5 Things We Have Learned From 50 Episodes On Being a Great Leader 

Welcome to Episode 12 of The Leadership Detectives.

In this episode, Neil highlights certain aspects which can help to shape a great leader in today's world.

Whilst many core principles remain the same, there are still multiple factors and it's important to move with the times on the ever-shifting sands of leadership.


Find Neil online at: https://neilthubron.com

Find Albert on LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/in/albert-e-joseph

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Welcome to the Leadership Detectives with Albert Joseph and Neil Funbron. This is the go-to podcast for uncovering clues about great leadership. If you are a leader today or an aspiring leader, this podcast is a must for you. Okay, let's talk about great leadership. How do I get the energy down through the organization? How do I motivate people to do more? How do I deal with people who are not doing what I want? How do I find time to spend with my people? How do I keep good people? How do I manage upwards? These are all questions I've heard and been asked over the last 18 months as I coach leaders or as I work with leadership groups. So what I wanted to talk about in this short segment is about great leadership. Why is great leadership important? Well, I found some information that from a Forbes study and from a Harvard Business Review. Forbes did a study in January 2015 of 50,000 managers. They found that the top 10% of leaders in that survey generated 200% more in business results, whether that's revenue or profit. The average bottom 10% delivered 150% less than the average. So great leaders double the amount of business you get. In the Harvard Business Review, they found that 50% of employees, 50% of employees considered leaving a leader in the bottom 10% of leaders. The top 10% on average of the 75% employee sat, and bottom 10% had 25% employee sat. So employees were happier working with the top 10% of leaders. They also found that people who work for the top 10% of leaders, 60% of them were satisfied with their pay and their terms and conditions. So great leaders are great for your business. And I think it's worth talking about what is a leader. And the best description I can find for that is in Stephen Covey's book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In that book, he tells a story of a group of people in a jungle. Imagine the Amazon jungle. And they're hacking their way through the jungle with machetes. And at the front of the column are the machete wielders hacking their way through the jungle. Just behind the machete wielders are teams that are organizing training for machete wielders, become more efficient and better and muscle building for machete wielding. You've got the guys that are in the process and managing the shift patterns for the machete wielders. There's a recruitment team that are recruiting new machete wielders. So all of the management infrastructure to support the frontline machete wielders that are there in the jungle just behind them. And then on the ladder of above the tallest tree in the jungle is the leader. And the leader's looking ahead towards the end of the jungle, deciding where we should be going, which direction should this column be going in? And I think that's the best description of leadership. Leadership is all about looking ahead, deciding on where the business or the team needs to go. So let me just tell you a little bit about me and why leadership is so important to me. I'm absolutely passionate about great leadership, and I get incredibly frustrated with poor leadership, and I've had some dreadful leaders over the years. From being a first-line manager managing engineers and salespeople to a VP of Sales for Europe, having 450 salespeople working for me. I did 12 years with the Army Reserves, and I went through Sandhurst in 1990, which gave me another perspective on leadership. I've been coaching leaders for over 12 years now. 50, 60 leaders I've coached over that time. And I run a podcast today with a colleague of mine, all focused around leadership. And we've done 40 plus episodes interviewing great leaders and discussing leadership topics. So I'd have to be an idiot if I didn't spot some of the trends and themes that come through about great leadership. And I'm going to share five with you today. So the first one is about having a compelling vision. All leaders need to have a compelling vision about where their business is going, where their team is going. Stephen Covey talks in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, in Habit 2. He says, start with the end in mind. Although I think one of the best stories that describes this theory of having a clear vision is from Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland. In Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes to a junction in the road and the Cheshire cat is up a tree. And Alice says to the Cheshire cat, which route should I take? Which road should I take? And the Cheshire cat says, Well, where are you going? And Alice says, I don't know. And the Cheshire Cat says, Well, any road will do. And isn't that so true? If you don't know where you're going, how's your team supposed to know what to do? So having a compelling vision is so important. We interviewed a super a retired superintendent for the Metropolitan Police on our podcast. And he was talking about the way the police are structured in an incident. And they have something called the gold commander. The gold commander is the senior person on the scene. And he sets the strategic aim for the incident, for how they're going to manage the incident. But it doesn't matter what level you are in an organization, having a vision for your team is so important. You could be running the reception in an office block, and you have a vision that the way you want your team to operate is to create this amazing experience for customers when they come in. To create this fabulous moment in their day where they came to your reception and they were looked after so well that they remember it. It doesn't have to be this fabulous business vision like having a computer on every desk that Bill Gates had, or getting a man to Mars like Elon Musk has. It could just be a simple vision for your team. It doesn't have to be complex, but it has to be there. Because as a leader of a team, however big or small, if you don't know where you're going, then how are your teams supposed to know? We interviewed an MD of a FinTech firm for our podcast. And she said that team spirit and passion run throughout the organization wherever you look in the business. And what was fascinating about this conversation was she said it comes from the top, it comes from the entrepreneur that set the business up. But it filters all the way down because they know where they're going, they would know what sort of people they want working for them, and it filters into the hiring process. So one of the tips I'd give you when you're building a vision, and if you haven't got a vision for your team or for your business, take time building one. Take time building one and creating one so that you know where you're going and where your team know where they're going. But don't overcomplicate it. It doesn't need to be a big sexy vision that's got fabulous words in it. Just be clear on where you're going. Shape it and then build it with your team. Sit down with them and go, this is where I want to take us. This is what I want to do. So that's the first point, all right. Have a vision. The second thing, and I spend a lot of time on this with people when I'm coaching them. And it answers the question: you know, how do I how do how do I motivate people? How do I get people to do the right things? They've got to know what good looks like. So point number two is all about knowing what good looks like. Many leaders don't spend enough time really helping each member of their team being very clear on their objectives, on what they need them to achieve as part of their role in the whole of achieving the vision for the business. This is not just about hitting sales or business targets. So objectives are easy if you're a salesperson, just set a sales target. But there's more to it than that. There needs to be more to it than that. But people need to know what good looks like. Because if they don't know what good looks like and they do something that you're unhappy with, it's not their fault. You just haven't shared with them what good looks like. This FinTech MD, she said, set your team's objectives and let them get on with it. And that's so true. Make sure they know what they've got to do and then let them get on with it. We interviewed a firefighter who heads up a fire station down in uh Sussex. And she said, one of the first things they do when they get to a scene is they're very clear on the objectives and what good looks like for each of the members of the fire engine. You're gonna clear the bottom of the house. When you've cleared it, come out and tell us it's clear. You're gonna do the top of the house, you're gonna do go and sort out the water. Whatever the task might be, everyone knows what their part is in it. So, second point is make sure the team know what good looks like. The third one is about being a great communicator. Now, we heard earlier in the interview that I did with Ian about the importance of communication, and it's two-way. And it's fascinating. I was uh doing a pre-podcast interview yesterday with a guy called Chris Hunter, who is a bomb disposal expert. He's a retired bomb disposal expert, he's a major, was a major in the army. And I was on a phone to him in Libya, and he was in Tripoli diffusing IEDs, making the city safe. And I was talking to him about communicating, what great leaders, what clues there are for great leadership that he could share with us. And he said, it's all about communication. And he used a phrase I thought was the best way I've heard of describing why communication is important. He said, poor communication typically starts wars. And after a bit of fighting and conflict, good communication typically ends wars. So communication is vital. Great leaders communicate regularly. Great leaders create an environment where communication is cyclical, where they're seeking feedback, they're asking. You don't have to know everything as a leader. Our firefighter, when we were interviewing, has said, sometimes I need to sit in the back of the engine. So it's okay. The leader doesn't have to be the person who knows everything. You don't have to be the expert in everything. In fact, it's okay to drop the ego and go, actually, I don't know the answer to that. And can you help me with this? From your team. That's okay. But be a communicator, seek that input. When we interviewed millennials, one of the key things the millennials said is we want to feel valued. And one of the ways we feel valued is when we're asked our opinion. And it's really important that when you're asked someone's opinion, you create an environment of safety for them. Google call it psychological safety. You create an environment where it's okay to share what you think, it's okay to comment on something and say, I don't think we're going in the right direction, boss, or I think we should do this. You create this psychological safety where it's okay to say something's not working. Google also found that the best teams not only had psychological safety, they also practiced ostentatious listening, which meant you weren't listening, waiting to say something or thinking about your answer. You were listening because you want to hear. So communication is about hearing, seeking feedback, and sharing regularly. So point four. Point four is all about growth. Darwin said the most adaptable survive, and the most adaptable leaders will survive. Everyone who's listening and watching this now, all the leaders are on here. We all need to adapt. We all need to adapt to the new way of working. We all need to adapt to managing people in different ways. And we've got to be constant learners because that's how we grow. I was reading the other day that Warren Buffett says one of the most important skills all leaders need to have is to read, read, read. Read a book every day, read a report every day, read about your industry every day. And surprisingly enough, Bill Gates says the same, Elon Musk says the same, Richard Branson says the same. All about growing and learning and bettering yourself. What can you do to help you be a better leader? It was interesting, actually. We interviewed an MD of the financial services sector in Accenture. And she said she always takes roles that are outside her comfort zone. She's asked people in more senior positions or who are doing bigger jobs than her for advice on what she should learn. So you need to seek, as a leader, you need to seek to be growing. Because if you're not growing, you're going backwards because other people are growing around you. But it's also important to develop your team. Invest in them and they will invest in you. It's not an HR thing, growth and development. Growth and development is a conversation any leader at any level in an organization should be having with their employees all the time. There was a great example from this retired superintendent that we interviewed. When he was a couple of years into the force, his boss said to him one day, You haven't got a master's degree, so we're going to send you on day release to get a master's degree. And he was his comment was, I was surprised that someone wanted to invest in me. So I then invested the rest of my career in them. So invest in your people. Make time for developing your people. And it doesn't have to be formal courses where you have to get formal certification. It could just be shadowing or new experiences that you give your team. But work with them on what they need to do to grow. And when we interviewed the millennials, one of the things they said was, we asked them, how do you stop good people leaving companies? And it was simple. They said, invest in our skills. If we're being invested in, we're going to stay. The next point is as a leader, be human. Wow, what does be human mean? We're all humans. Be human means bring yourself to work. Don't bring the mask, the fascia that you think should be coming to work. Bring the real you to work. It's also called authentic leadership. But we've found in a lot of our conversations that the best leaders bring themselves to work. So if you're playful and fun with your kids at home, it's okay to be playful and fun at work. If you have to discipline your children at home, it's okay to bring that person, bring yourself to work because it's hard work to be someone else that's not you. So be authentic, bring your real self to work, don't put a costume on. Jean McCaskill, who's a development and learning specialist in Cisco, I asked her the question: how can you be more human as a leader? And she answered, it's not being a title, it's being you, being you, Neil. Bring yourself to work. Not knowing everything is okay. Drop your ego, drop your armor. But as a leader, you own everything. So you own it. There was another point that was made around being human as well, which is about inclusion. Make sure you're including people as much as you possibly can. Diversity is a fact, inclusion is a choice. And it's up to you as a leader to make sure that all the human beings that work for you are included. You know, just go back to those statistics I shared at the beginning of this speech. Those statistics show that the great leaders produce better business results. So make sure you're investing in your people and you're including all the people, not just people like you, not just the loudest person in the room, not just the most extrovert, but you're including everyone. I love this phrase from the uh the FinTech MD we interviewed. She said, I'm allowed to bring my full self to work. Now imagine if you brought your full self to work. So I guess one of the key points about being human, and another quote I picked up from Joko Willink, who's a heroic extreme ownership, ex-Navy SEAL, he said, be humble, be an enabler, not a dictatorial person. And be humble, that's being human. So those are the key five points I wanted to share with you today. Make sure you've got a vision. Make sure it's compelling and inspiring, and your business, your team, whoever you're leading, know where you're going. Make sure they know what good looks like. Make sure they know their part, their part in the jigsaw puzzle. Be a great communicator. Not just share as much as you can, but not just sharing, not just talking, and creating an environment where there is a cyclical communication, where there's feedback and it's a safe environment. Remember growth and development for you and your team, the most adaptable survive. You need to be growing and adapting, and so do you need to be enabling your team to do that. And then the final point was about being human. Make sure that you bring yourself to work, that you are authentic, that you are humble, that you are inclusive of all the people within your business. I'm gonna close by leaving you with a couple of thoughts. The first one is if you want to succeed as a great leader, always put your people first. We interviewed one of the directors of SoftCap, and he said, I spend way more time championing my people than I do myself. Spend more time championing your people than you do yourself. The other thing I'd add is look, don't try and do this alone. Trying to be a leader is a lonely place. Be courageous, but don't try and do it alone. Look at having support around you, look at having mentors, look at having coaches, look at working with peer groups. Don't try and do it alone because you want to share this experience because you'll learn from other people. Hope that helps. Give you an idea of what it takes to be a great leader.

SPEAKER_00: 18:48

Thank you for listening to the Leadership Detectives with Neil Thabron and Albert Joseph. Please remember to subscribe, give us your comments and your feedback. Please also visit leadershipdetectives.com for all the episodes and more resources and support.