Why Should You Want To Be Led By Anyone?

by Ray B Williams

If you want to silence a roomful of executives, ask them, "why would anyone want to be led by you?" You'll usually be met with silence. What makes people follow leaders? We think of the charismatic leaders such as Obama, or Bill Clinton or Dr. Martin Luther King, and also the quiet, calm leaders such as Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandella or the Dalai Lama. In business, certain leaders have developed a devoted following, such as a Jack Welch or Carly Fiorina. Did they have anything in common? Given the current mistrust of our captains of industry, the issue of what kind of leaders to follow becomes an important one.

We've all read the typical leadership books which focus on the characteristics of leaders as needing vision, energy, charismatic authority and strategic thinking. So let's take that as a given.

But is there more?

Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones have written an interesting book, "Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?" The authors argue that you can't get anything done without followers, and in current times, the concept of "empowerment" is central. Followers today are hard to find, except by leaders who excel at capturing people's hearts, minds and spirits. They go on to say that the qualities of leadership are not essentially about results per se. While many leaders they studied had great financial results, they excelled at something more--something somewhat intangible.
In their 25 years of research on leadership, Goffee and Jones were able to identify four popular myths about leadership:

Myth 1: Everyone can be a leader. Not true. Many managers or executives don't have the self-awareness or authenticity for leadership.

Myth 2: Great leaders primarily deliver business results. Not always. If results were the only measure, many of the great leaders in business would be classified as failures. And it depends on whether you measure the short-term or long-term.

Myth 3. People who get to the top are leaders. Not necessarily. Many people who have made it to the top have done so because of political acumen, not necessarily because of leadership qualities.

Myth 4: Leaders are great coaches. Rarely. While it is possible for leaders to be great coaches, that happens occasionally. But smart leaders bring in talented coaches to help them and their followers.

So what do great leaders do that makes people want to follow them? Here's what Goffee and Jones suggest are four critical behaviors:

1. Great leaders reveal their weaknesses.They show us who they are, warts and all.

2. Great leaders are "sensors," collecting "soft people data"--interpersonal cues, so they can intuitively decide what's going on and what they need to do.

3. Great leaders manage employees with "tough empathy." They care passionately about their employees and their work, while giving them only what they need to achieve their best.

4. Great leaders dare to be different.They capitalize on what is unique in them to great advantage.

In these difficult times, leadership has never been more important, and having leaders who are authentic and can capture the hearts and souls of their followers have never been more needed.

About Ray B Williams
Ray B Williams is Co-Founder of Success IQ University a company based in Phoenix, Arizona providing the most innovative products and services to help professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners be more successful in life and work.
Ray is also President of Ray B Williams Associates, a company based in Vancouver B.C., providing executive coaching services.
Ray has been an executive, management consultant and coach for over thirty years, working with leaders throughout the world. He is also a Certified Hypnotherapist and Master NLP Coach. Ray has written a number of books on leadership and writes a regular column for the National Post, Canada's leading newspaper.
Ray is in demand as a speaker, coach, consultant and author throughout North America.
www.successiqu.comwww.raybwilliamsassociates.com;
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