I was thrilled to be invited to be a guest lecturer at an east coast American University to deliver a “Fundamentals of Leadership” course in February.
As I reflected on what message to deliver, I decided to merge some of my thoughts based on the recent requests that my active clients are searching for nowadays.
So, my clients are looking for a checklist, a solid recipe to check which areas they can grow and continue developing themselves to become better leaders in this long journey.
While preparing for this course, an earthquake struck my birth country, and I’ve witnessed leadership and a “Lack of leadership.” Whereas it suddenly provided another perspective.
After all, what does leadership mean? What are some fundamentals, and why do we need leaders in the first place?
Leadership is about people and others;
it is not about “you.” It is the art of inspiring people to work toward achieving a business target, an organizational goal, a mission, or a vision. It encourages people around you to take up responsibilities and grow in every aspect of life.
What inspires people to follow a leader? A vision, a strategy? Why do we follow the leaders in the world, within corporate life, in a political environment, in non-profit organizations, or anywhere else?
What type of leaders is most effective? Is there one size fits all? Or does it depend on the culture?
Talking about and thinking about leadership needs to be more profound.
In this “thinking about leadership series,” I’ll share my reflections on a couple of areas and invite you to add your thoughts to build on to various concepts:
Part A) A recipe for building High performing Teams and some reference books, resources, and tools.
Part B) Different Leadership styles (Autocratic, Democratic, “Laissez-faire,” coaching, bureaucratic, transformational, pace-setter, servant, situational) when to use it and advantages/ disadvantages when to use it
Part C) Different leadership levels depend on the size of the team and the organization. (managing a small group, managing the managers, managing a function, managing an organization)
Part D) “Tips from other leaders” that I have heard over the years from other leaders, mentors, various pieces of training, and seminars in that I participated.
Part E) Why is it so difficult to implement? What are the obstacles leaders face?
So, what was the recipe that I shared with almost 30 graduate students?
- Lead With Purpose
- Have A Clear Vision
- Have An Outside-In Perspective, When Setting The Strategy
- Communicate And Ensure The Alignment Across The Board
- Surround Yourself With Diverse Team Members
- Create Trust And Safety Space, Foster Connection And Belonging
- Develop Your Team
- Manage Your Time, Prioritize Relentlessly, and Ensure Your Life Balance Through Energy Management
- Tap Into Your Networking
- Lead With High Ethics As A Mandatory Code
(to be continued)
