But we'll 00:05:22.410 --> 00:05:24.269 try to do it a little bit more moving forward. 00:05:27.350 --> 00:05:30.689 But to that end, without this informal power, 00:05:30.790 --> 00:05:32.930 any leader, no matter what their formal position 00:05:32.930 --> 00:05:34.910 in the organization, will struggle to achieve 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:38.050 anything. Okay? When a leader... It only has 00:05:38.050 --> 00:05:40.149 formal power. People tend to agree to do what 00:05:40.149 --> 00:05:43.250 they want while face -to -face. However, once 00:05:43.250 --> 00:05:44.930 they're out of reach, they will probably just 00:05:44.930 --> 00:05:49.370 do nothing or something else entirely. Or something 00:05:49.370 --> 00:05:52.290 just completely different than what they know 00:05:52.290 --> 00:05:55.569 or think is the right thing to do. Which now 00:05:55.569 --> 00:05:58.389 brings up a question. Is there a difference between 00:05:58.389 --> 00:06:01.949 good and bad leadership? If I'm being perfectly 00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:05.850 honest, there is. Unfortunately, for organizations 00:06:05.850 --> 00:06:08.129 and individuals, not all those appointed to these 00:06:08.129 --> 00:06:10.009 positions of power are necessarily good leaders. 00:06:10.209 --> 00:06:12.670 It's actually quite hard to believe or define 00:06:12.670 --> 00:06:15.610 good leadership, or even good facets of leadership. 00:06:15.850 --> 00:06:19.550 However, it is quite easy to identify some fairly 00:06:19.550 --> 00:06:23.069 dysfunctional styles of leadership, which at 00:06:23.069 --> 00:06:25.269 least gives new leaders an idea of what to avoid. 00:06:25.949 --> 00:06:29.629 I can definitely testify to this firsthand, okay? 00:06:30.930 --> 00:06:33.420 First off... Dysfunctional leadership includes 00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:36.220 approaches where, and I got, let me see here. 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:39.600 I got two main ones. The first one's not as long, 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:41.980 but we'll knock it off and then we'll go, we'll 00:06:41.980 --> 00:06:43.339 knock it out and we'll move on to the second 00:06:43.339 --> 00:06:46.920 one. The first one is, the leader is the sole 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:50.160 decision maker and arbitrator of all things. 00:06:51.259 --> 00:06:54.379 Okay. You can already see the problem, right? 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:58.220 This approach sees the leader as the only person 00:06:58.220 --> 00:07:00.699 who can have ideas or make decisions for the 00:07:00.699 --> 00:07:03.100 organization, which in this context includes 00:07:03.100 --> 00:07:06.240 a business, a family, or even small voluntary 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.500 groups. The rest of the organization must, therefore, 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:12.339 be his followers. They don't get to choose. They're 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:16.500 just assigned to him. His way of thinking, of 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:18.620 course. This means that they take no initiative, 00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:21.000 make no decisions. Those people are also free 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.259 of responsibility for the outcomes of their actions 00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:26.829 because... He's the leader, so he takes all the 00:07:26.829 --> 00:07:30.029 responsibility. This presents a big problem for 00:07:30.029 --> 00:07:32.250 the organization as a whole and followers as 00:07:32.250 --> 00:07:34.829 individuals because, one, there's no synergy. 00:07:35.430 --> 00:07:38.689 Two, there's little or no initiative. Three, 00:07:38.850 --> 00:07:40.589 there's little or no incentive for anyone to 00:07:40.589 --> 00:07:43.709 do anything good except just follow orders. And 00:07:43.709 --> 00:07:47.910 four, very little reason for anyone to not do 00:07:47.910 --> 00:07:51.730 bad, quotation marks, around the word bad, things 00:07:51.730 --> 00:07:54.620 that are within the letter of the law. As the 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:56.160 organization grows, there are more decisions 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:59.699 to be made, and each one also takes longer. The 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:02.060 organization, therefore, tends to get stuck and 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:05.540 is unable to move rapidly and is in an agile 00:08:05.540 --> 00:08:08.720 way to respond to environmental changes. They 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:13.300 just can't do anything. The second dysfunctional 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:18.060 leadership type, this is the one I see a lot. 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:21.870 The first one is common, very common. But it's 00:08:21.870 --> 00:08:23.949 not typically the one you'll see, because typically 00:08:23.949 --> 00:08:28.050 when the first one is in action, it has a tendency 00:08:28.050 --> 00:08:31.470 to crumble fairly quickly. People are still fairly 00:08:31.470 --> 00:08:35.730 okay with doing what the leader wants, as long 00:08:35.730 --> 00:08:37.629 as they're at least a nice person, even if they 00:08:37.629 --> 00:08:39.830 do come off as bossy. So you'll still see the 00:08:39.830 --> 00:08:41.990 first one probably more often. They'll probably 00:08:41.990 --> 00:08:44.250 be a little bit more stable than the second one 00:08:44.250 --> 00:08:48.950 I'm about to list here. The second one is the 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:52.049 leader is always right. Oh, Lord, this is not 00:08:52.049 --> 00:08:55.669 something that anyone should ever have to do 00:08:55.669 --> 00:08:58.789 or say. I hate when people say, well, the leader's 00:08:58.789 --> 00:09:00.909 always right. Got to do what he says. Nah, nah. 00:09:01.370 --> 00:09:03.389 They're making fun of you. They're not praising 00:09:03.389 --> 00:09:07.210 you. We all make mistakes. It's part of being 00:09:07.210 --> 00:09:09.370 human. However, some leaders are not prepared 00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:11.950 to admit that they've made a mistake. They must 00:09:11.950 --> 00:09:16.080 be right at all times. Those around them soon 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:18.080 learn that the only way to succeed in an organization 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:21.179 is to just say yes to the leader. This is not 00:09:21.179 --> 00:09:23.299 good. There are two main problems with this. 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:28.340 First, nobody's right all the time. And if you 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:30.899 honestly believe that, I pity you. I really do. 00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:34.240 If a person sets themselves up as always correct, 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.740 it will rapidly become clear, both within and 00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:39.019 beyond the organization, that this is not the 00:09:39.019 --> 00:09:41.450 case. The leader's reputation will then suffer. 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:43.750 They will find it much harder to wield informal 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:46.950 power. Their level of influence beyond the organization 00:09:46.950 --> 00:09:51.009 will also suffer. Second, nobody will want to 00:09:51.009 --> 00:09:52.889 challenge anything, even if they know it's wrong, 00:09:53.049 --> 00:09:55.950 which is not good. A willingness to debate ideas 00:09:55.950 --> 00:10:00.789 is a single sign of healthy organization and 00:10:00.789 --> 00:10:03.889 one that can experiment and innovate and grow. 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:07.759 Failure to challenge poor or biased thinking 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:10.720 will lead to poor ideas and ultimately organizational 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.580 failure or something worse that might end up 00:10:13.580 --> 00:10:16.419 costing someone their life. This is not good. 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:18.799 The big problem with both of these patterns is 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:21.320 that the longer that this leader type is in the 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:23.399 post, the harder it is for the organization to 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:28.139 recover. I have a few business examples, but 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:30.860 rather than state who they are and risk getting 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:32.399 in trouble, I'll just say that there's a lot 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:34.649 of gas stations out there. and a lot of other 00:10:34.649 --> 00:10:37.149 companies and grocery stores that do this. We 00:10:37.149 --> 00:10:40.269 see them start to fall apart and fade, and we're 00:10:40.269 --> 00:10:41.470 like, well, what is wrong with them? They should 00:10:41.470 --> 00:10:43.009 be making plenty of money. There's a lot of people 00:10:43.009 --> 00:10:45.149 coming and going, and the reason is because of 00:10:45.149 --> 00:10:48.009 bad management choices. We all know a company 00:10:48.009 --> 00:10:55.490 or two. I won't name any. Done this, and we've 00:10:55.490 --> 00:10:58.529 worked for them. We each have our own opinions, 00:10:58.570 --> 00:11:01.690 and we all stand to believe something that would 00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:04.309 be better for the company than whoever's in charge. 00:11:04.610 --> 00:11:09.149 My girlfriend works for a said company. She doesn't 00:11:09.149 --> 00:11:10.710 like it there. She knows that they mistreat the 00:11:10.710 --> 00:11:14.870 employees, but what can she do? You know? So, 00:11:14.870 --> 00:11:18.389 the leaders... become less tolerant of independent 00:11:18.389 --> 00:11:20.669 ideas and thoughts the longer they stay in office, 00:11:20.830 --> 00:11:24.409 and the led become less capable of being led, 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:27.889 or more likely, anyone who is capable will just 00:11:27.889 --> 00:11:31.370 move on. This is fine until the leader retires. 00:11:31.509 --> 00:11:33.629 At this point, the organization may struggle 00:11:33.629 --> 00:11:37.950 with succession planning, but, I mean, the past 00:11:37.950 --> 00:11:41.009 has basically showed time and time again. Families 00:11:41.009 --> 00:11:43.269 with a commanding father or mother tend to be 00:11:43.269 --> 00:11:47.120 dysfunctional. Nations with a cult of personality 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.720 around a single great helmsman tend to suffer 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:53.440 in the long term. Hold on, let me back up on 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.500 that a little bit. Apart from hereditary monarchies, 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:58.519 very few rulers have managed to hand over power 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:00.960 to the next generation successfully. Okay, so 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:04.240 from Oliver Cromwell up to modern day totalitarian 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:07.940 regimes, the point of succession has often been 00:12:07.940 --> 00:12:09.879 the point of which the country clearly stopped 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:14.600 and just said, no. Enough is enough. Okay, so 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:17.580 there are a few exceptions to that one, but I 00:12:17.580 --> 00:12:20.519 mean, it's the same general idea. Also, companies 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:23.259 ruled by the iron hand of their founder fail 00:12:23.259 --> 00:12:26.039 when the founder dies or retires. Even if they've 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:28.659 been grooming a successor to take over, large 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:31.539 numbers of family firms do not make it into or 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:34.080 through the second generation. A good example 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:39.559 of how to do this the right way would be Panda 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:42.980 Express. The company as a whole is still controlled 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:45.940 and run by the family. There are no franchises. 00:12:45.980 --> 00:12:48.580 It seems like they are, and they're run by different 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.720 people, but in all honesty, they're still involved 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:53.240 actively with the company to the point where 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:56.059 if the parents aren't the ones doing it, their 00:12:56.059 --> 00:12:57.820 children are the ones going out, and they inspect 00:12:57.820 --> 00:12:59.759 the stores, they check to make sure everything's 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:01.700 running like it is. If it's not, they correct 00:13:01.700 --> 00:13:04.720 it on the spot and they move on. They still leave 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:09.200 these places to run on their own accord. However... 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:11.759 With the way that they're structured, they're 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:13.360 always checking in, they're always trying to 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:15.000 make sure everything is working like it should, 00:13:15.139 --> 00:13:17.340 so there's no dysfunction within the company, 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:19.159 and they're still able to make the money that 00:13:19.159 --> 00:13:23.559 they need. Consider the fact that when you go 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:25.379 inside one, they're always clean, they always 00:13:25.379 --> 00:13:27.860 have food. If something's odd and doesn't look 00:13:27.860 --> 00:13:30.139 right, they're quick to fix it and prepare fresh 00:13:30.139 --> 00:13:34.159 food. So, I mean, there's good leadership and 00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:36.980 there's bad leadership in more ways than one. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:39.519 Let's take a break right here. All right. So 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:42.200 let's talk about emergent leaders. This is the 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:44.980 next thing in this list, right? So most leadership 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:47.940 that has been discussed here so far relates to 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:51.039 formal positions of leadership. However, there's 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.120 plenty of evidence to suggest that anyone can 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.500 lead, even if they only do so briefly. I've done 00:13:56.500 --> 00:13:58.740 it briefly. I'm going to be honest with you. 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:02.370 I don't really like it. But if I have to do it, 00:14:02.389 --> 00:14:05.210 I'll do it, you know? There's also no need for 00:14:05.210 --> 00:14:07.350 any formal appointment to determine a leader. 00:14:07.590 --> 00:14:10.669 I'm being perfectly honest here. There's no reason 00:14:10.669 --> 00:14:12.929 to appoint leadership. It just kind of happens. 00:14:13.110 --> 00:14:15.590 Sometimes you don't even need to be appointed 00:14:15.590 --> 00:14:18.090 as a leader for people to recognize you as one, 00:14:18.210 --> 00:14:21.210 okay? Examples of this type of emergent leadership 00:14:21.210 --> 00:14:26.070 include... Let me see here. I have five examples. 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:29.500 A child at the playground suggesting that a group 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:31.720 of children might play hide -and -seek together. 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:34.460 The words, let's play hide -and -seek, are enough, 00:14:34.700 --> 00:14:37.220 provided that the other children agree. To give 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:40.279 a child leadership roles, however briefly it 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:43.740 may be, may even last long enough that they are 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:45.899 permitted to say who should be the seeker in 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:50.879 the next first game. You know? So, or how about 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:53.899 a member of a book club suggesting a particular 00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:56.879 title to read, or that... It might be a suitable 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.580 time to start discussion or move on to the next 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:03.220 question or issue for discussion. You know, a 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:06.320 team member in a business who, when the team 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:08.440 manager is off sick, suggests how the team might 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:10.299 coordinate their lunch breaks to ensure that 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:13.059 the phones are always being manned. These are 00:15:13.059 --> 00:15:17.450 just a few examples. Two more? But I mean, essentially, 00:15:17.629 --> 00:15:20.049 someone who demonstrates maturity and calm when 00:15:20.049 --> 00:15:22.889 difficult changes are proposed at work, modeling 00:15:22.889 --> 00:15:24.909 the behavior that managers would like to see 00:15:24.909 --> 00:15:27.009 from everyone, this is what you call an emergent 00:15:27.009 --> 00:15:30.009 leader, okay? They're typically the first person 00:15:30.009 --> 00:15:32.529 on the scene of an accident, briefly taking on 00:15:32.529 --> 00:15:35.309 a coordinate role, or they might, for example, 00:15:35.309 --> 00:15:38.850 provide first aid, or someone to call emergency 00:15:38.850 --> 00:15:41.129 services. They would probably be perceived as 00:15:41.129 --> 00:15:43.029 a leader until the emergency services arrive, 00:15:43.269 --> 00:15:47.049 or... They are able to handle the leadership 00:15:47.049 --> 00:15:50.049 over to someone more qualified, such as a passerby 00:15:50.049 --> 00:15:53.230 with the appropriate qualifications. Emerging 00:15:53.230 --> 00:15:56.549 leadership can be extremely frivolous, okay? 00:15:56.970 --> 00:15:59.710 Derek Sivers uploaded a video on YouTube. You 00:15:59.710 --> 00:16:01.610 can check it out. It's called Leadership Lessons 00:16:01.610 --> 00:16:05.090 from the Dancing Guy, which clearly shows how 00:16:05.090 --> 00:16:08.389 a person can, with no particular vision and certainly 00:16:08.389 --> 00:16:11.009 no rhetoric or verbal communication, can become 00:16:11.009 --> 00:16:13.509 a leader in the style or fashion just by doing 00:16:13.509 --> 00:16:16.200 something fun. It's possible to attract followers 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:18.480 and therefore, by definition, become a leader. 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:22.659 YouTubers do this all the time. You know? Leaders 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:25.879 come in all shapes and sizes and are seen across 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:31.340 all aspects of human life and endeavor. It seems 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:34.259 likely that we are all capable of being leaders 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:37.840 and somewhat, somewhere, somehow, if we wish 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:40.440 to do so and are given the right encouragements 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:44.379 and incentives to do so. This... Brings up another 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:49.460 question, okay? What are leadership skills? Well, 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:51.519 the question of what makes a good leader, in 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:53.779 other words, or what are leadership skills, is 00:16:53.779 --> 00:16:57.620 widely debated. It's clear that the ability to 00:16:57.620 --> 00:17:00.840 lead effectively relies on a number of key skills, 00:17:00.899 --> 00:17:03.320 but also that different leaders have different 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:07.690 characteristics and styles, okay? There is, in 00:17:07.690 --> 00:17:10.210 fact, no right way to lead in all circumstances, 00:17:10.430 --> 00:17:12.069 and one of the main characteristics of a good 00:17:12.069 --> 00:17:14.829 leader is their flexibility and ability to adapt 00:17:14.829 --> 00:17:17.390 to changing circumstances. Leadership skills 00:17:17.390 --> 00:17:20.250 are highly sought after by employers, and they 00:17:20.250 --> 00:17:22.950 involve dealing with people in such a way as 00:17:22.950 --> 00:17:26.549 to motivate, enthuse, or build respect. Whether 00:17:26.549 --> 00:17:29.329 or not leadership itself can be taught, there 00:17:29.329 --> 00:17:31.309 is no question that there are a number of core 00:17:31.309 --> 00:17:38.420 skills that most good leaders have. anyone and 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:44.480 by anyone, okay? Skills good leaders need. I'll 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:47.500 dive into them a little bit more in a bit, but 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:50.539 strategic thinking, developing a vision of where 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:53.279 you want to be, planning and delivery, planning 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:55.539 how to achieve your vision and dealing with challenges 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:59.019 along the way. People management, finding the 00:17:59.019 --> 00:18:00.819 right people and motivating them to work towards 00:18:00.819 --> 00:18:04.319 your vision. Change management, recognizing and... 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:08.119 responding and managing and changing to your 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.440 vision and plans. Communication, working on the 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.279 ways to communicate your vision to others and 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:16.519 listen to ideas. Or persuasion and influence, 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:18.740 encouraging others to help you achieve your vision 00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:21.980 by demonstrating its advantages. Now, this could 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:24.500 be used twofold. This could be used to promote 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:27.559 people and, you know, get them motivated to do 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:29.400 stuff, and it could also be used to manipulate 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:32.779 people, if used wrong. I will not be covering 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:34.940 that half of that in this podcast, so please, 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:38.519 if you can, dissuade yourself from any interest 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:40.420 of trying to manipulate people, because if I'm 00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:42.920 being perfectly honest, that will backfire a 00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:45.299 lot faster than anything else I've ever mentioned 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:48.000 in any of my other episodes. Remember, the whole 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.240 point here is to be the best you that you can 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:52.819 be. Consider that as the next thought moving 00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:55.559 forward. Okay, okay. So, there are a number of 00:18:55.559 --> 00:18:58.519 broad skill areas that are particularly important 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:00.910 for leaders, right? And these include strategic 00:19:00.910 --> 00:19:03.009 thinking, planning, and delivery, people management, 00:19:03.329 --> 00:19:05.170 change management, communication, persuasion, 00:19:05.210 --> 00:19:07.569 and influencing, like I said before. Let's dive 00:19:07.569 --> 00:19:09.829 a little bit into them, into each one, just a 00:19:09.829 --> 00:19:13.250 little bit, okay? Strategic thinking skills. 00:19:13.990 --> 00:19:15.930 Perhaps the most important skill a leader needs, 00:19:16.069 --> 00:19:18.690 and what really distinguishes leaders from managers, 00:19:18.809 --> 00:19:22.269 is the ability to think strategically. This means, 00:19:22.549 --> 00:19:24.750 in simple terms, having an idea or vision of 00:19:24.750 --> 00:19:28.049 where you want to be and working to achieve that. 00:19:28.390 --> 00:19:32.049 The best strategic thinkers see the big picture 00:19:32.049 --> 00:19:34.549 and are not distracted by side issues or minor 00:19:34.549 --> 00:19:37.210 details. All their decisions are likely to be 00:19:37.210 --> 00:19:39.470 broadly based on their answers to the question, 00:19:39.589 --> 00:19:43.730 does this take me closer to where I want to be? 00:19:44.349 --> 00:19:46.829 That's a question you've got to consider. Of 00:19:46.829 --> 00:19:49.250 course, as well as being able to create the compelling 00:19:49.250 --> 00:19:52.500 vision, they also must... be able to communicate 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:54.839 it effectively to their followers, which is partly 00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:58.299 why communication skills are also vital to leaders, 00:19:58.539 --> 00:20:04.079 you know. Saying that now, I probably should 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:07.359 cover creating a vision and communicating a vision, 00:20:07.460 --> 00:20:10.240 but we'll get into that in another episode, okay? 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:13.160 First off, creating a vision that you have to 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:15.599 be able to communicate is not a simple matter 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.660 of having an idea or just having a really good 00:20:18.660 --> 00:20:21.460 idea. Good strategic thinking must be based on 00:20:21.460 --> 00:20:24.000 evidence, and that means being able to gather 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.420 and analyze information from a wide range of 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:29.119 sources. This is not purely about numbers, but 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:31.039 about knowing and understanding your market and 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:33.680 your customers, and then, this is also crucial, 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:36.000 using that information to support your strategic 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:39.079 decisions. We've covered the SWOT analysis before 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:40.819 on this channel, and it's one of those things 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:43.519 that you can definitely use to help come up with 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:45.480 your vision. There's a couple other things that 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:47.309 I would love to cover. But we're going to have 00:20:47.309 --> 00:20:48.990 to cover that in another episode. There's quite 00:20:48.990 --> 00:20:52.769 a few of them. Okay? And one of them would be 00:20:52.769 --> 00:20:57.130 the seven Ps. Oh, I would love to cover the seven 00:20:57.130 --> 00:21:00.710 Ps. But for now, next is planning and delivery 00:21:00.710 --> 00:21:03.990 skills. See, we've circled, come full circle. 00:21:05.029 --> 00:21:08.049 While it's important to be personally organized 00:21:08.049 --> 00:21:13.140 and motivated as a leader, you can... Check out 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:14.900 my podcast episode on time management and self 00:21:14.900 --> 00:21:18.859 -motivation on what I mean by that. It is perhaps 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:21.220 even more important to be able to plan and deliver 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:25.819 for the organization. These areas are key management 00:21:25.819 --> 00:21:28.839 skills, but the best leader will also be able 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:34.220 to turn their hand to these and use them in the 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:36.799 way that they need to. The best vision in this 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:40.000 world is no good without the plan to turn it 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:42.779 into reality. Along with strategic thinking, 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:45.440 therefore, goes organization and action planning, 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:48.240 both essential for delivering your vision and 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.680 strategy. Project management and project planning 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:52.980 are also helpful skills for both managing leaders 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:57.140 and managers as well. Good risk management is 00:21:57.140 --> 00:22:00.420 also important to help you avoid things going 00:22:00.420 --> 00:22:04.160 wrong and manage when they do. A couple of skills, 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:06.440 and if I haven't already covered this in a previous 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:07.900 podcast episode, I'll cover it in the future. 00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:10.400 Just let me know. A good example of these would 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:13.339 be organization skills, project management skills, 00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:16.099 project planning skills, action planning, and 00:22:16.099 --> 00:22:17.700 risk management. I'm pretty sure I've covered 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:21.240 risk management, but I mean, that's just a few. 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:25.140 Good leaders often have a very strong facilitation 00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:27.940 skill as well to manage groups effectively. I 00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:29.440 feel like I should probably cover facilitation 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:33.940 skills. But leaders also need to be able to make... 00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:36.920 good decisions in support of their strategy, 00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:40.079 delivery, and solve problems. With a positive 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:41.880 attitude, you can't be trying to do this and 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:44.500 be like, I can't believe I have to do this again 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:48.339 today. All right, people, let's get started. 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:50.440 The sooner we finish, the sooner y 'all can get 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:53.339 off and go to home. You can't do that, okay? 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:56.039 You have to keep a positive attitude. Problems 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:57.920 can become opportunities and learning experiences, 00:22:58.119 --> 00:23:00.420 and a leader can gain much information from a 00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:03.309 problem addressed. Going back to, you know, decision 00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:06.150 making and problem solving. Next would be people 00:23:06.150 --> 00:23:09.410 management skills. Without followers, there's 00:23:09.410 --> 00:23:11.890 no leaders. And leaders themselves need skills 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:14.390 in working with others on a one -to -one and 00:23:14.390 --> 00:23:17.150 group basis. And a range of tools in their armory 00:23:17.150 --> 00:23:19.250 to deal with a wide range of situations. Many 00:23:19.250 --> 00:23:20.950 of these skills are also vital for managers. 00:23:21.390 --> 00:23:23.329 You can also find out more about these in my 00:23:23.329 --> 00:23:28.609 management skills episode. But anyway. Leaders 00:23:28.609 --> 00:23:30.250 are expected to motivate and encourage their 00:23:30.250 --> 00:23:35.289 followers, both directly and indirectly. One 00:23:35.289 --> 00:23:38.390 of the first skills that new leaders need to 00:23:38.390 --> 00:23:40.650 master is how to delegate. This is a difficult 00:23:40.650 --> 00:23:44.869 skill for many people, but when done well, delegation 00:23:44.869 --> 00:23:47.789 can give team members responsibility and a taste 00:23:47.789 --> 00:23:50.529 of leadership themselves and help them to remain 00:23:50.529 --> 00:23:56.589 motivated. We'll cover delegation skills next 00:23:56.589 --> 00:23:59.740 time. Because I feel like that's relevant in 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:01.539 what we're talking about. So we'll go ahead and 00:24:01.539 --> 00:24:05.119 do that. As well as overseeing work. Because 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:08.940 there are further challenges in delegating work 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:11.799 within a team, including balancing workloads 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:14.700 and ensuring that everyone has been given opportunities 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:17.059 to help them develop. But the problem that a 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:18.920 lot of people end up running into is people overseeing 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:23.259 their work and becoming very, very overactive 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:26.480 managers. You know what I mean? You know the 00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:30.400 kind I'm referring to. Let's not make names, 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:34.319 okay? Leaders and managers both need to understand 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:36.180 how to build and manage a team. They need to 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:38.259 know how to recruit effectively, bring people 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:41.559 on board through inductive processes. They also 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:43.259 need to understand the importance of performance 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:47.119 management on a regular basis and to manage for 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:50.440 performance properly. There's a right and a wrong 00:24:50.440 --> 00:24:56.559 way to do this. Four. Change management and innovation 00:24:56.559 --> 00:25:00.019 skills. Now, I did mention this before, and it's 00:25:00.019 --> 00:25:01.900 not something I'm going to dive into too much 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:05.359 because there's not really a whole lot to say. 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:07.819 It's pretty straightforward. Let me just put 00:25:07.819 --> 00:25:12.200 it that way. Change management may seem like 00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:14.160 an odd companion to people management and communication 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:16.740 skills, but leadership is often particularly 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:19.519 important at times of change. A leader needs 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:21.799 to understand change management in order to lead 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:23.740 an organization through the process, for example. 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:27.339 change management requires the creation and communication 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:29.180 of a compelling vision we're going back to that 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:31.380 whole vision thing right it also requires the 00:25:31.380 --> 00:25:34.660 change to the driven to be driven forward firmly 00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:38.500 and leadership to make it what's the word stick 00:25:38.500 --> 00:25:42.200 okay if the organization is not to revert within 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:46.160 a short period of said change okay definitely 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:48.539 something i can dive a little bit more into moving 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:51.460 forward but for now i'm just giving like a brief 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:54.130 overview of each of these skills right So the 00:25:54.130 --> 00:25:56.569 fifth one was, what was it? Communication skills, 00:25:56.710 --> 00:25:59.109 I do believe. While communication skills are 00:25:59.109 --> 00:26:01.009 important for everyone, leaders and managers 00:26:01.009 --> 00:26:04.470 perhaps need even more of these. These skills 00:26:04.470 --> 00:26:06.609 are generally interpersonal skills, which we've 00:26:06.609 --> 00:26:08.029 covered quite a few of them on this channel. 00:26:08.190 --> 00:26:11.069 Not specific to leadership, but successful leaders 00:26:11.069 --> 00:26:13.509 tend to show high levels of that when they're 00:26:13.509 --> 00:26:16.890 communicating. Good leaders tend to be extremely 00:26:16.890 --> 00:26:19.789 good listeners, able to listen actively and elicit 00:26:19.789 --> 00:26:23.609 information by good questioning. They also are 00:26:23.609 --> 00:26:25.549 likely to show high levels of assertiveness, 00:26:25.710 --> 00:26:28.089 which enables them to make their point without 00:26:28.089 --> 00:26:31.230 aggression, but firmly. They know how to build 00:26:31.230 --> 00:26:33.970 rapport quickly and effectively to develop good, 00:26:34.009 --> 00:26:36.309 strong relationships with others, whether peers 00:26:36.309 --> 00:26:39.049 or subordinates. These skills come together to 00:26:39.049 --> 00:26:42.190 help build charisma with that quality of brightness, 00:26:42.329 --> 00:26:46.150 which makes people want to follow a leader. Leaders 00:26:46.150 --> 00:26:51.700 also know how to give their views. on personal 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:53.779 performance in a way that will be constructive 00:26:53.779 --> 00:26:56.599 rather than destructive, and also hear others' 00:26:56.680 --> 00:26:59.460 opinions on them without freaking out, getting 00:26:59.460 --> 00:27:03.160 mad, or punishing them for their view on how 00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:06.680 they see how the leader acts. They are usually 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:10.319 very good at effective speaking, equally and 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:14.720 skilled at getting their point across in formal 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.680 presentations or board meetings, or in formal 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:20.740 meetings or casual corridor conversations. They 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:22.420 have also honed their ability to communicate 00:27:22.420 --> 00:27:25.960 in difficult situations, usually by practice 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:28.880 and over time. So communication skills is something 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:31.200 that not just even leaders need. It's basically 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:33.019 something that everybody needs at some point 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:34.920 in their life, but it's definitely one of the 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:37.640 main skills that leaders definitely need. And 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:39.759 I do believe the last one I mentioned was persuasive 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:42.980 and influencing skills, right? So finally, one 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:45.619 particular area of communication that is effectively 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:50.099 or especially important. is being able to persuade 00:27:50.099 --> 00:27:55.819 and influence others in the right way. Good leaders 00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:58.619 can use a range of tools for this. For example, 00:27:58.700 --> 00:28:01.980 they can use persuasion and influencing. They 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:04.039 can also start developing their persuasive skills 00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:08.119 if they don't have any. Leaders need tools to 00:28:08.119 --> 00:28:10.680 help them understand the way that others behave 00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:14.440 and create positive interactions. positive first 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:16.980 step it might be helpful to understand more about 00:28:16.980 --> 00:28:19.339 emotional intelligence which we've covered before 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:22.220 on this channel. It's another vital quality for 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:24.640 leaders to possess but there are a number of 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:26.700 other tools out there that are just as useful. 00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:29.640 Like I said these are just the first six. There's 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:34.539 a long list of them. Between the transactional 00:28:34.539 --> 00:28:37.839 analysis, the emotional intelligence, the ability 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:42.200 to oversee work, there are so many skills related 00:28:42.200 --> 00:28:48.470 to just being a leader you know i might be on 00:28:48.470 --> 00:28:51.150 a leader's kick for a while just like doing multiple 00:28:51.150 --> 00:28:53.630 episodes on this but what i'm basically saying 00:28:53.630 --> 00:28:59.329 is understanding leadership okay many people 00:28:59.329 --> 00:29:02.109 consider it to be essential essentially a work 00:29:02.109 --> 00:29:04.690 -based characteristic however leadership roles 00:29:04.690 --> 00:29:07.269 are all around us they're not just in the work 00:29:07.269 --> 00:29:10.470 environment Ideally, leaders become leaders because 00:29:10.470 --> 00:29:12.750 they have credibility, because people want to 00:29:12.750 --> 00:29:15.130 follow them. Using this definition, it becomes 00:29:15.130 --> 00:29:18.089 clear that leadership skills can be applied in 00:29:18.089 --> 00:29:20.170 any situation where you're required to take the 00:29:20.170 --> 00:29:22.789 lead professionally, socially, at home, in a 00:29:22.789 --> 00:29:27.710 family setting, in a park, especially situations 00:29:27.710 --> 00:29:30.789 where leadership might be called for, but it 00:29:30.789 --> 00:29:34.289 may not seem immediately associated with that 00:29:34.289 --> 00:29:37.980 type of idea. Like planning an organization, 00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:40.279 a big family get -together, celebrating a wedding 00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:43.900 anniversary, a birthday, responding to a person's 00:29:43.900 --> 00:29:47.339 death or illness, organization of taking care 00:29:47.339 --> 00:29:49.859 of arrangements for said thing, making decisions, 00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:53.759 moving, getting children in school. In other 00:29:53.759 --> 00:29:56.079 words, leaders are not always appointed. Leadership 00:29:56.079 --> 00:30:03.809 skills may be needed in many circumstances. With 00:30:03.809 --> 00:30:06.170 apologies to Shakespeare, I guess we might as 00:30:06.170 --> 00:30:08.890 well say that some are born leaders, some achieve 00:30:08.890 --> 00:30:11.670 leadership, and some have leadership thrust upon 00:30:11.670 --> 00:30:19.670 them. I can definitely admit to this. I've had 00:30:19.670 --> 00:30:22.210 leadership thrusted on me many times, whether 00:30:22.210 --> 00:30:26.690 I wanted it or not. And it kind of leads back 00:30:26.690 --> 00:30:28.890 to the original question that started this episode 00:30:28.890 --> 00:30:33.269 in the first place. But what exactly is a leader? 00:30:34.130 --> 00:30:39.369 Put simply, a leader can be defined as a person 00:30:39.369 --> 00:30:41.369 who leads or commands a group, organization, 00:30:41.750 --> 00:30:45.329 or country. It's broad. The definition is very 00:30:45.329 --> 00:30:48.170 broad and could include both formal and informal 00:30:48.170 --> 00:30:52.250 roles. That is, but both appointed leaders, regardless 00:30:52.250 --> 00:30:54.730 of circumstance, those who emerge spontaneously 00:30:54.730 --> 00:31:00.400 to lead in the face of certain events, like in 00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:03.400 recent years considerable considerable evidence 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:06.019 has emerged that the strongest organizations 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:08.759 and leaders tend to permit and actively encourage 00:31:08.759 --> 00:31:11.259 each member of the group or organization to take 00:31:11.259 --> 00:31:14.019 the lead at some appropriate point or junction 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:17.200 organizations and families with particular controlling 00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:20.480 leaders by contrast tend to be fairly dysfunctional 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:24.160 so more often than not when someone wants to 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:26.299 take the lead but nobody else wants them there 00:31:26.299 --> 00:31:28.589 and doesn't want to listen you're going to have 00:31:28.589 --> 00:31:30.490 a lot of fallout. Even if you may be the best 00:31:30.490 --> 00:31:33.410 person, sometimes it's better if you don't take 00:31:33.410 --> 00:31:35.849 the head role. Sometimes it's better to lead 00:31:35.849 --> 00:31:37.650 from the shadows and just be the person in the 00:31:37.650 --> 00:31:40.230 back who suggests what to do by letting someone 00:31:40.230 --> 00:31:42.250 else take the role so that they can learn the 00:31:42.250 --> 00:31:44.910 skills they don't have. Leadership, therefore, 00:31:45.009 --> 00:31:49.170 is basically a practice. In its practice, it's 00:31:49.170 --> 00:31:53.849 fairly fluid. Leaders are made by circumstance. 00:31:54.170 --> 00:31:56.849 The crucial issue is that people are prepared 00:31:56.849 --> 00:31:59.210 to follow at the right moment, and sometimes 00:31:59.210 --> 00:32:01.849 they're not. They'll also struggle with the concept 00:32:01.849 --> 00:32:05.109 of how to be a leader and how that's different 00:32:05.109 --> 00:32:08.089 from being a manager. You may have heard that 00:32:08.089 --> 00:32:10.430 the idea that leaders do the right thing and 00:32:10.430 --> 00:32:12.910 managers do the right thing, this is a fairly 00:32:12.910 --> 00:32:18.410 delicate distinction. Like, many leaders are 00:32:18.410 --> 00:32:21.640 also managers and vice versa. Perhaps the key 00:32:21.640 --> 00:32:24.299 difference is that leaders are expected to create 00:32:24.299 --> 00:32:26.640 and communicate a compelling vision, often associated 00:32:26.640 --> 00:32:29.319 with change, whereas managers, on the other hand, 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:31.940 are perhaps more often associated with maintaining 00:32:31.940 --> 00:32:35.380 and keeping the status quo. It just depends on 00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:39.059 how you look at it. Now, I will have to, now 00:32:39.059 --> 00:32:41.019 that I've said that, actually cover, and I will 00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:43.779 cover this next time, leadership is not management, 00:32:44.059 --> 00:32:46.900 okay? These are two different things. I would 00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:50.319 definitely love to cover that in more. if I'm 00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:58.599 being perfectly honest. But as far as these skills, 00:32:58.839 --> 00:33:01.740 you can develop leadership skills no matter what. 00:33:01.859 --> 00:33:03.880 Many people are wondering if leadership can really 00:33:03.880 --> 00:33:08.460 be taught, and yes, yes it can. People with vested 00:33:08.460 --> 00:33:11.059 interest in academics and those offering leadership 00:33:11.059 --> 00:33:13.940 training and literature of some sort are convincing. 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:18.279 or even convinced that they can. And there have 00:33:18.279 --> 00:33:20.279 been many successful leaders as a result of these 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:23.640 that have never had formal training. For them, 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:26.119 leadership is a state of mind, and in their personality 00:33:26.119 --> 00:33:28.779 traits, that's what makes them a successful leader. 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:31.920 Some can be taught. You can teach it. It's not 00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:35.380 impossible. But there is clearly a balance to 00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:37.720 be struck between the two positions as far as 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:41.559 being a leader and not being a leader, okay? 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:43.859 There's no question that some people are intrinsically 00:33:43.859 --> 00:33:45.799 more drawn towards leadership roles than others. 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:48.640 However, it would be nonsense to suggest that, 00:33:48.700 --> 00:33:51.700 although this has been a mooted point in the 00:33:51.700 --> 00:33:54.259 past, that many people with certain physical 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:57.380 or personal traits could lead. For example, it's 00:33:57.380 --> 00:34:00.240 clearly been proven that being male, being tall, 00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:03.839 does not of itself make someone a better leader, 00:34:03.900 --> 00:34:06.480 although many leaders have been both male and 00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:09.500 tall. Just because that's been the case doesn't 00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:12.920 mean that that's always true. It seems most likely 00:34:12.920 --> 00:34:14.760 that leadership requires certain skills, and 00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:17.619 some people have them, some people don't. And 00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:20.619 other skills you can learn. So yes, can leadership 00:34:20.619 --> 00:34:25.460 be taught? Yes. Yes, it can. There's also different 00:34:25.460 --> 00:34:28.179 leadership styles, which I would love to cover 00:34:28.179 --> 00:34:31.579 in more depth, but briefly here. One of the most 00:34:31.579 --> 00:34:34.159 important aspects of leadership is that everyone 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.599 is the same. Sorry, everyone is not the same. 00:34:38.460 --> 00:34:41.719 We're going to correct that now. heard jokes 00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:45.480 about mushroom leadership. Keep them in the dark 00:34:45.480 --> 00:34:48.440 and feed them manure and seagulls swoop in and 00:34:48.440 --> 00:34:50.380 squawk and drop unpleasant things on people. 00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:53.800 You know, joking aside, there are many different 00:34:53.800 --> 00:34:57.320 styles of leadership, okay? Different leadership 00:34:57.320 --> 00:34:59.920 styles are appropriate for different people and 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:04.000 different circumstances, okay? And the best leaders 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:07.340 learn to use a wide variety of styles. There 00:35:07.340 --> 00:35:09.480 are many different models of leadership, but... 00:35:09.659 --> 00:35:12.860 Perhaps one of the best known is Daniel Goldman's 00:35:12.860 --> 00:35:16.360 Six Learning Styles. This is about almost certainly 00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:18.360 one of the models that's most strongly rooted 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:22.320 in research. It might help some, explain some 00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:24.440 of the popularity behind it. I will definitely 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:26.500 cover them in more detail in a later episode. 00:35:26.820 --> 00:35:30.159 But essentially what they are is there's coercive 00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:32.679 or commanding, which is the whole do as I say 00:35:32.679 --> 00:35:35.300 thing. There's the pace setting type, which is 00:35:35.300 --> 00:35:38.659 do as I do right now. There's authoritative. 00:35:39.070 --> 00:35:41.989 come with me type personality, a learning style, 00:35:42.090 --> 00:35:46.369 a leadership style. Then there's the, uh, affiliative 00:35:46.369 --> 00:35:49.449 type of leadership style where people come first. 00:35:49.889 --> 00:35:52.389 Here's the democratic approach though. What do 00:35:52.389 --> 00:35:55.070 you think? And then there's the coaching, try 00:35:55.070 --> 00:36:00.329 it and see. Okay. The question becomes now, what 00:36:00.329 --> 00:36:05.670 kind of leader are you? Okay. So now to move 00:36:05.670 --> 00:36:07.730 on to the last thing I want to say before we 00:36:07.730 --> 00:36:11.340 close out. Entrepreneurship, self -employment, 00:36:11.340 --> 00:36:13.599 and freelancing. I guess you can say they're 00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:16.539 often linked to change management and otherwise, 00:36:16.699 --> 00:36:19.920 but they basically still require leadership skills. 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:23.000 Those people who are in this type of category 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:24.920 are typically leaders within their own right, 00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:28.039 even if they don't realize it. But these skills 00:36:28.039 --> 00:36:30.420 are required in order to set up your own business, 00:36:30.440 --> 00:36:33.500 however, are not exactly the same as for leading 00:36:33.500 --> 00:36:36.829 a large organization. Freelancing becomes a very 00:36:36.829 --> 00:36:39.769 significant part of developing economics, whereas 00:36:39.769 --> 00:36:42.809 in the United States, as many as 55 million people 00:36:42.809 --> 00:36:45.929 work as freelancers, 35 % of the working population 00:36:45.929 --> 00:36:50.889 contributing to about $1 .4 trillion to the economy. 00:36:51.289 --> 00:36:53.389 It's predicted that freelancers will soon become 00:36:53.389 --> 00:36:56.949 the workforce majority. And in India, Canada, 00:36:57.230 --> 00:36:59.750 Australia, and New Zealand, they also have large... 00:37:00.110 --> 00:37:02.789 self -employed freelance economies as well. So 00:37:02.789 --> 00:37:05.070 if you want an example of how leadership can 00:37:05.070 --> 00:37:08.289 be definitely used, these are just a few different 00:37:08.289 --> 00:37:11.769 things in the range of what there is to offer. 00:37:12.010 --> 00:37:16.579 Okay? Well, with that being said... I want to 00:37:16.579 --> 00:37:18.420 thank you guys for sticking around and listening 00:37:18.420 --> 00:37:21.800 to me speak. Thank you again. This has been food 00:37:21.800 --> 00:37:23.800 for thought thoughts. If it were you wouldn't 00:37:23.800 --> 00:37:26.260 need, you know, gentricks season three. If you 00:37:26.260 --> 00:37:27.780 like what you hear, don't forget to hit that 00:37:27.780 --> 00:37:29.300 subscribe button down below. If you have any 00:37:29.300 --> 00:37:31.139 suggestions for future episodes, or you want 00:37:31.139 --> 00:37:33.639 to have me cover a specific topic or return to 00:37:33.639 --> 00:37:36.500 a previous topic and dive more in depth, leave 00:37:36.500 --> 00:37:39.340 a comment down below and I hope you have a great 00:37:39.340 --> 00:37:40.019 rest of your day.