The irony of the report is, that a great leader is great by trying to NOT be a leader! 😂 Let me explain 1. Strong ethics and provides a sense of safety. When staff feels safe, they become less reliant on the leader, and is more willing to explore and self organize, which leads to point 2... 2. Empowers others to self organize The best leader is one that eventually enables others to not need him or her. The great leader relinquishes power to the team, and then help others to become a closely knit team, which is why point 3 is... 3. Fosters a sense of connection and belonging And this sense of connection should happen regardless of whether the leader is there. The connection links everyone to everyone else, and while the leader might role model the connection, but the team is the center, not the leader. Which is why the leader needs to do point 4, 4. Show openness to ideas, and fosters organizational learning Ideas that do not come from the leader, and it is the the organization that learns and grows, even if eventually the organization outgrows the leader... and so, point 5 is... 5. Nurtures growth. The best indicator that a leader is doing a great job, is that eventually, the organization grows beyond the leader. Much like a great parent, or a teacher, or a doctor. If the team constantly needs the leader, then the leader is not doing a great job. It seems like the best leaders are trying to make themselves redundant, or am I oversimplifying things?
They’re all hard to improve because they run counter to our instincts.