True Leadership Starts with Loving People
Leadership is the art of inspiring others to realise their highest potential in the pursuit of a common goal. That’s it – nothing more, nothing less.
Most companies however persist in promoting people to positions of leadership because they exhibit one or more of the following traits:
- Financial acumen: they’ve recently made the company a lot of money;
- Technical acumen: they’ve recently helped the company solve a difficult technical problem;
- Confidence: they are supremely confident of success, no matter the situation;
- Public speaking: they are at ease when addressing large groups of people;
- Political savvy: they are talented at garnering the support of peers and superiors.
These are all worthy traits, greatly to be admired and rewarded – but it’s possible to have all five of the traits above and still be a terrible leader.
Why?
Because you cannot be a good leader unless you like people. How much should you like them?
Truly, madly, deeply.
So, please do humanity a favour, and stop promoting confident, self- absorbed, politically-savvy public speakers to positions of leadership.
And start promoting instead smart, hard-working colleagues who like people, really like people, who delight in the success of others and see the best in them.