Tribe leader, village chief, pharaoh, president, king, queen, commander… Throughout history, in tribal life, in the village, in the city, in war, in peace, in school, in the workplace, in short, whenever we came together for a purpose, we needed a leader. With the new order created by the pandemic, we will need leaders and leadership behaviors at all levels even more in the coming years.

So, what is this thing called leadership?

Leadership is making an impact. – John C. Maxwell

When a good leader finishes their job, people say it happened by itself. – Lao Tzu

Leadership is the ability to turn vision into reality. – Warren Bennis

Before you become a leader, success is about developing yourself. When you become a leader, success is about developing others. – Jack Welch

There are many definitions and beautiful words about leadership. The definition I like the most and think is the most comprehensive is the one made by Robert House and his colleagues as a result of their research in 38 countries.

“the ability to influence, motivate and ensure that people contribute to the organization they are a member of to be effective and successful”

We see that leadership is defined as a “talent”. Yes, leadership is a talent, a talent that can be learned and developed to a certain extent. This is actually one of the beautiful aspects of the job. This information also brings up the following question: Can everyone be a leader? Our answer: no.

Let’s say you are a leader. You may (and should) often ask yourself this question: What characteristics, skills or perspectives should I have to be a better leader in the current conditions? How can I be a more effective leader?

There is no formula that can be used in every situation or group worldwide. Effective methods and skills vary depending on the culture, the life cycle of the institution, and the characteristics of the team members. Therefore, I prefer to produce personalized formulas as a result of extensive analysis and observations, because leadership is not a mask. When we try to apply exactly what we see in movies or social media posts, we see that the results are not effective and sustainable. Since it is not appropriate and authentic for the person, it looks like they are wearing a mask (not the masks we wear these days), it looks fake and awkward. If you want to work on these issues individually or if you want special work for the managers in your institution, you can contact us.

However, we cannot help but share the highlights for effective leadership in the 2020s.

• Individual awareness
• Psychological resilience
• Charisma
• Inspiring motivation
• A sense of “unity” instead of a one-person giant team
• Empathy
• Humor
• Open communication
• Special attention to each member of the team
• Dominance in the digital world
• Innovative thinking
• Diversity of talent and different perspectives support

 

Details and more in our Next Generation Leadership training…