 Organisations are complex colonies of people to begin with, as it brings together people of many schools of thought, multifaceted experiences, numerous baggage from the past and unimaginable variation in their personalities from different upbringings and environments. One might agree that in the end, what is most challenging is not the target, goal or the strategy that takes one there. More testing is the ability to get the ‘people’ to achieve these objectives, whilst sticking to a vision, a mission and a set of values.
Who is the most suitable candidate who can actually make a sustainable impact and drive the organisation to a level that can continuously grow, transform and adapt? In our complex colonies there are some human beings who more or less go unnoticed, because talking about themselves or what they do is not in their nature. Some tell them ‘you have to talk; otherwise you can never get anywhere in this organisation’. But, maybe this is the wrong thing to say to the wrong person, for he is someone who awaits the right moment to talk: not with a sense of self-glorification, but with a sense of passion to what he does. If you are a manager who leads such a person in your team, keep an eye on him. He could be the type that can make a real difference.
Research in the management arena has revealed that a highly capable individual working effectively with others to achieve a team goal, or a competent manager who can organise his people and resources, or even a leader who is a genius in channelling commitment towards a clear and compelling vision, is still below the mark of great leadership. So what’s the secret? Charisma?...Think again.
Most of us are under the impression that transforming organisations require charismatic and larger-than-life personalities. There is growing literature that a transformational leader need not necessarily be a charismatic leader. Charisma works well if the intention or the motive behind the leadership is for the greater good. But, what if it is based on a selfish cause that leads to destruction inevitably, like in the case of Hitler and Napoleon, from a political point of view? Why could they not sustain their efforts? Charisma does not work all the time. If one wants to uphold and continuously live their vision of leadership, there has to be something more to the equation.
The missing ingredients may be found in what one might call ‘humility’ and ‘professional will’ combined. Supported by extensive research from the field, leaders who can transform good to great, are found to be modest yet wilful, shy yet fearless. These leaders rarely talk about themselves and would instinctively deflect the discussion about their own role in the outcome. They are not boastful and shun public adulation. They are often calm and quiet, and rely principally on inspired standards and not inspired charisma to motivate their people. They prepare successors for even more greatness in the next generation, whilst being comfortable with the idea that most people might not even know that the roots of that success trace back to them. They look in the mirror and not out of the window when attributing responsibility for poor results and never blame others, bad luck or any external determinants in the face of failure.
Pairing with ‘humility’ is ‘professional will’: another component that makes up the right mix of a great leader. ‘Professional will’ is about the unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best ‘long term’ results, no matter how difficult. These leaders act as a clear buffer, whilst also taking up a catalyst’s role in the transition process. They set high standards for building an enduring great organisation and will not settle for anything less. Their tremendous will cannot stand mediocrity and they are utterly intolerant of the idea that ‘good is good enough’. They look out the window and not in the mirror, when apportioning credit for success and congratulate the collective efforts, rather than their own leadership.
Some will never bring themselves to overcome their own desires to the greater aspiration of something larger and more lasting than themselves. Work will always be the first and the foremost about what they gain – reputation, wealth, power and praise. However, the empowering thought is that we still have a choice to be humble. This is a powerful and very likely, an essential idea in the next phase of corporate evolution.
As I conclude this article for this week, the words of an old teacher rings a bell- ‘no one is indispensable; life will go on with or without you’.
(The writer is a Business Psychologist and can be reached at rozaine@forte.lk).
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