Leadership fascinates me – the ability to inspire, direct and engage groups of people towards a common
goal or purpose. What it takes, who can do it, who can’t, why there are many right ways – and so many
wrong ways.
There are innumerable articles and books on leadership and I suppose I could have just posted a link to
one of my favourite websites, but I then I would have had to choose just one and I wouldn’t have had
the opportunity to share some of my own thoughts.
- Hire the right people, good people
There is nothing you can do if you don’t have the right tools. You shouldn’t perform brain surgery
with a steak knife, and neither should you try to power a rocket with cotton candy. Both of those
things are useful, but not for those purposes. You MUST hire the right people. You MUST train
them correctly. And, critically, you MUST remove those pieces that don’t fit. As Gary Vaynerchuk
says “Hire fast, and fire faster.” - Give them the freedom to do the job for which you hired them.
You can call it empowerment, you can call it autonomy, you can call it self-actualization. What you
call it really doesn’t matter. You’ve hired the right people and you’ve trained them well – now you
must set them free. If you don’t then you will stifle them, they will leave and you will have failed. If
you set out to hire the best and the brightest candidates for the positions available then why would
you treat them as though they are incompetent?
Alternatively you will spend all your time looking over their shoulders and for all intents and
purposes doing their jobs for them and therefore, again you will have failed. - Provide guidance and support
You’ve hired great people and fully empowered them – now what? What do they even need you
for? Your job is to make sure that they have everything they need to perform those tasks which
you’ve required of them. Materials, assistance and time are the most common – make you’re your
people are well equipped. Motivation – communicate your mission – often. It is your job to keep
your people focussed on the goal that you’ve set. Check in with them regularly – make sure they’re
on track and that they have everything they need. Show them that it is important to you that they
succeed – and that you’re committed to helping them get there.
Being a leader is more than just being a boss. It is not easy, but its incredibly rewarding – and the only way to succeed when you get to the place where you need help to achieve the goals you’ve set.