By Carey Jooste
In the past few years the call for a new kind of leader to emerge has got louder. If you take a walk through the business section in your local bookstore there are rows and rows of books on leadership and the call to action of the NEW leader. Some of these books are over 50 years old. Many knew it was time to move away from the old “command and control” style of leadership used previously. The feeling was this new style of leadership needed to be more about facilitation, more about relationship more about function and result based. Scanning through the decades of wisdom from those individuals ahead of their time, common themes emerge about the New leader.
So what is New about the New leader?
“A leader without followers is just out for a walk”-L. Michael hall
The kind of leader that is now needed is new in that he/she is relational in leading and knows that it takes 2 people to lead. Someone out front to lead and someone to follow. Without those who follow there is no leadership. This kind of leadership cannot be commanded or forced it must be earned. The followers must choose to follow because it is in their best interest to follow.
Leadership is no longer primarily about status-it’s about function
The new leader is New because the leaders arises from within the group as the one skilfully able to lead. The individual best able to get the job done Its not about power and authority its about competency and knowledge and the individuals ability to make things happen.
The excellent leader knows when to step forward and when to step back and has the ability to do so with grace and elegance.
The new leader is functional and so relational and situational. This is a mind shift in itself, as it means no one is always a leader, the leadership keeps shifting to the person most able to lead at any given time or in any given area based on their ability to get the job done. Thus the best leader also needs to be a good team player and a good follower. Being able to step back and allow someone else to lead means you need to be able to get your own ego out of the way.
The new leader empowers
The new emergent leader is an enabler, a coach and someone who empowers others. This changes the individual’s relationship with leadership authority and power! The new leader gains more authority by giving it away by enabling and empowering those who follow. The leader grooms others for leadership, and in turn gauges their level of success on their own ability to create the next generation of leaders.
The new kind of leader…a great leader is someone who can tap into and actualise the potential of their people.
The new leader gathers around them those more intelligent and skilful than him/ her self. They have the ability to recognise the potentials and abilities in others and create an environment that enables the individual to thrive. They are able to identify their own areas of weakness and allow the expertise of others on their team to complement and strengthen these areas.
A new Leader is a great leader and someone who knows:
- Leadership is not an end in itself.
- Leadership is not about ego, status, title, authority. It’s about making a difference.
- Leadership is about Creating value
- Leadership is about Solving problems and fulfilling visions
- Leadership is about Building community
- Leadership is about enabling the best in others
- Leadership is purposeful; it’s about making a difference to leave a legacy so people come together so they feel they are doing something bigger than themselves.
(Excerpts from : Unleashing Leadership by Dr L. Michael hall)