To many, the question that is posed in the title might sound totally redundant. Why? We all know that Leaders have the responsibility to lead and we are obligated to follow their instructions (whether we like it or not) in the interest of some larger objectives getting fulfilled. But this definition, of describing a leader, is incomplete and to some extent erroneous. As, in most situations, the objectives pursued by the so-called “leader” can be in direct conflict with those who are following him, but the team grudgingly carries along in the fear of retribution. The purpose of this note is not just to drive into the key attributes of a leader, but to understand why these attributes work and others fail. Also, before I start, I will like to state that the article is inspired by the writings of Simon Sinek whom I have started to admire.
Past
A large proportion of human history (till the discovery of agriculture) has been consumed by people living in small groups — called tribes. These groups rarely exceeded the magic number of “Hundred and Fifty”. The primary objective of these groups was to survive in the face of all kinds of dangers — wild animals, harsh weather, lack of food, diseases, etc. Hence, it became absolutely necessary for all the members of the group to collaborate. Why? The consequences of not doing so were NOT restricted to some individuals but to the whole group. Hence, the group members willfully got attracted to the one in the tribe who they believed will take care of them and help the whole tribe fight against these impending external dangers. This individual (leader) skillfully communicated to the whole tribe his beliefs (how to protect the tribe against external danger) and that resonated with its members — therefore all respected and followed him willfully.
The point to note here that the tribe respected the leader who took care of his people, and willfully followed all his instructions to the best of their ability — all driven by the shared goal, i.e to survive — as they all knew that NOT doing so can be fatal due to the harshness of the world that surrounds them.
Now
This characterization of the “Leader”, that I just described, can be extended to the modern world. The reason is that our basic character and needs are all the same and anchored around one single objective — the need to feel safe and secure. Therefore, we all get naturally attracted to those individuals (follow them willingly) who not only can communicate their vision well but also make us feel safe and secure — a basic necessity of all human beings.
Key Attributes
With this background, let’s dwell on describing the key attributes of a leader, and why we need these attributes.
Communicating Vision
The leader must have the ability to communicate his beliefs clearly and meticulously. These beliefs must be for a purpose that is broad (not narrow, like making money, or driving shareholder’s value), as only then it will resonate with others, and will earn their loyalty. The problem with a narrow vision is that “loyalty” is always a casualty, more so when the outcome is measured in a short window of time. As there will always be someone (or some other company) who will be ahead in this game — driving individuals with such a short-term vision to make a switch. Constant churns will result in increased costs and prevent the teams to collaborate with each other and innovate.
Setting Environment
The responsibility of the leader is to ensure the working environment is nontoxic where people feel safe and secure. Else the people will not be able to give their best and all their energy will get spent on protecting themselves from others team members and their leader. This exactly happens in organizations that are laced with too much politics where the leader is seen promoting his own interest at the expense of his team. Such companies barely do any innovation, and their employees are under constant stress and discomfort — and all their energy is spent covering their backs for protecting their individual interests — after all, we are all driven by the basic human instinct, i.e “survival”.
Delegating Tasks
The leader needs to ensure that folks working under him are sufficiently empowered. Why? The reason: — The primary responsibility of the leader is to take care of his people and not to take decisions on their behalf, as once the people feel safe and secure, they all will give their best to drive the shared objective — that the team believes in. A good leader knows that it is impossible for the team to execute the larger objective in case he (the leader) becomes a bottleneck and therefore he limits his role to only curating the environment, setting visions, and taking care of his people. A team led by such a leader willingly delivers, just like the members of a successful ancient tribe did.
Being Consistent
The leader needs to be consistent. Why? As only then he can earn the trust and credibility of his people. These attributes drive respect from the team, who would then follow him willingly and provide their best even at the cost of significant personal discomfort. The feelings of trust and respect cannot be acquired by mere “authority”. It can only be earned through hard work and by being consistent in one’s actions. We are not judged by what we do, but by doing what we say we will do.
Taking Measured Risk
Leaders need to take measured risks themselves and not expose their team members to all the risks. That is exactly the reason they get to enjoy all the perks that come with the position. These perks are not for free, the team bestowed the leader with these perks as they know the leader will protect them when there is a need. This was true then (in ancient times) and now in the modern corporation.
Making Sacrifices
The leader must always be open to making sacrifices (personal comfort, and in cash and kind) when push comes to shove. For example, in difficult times (in financial crises), a leader should be willing to take pay cuts (financial compromises) in order to protect his people from getting laid off (very easy to say hard to execute). Such actions will drive the loyalty of a significant proportion of his team — much needed when other corporations are waiting to porch bodies through a bait of increased remuneration — a game which is clearly unsustainable in this fiercely competitive world.
Passing Credit and Taking Blame
The leader must have the character/strength to pass all the credit to his team for the success the team delivers and be ready to take all the blame for failures. The reason this is important is it is not the leader who gets to execute the tasks, but the people on his team. And the team's ability to carry out tasks is directly dependent on the leader’s ability to lead. If the team fails it is because of his leadership, it is never the opposite. History is a testimony to the fact that the teams who were called out as failures, suddenly started delivering stellar performances when they were eventually led by a good leader.
Do Leaders Need Formal Authority?
Now the question that might come to the mind of attentive readers that do leaders needs to have formal authority (over their teams) to function. The answer to this question is “No”. Why? Let’s go back to ancient times. Most leaders of these tribes were not imposed on their people. The people followed their leaders willfully as they needed them for their own survival. The same is applicable in the corporate world as well. The leader leading a team in the corporate world needs to get work done (sell products, draw business alignments, etc) from folks (outside his team or organization) over whom he has no formal control or authority. Still many follow him willingly (at the cost of personal discomfort or even loss). Why? Because they also share and cherish the common vision (larger than life) that the leader is skillfully able to communicate.
Hence, to be a leader we don’t need to be bestowed with a rank or any formal title. Anyone from the team can act as a leader. He can do so by taking care of his team members to his right or to his left so that the team feels safe and secure. As he develops trust and credibility, his collegues will willfully follow him and like to be close to him. Why? We as human beings like to be with folk who gives are comfornt and makes us feel shielded.
Conclusion
True leadership is hard to execute as gains in the short term can be zero or even negative. The dividends start to show up only when these attributes are practiced regularly over a long period of time. And doing so requires strong convictions and a character of steel. No digression is allowed and doing so can be fatal as it can potentially destroy credibility and the leader's ability to lead and deliver. Trust and credibility once lost cannot be regained easily, as these are feelings and one cannot demand them by passing a decree on those over who we have formal authority.
We all have the potential of becoming leaders, there are no exceptions. But only if we are ready to play the infinite game — a game that is not bounded over some narrow objectives, as the outcomes of a finite game (win or loss) are beyond our control. But we can control our character, and our conviction to play the infinite game — a game that will outlast our very existence and will deliver outcomes that are larger than life, thereby benefiting all including our rivals — making the world a safer and better place for all to live.
(My sincere thanks to Simon Sinek for inspiring me to write this note)
