If You’re Not Angry, You Can’t Be An Effective Leader
“Anger doesn’t solve anything. It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything.”On the surface of it, many would agree with that sentiment. However, I couldn’t disagree more. Despite what some might tell you, anger isn’t the bad guy. Anger isn’t something to suppress. Anger isn’t anything to be ashamed of. For many years, a very dear friend of mine battled with a “nice guy” image. He thought that the only way to get on in this world and achieve his potential was to please everyone. He figured only criminals got angry or men who beat their wives or leaders who bullied their people. Whenever he got angry, he felt shame and did his best to deny it or limit it. Unfortunately, he could only do that for so long, which meant that inevitably he would sometimes erupt. The reason, I know all of this about this friend is because that friend was ME. Thankfully, I’ve since discovered that anger is a wonderfully powerful human emotion that can be an incredible force for good. The problem isn’t anger. The problem is that so many people don’t know how to control and channel that anger. In leadership, the difference between a passive leader, or a passive-aggressive leader, or an aggressive leader, and an assertive leader is their relationship with anger. Stay with me and I’ll show you how a healthy relationship with anger is one of the keys to you becoming an effective leader; in other words, one who is assertive, engaging, transformational, and delivers great results. Is Anger Necessary? In the preface of my book, Leading from Your Core, I share this story…
“My first experience of working closely with very senior leaders in business was a defining one for me. It was a few years after graduating. I had been hired as a train systems engineer and accepted on to the graduate development programme of an engineering and construction firm with responsibility for a multi-billion-pound schedule of improvement and maintenance of the London Underground.
I didn’t really enjoy the engineering side of the role, but I was lucky. Only eighteen months into the programme, I secured a six-month placement to shadow the managing director of our sister company.
I attended many key meetings, including some board meetings and one-to-ones, and engaged in various projects with senior leaders and middle managers, on behalf of the managing director. I observed what it was like to be at the helm of an organisation – the power, the authority, the resources at your disposal – and to be completely honest, I didn’t always like what I saw.
The managing director, in particular, was extremely intelligent and experienced, yet he had a reputation for berating the life out of those working for him. If he felt someone was incompetent and hadn’t done something to his standard, they would know it, along with every other person within earshot of them. He instilled fear into many as he asserted his authority and intelligence.
Even though I got on well with him, enjoyed our one-to-one conversations, and learnt a ton during the six-month stint, after that experience, I promised myself that if I ever had a chance to lead people – choosing between leading by asserting my authority, intelligence, superiority, and power or from a place of genuine, positive influence – I would choose the latter.”Some people miss the point of the story and think the answer is to have NO anger and all become nice and cuddly. Not at all! We absolutely need anger in our lives. If someone were to hurt my loved ones, or steal something really important to me, or do something that goes against my core values, don’t expect me to say, “Thanks for hurting my son.” “Thank you for bashing into my wife’s car.” “Thank you kindly for breaking into my house.” “Thank you so much for reinforcing racial prejudice.” When you have a healthy relationship with anger, it can be one of the most powerful and loving forces in the world. Anger stops wars. Anger fights injustice. Anger drives innovation. Anger fuels revolutions. Anger inspires change. Anger culls abuse. Anger overcomes bureaucracy. Is the Expression of Anger Always Healthy? Research shows that suppressed anger can be an underlying cause of anxiety or depression. In fact, when it’s not expressed appropriately, anger can affect our thinking and behaviour, negatively impact relationships, and can even lead to high blood pressure, skin disorders, and heart problems. The clear message is that anger needs to be expressed and not suppressed. The challenge, of course, is to do it in a healthy way. To determine whether your expression of anger is healthy, you need to ask yourself: Am I in control of my anger or is my anger in control of me? Am I at the whim of my every emotion and every circumstance? Is this about my ego or about a greater cause that will benefit others? When you’re not in control of your anger and when it is about your ego, on the extreme end, it shows up as: Bullying Abuse Intimidation Attacking Oppression Harassment Interestingly, not being in control of our anger, can also show up in passive ways. For example, when we don’t give ourselves permission to be angry, we stuff our anger and become emotionally dishonest or distant or apologetic. It can also show up in passive-aggressive ways in the form of trolling, blaming, cynicism, procrastination, resentment. The number one difference between healthy anger that you’re in control of and destructive, selfish anger that controls you is whether your motive is self-serving or for the benefit of someone else. Do You Have a Healthy Relationship with Anger? Leaders can relate to anger in 4 different ways:
- Deny – Passive leaders deny their anger. They are often blaming and apologetic and indirect in their communication.
- Limit – Passive-aggressive leaders limit their anger. They too are often indirect and subtle in their communication. They might be self-denying at first, but with a view to getting their own way later.
- Erupt – Aggressive leaders are inappropriately honest in their communication. They mostly direct their anger towards people in an eruption that results in stifling and controlling others. They typically insist on their rights above the rights of others.
- Channel – Assertive leaders channel their anger towards making circumstances or situations better for themselves and others. That means in the heat of the moment they take the time to pause and ask themselves, “what really matters here?” They are respectful of their own rights and the rights of others. They keep their ego in check. They do this by playing a different game and having big dreams for their people.
- Accept – Anger is normal and healthy, so accept it and give yourself permission to be angry. The best leaders have a healthy relationship with anger. They know that anger can be a form of fierce compassion – protecting what is good, protecting those they love, protecting their values.
- Respect – Anger is power. With great power comes great responsibility. To ensure that that power doesn’t destroy the good around you, respect yourself and others, and keep your ego in check.
- Channel – Channel your anger towards making circumstances or situations better. When channelled in this way, anger can be one of the most loving and powerful forces in the world.
You Might Know Your IQ or EQ, but Do You Know Your RQ and How to Develop it? (By Elaine Rémy)
“When life squeezes you and the pressure is on, what you’re like on the inside will come out.”
– Obi Abuchi
Have you ever wondered why…when life squeezes some leaders it breaks them…and when it squeezes others…they bounce back and become even stronger?
Well, it has very little to do with their IQ and everything to do with their RQ. And, by that, I mean their resilience.
So, what is resilience and why is it more important than ever that today’s leaders ARE resilient?
Well, resilience is the process of managing and adapting positively to significant sources of stress. It’s bouncing back from adversity and growing as a person, EVEN after difficult or traumatic experiences. It’s an essential skill to have today because it’s been scientifically proven that resilience…is the antidote…to stress.
On statista.com, you can read about a survey carried out in the UK in 2020 regarding the most common type of stress experienced by Brits. It turns out that work stress is top of the list, with 79 percent of respondents saying they frequently feel this type of stress. Incidentally, 60 percent of respondents said they frequently feel monetary stress, and 48 percent experienced family stress. So, as you can see, stress is mainly work-related and it’s well-known that this is a global phenomenon.
Like leadership, resilience is made up of many different aspects, many different elements and here, I’d like to introduce you to the Resilience Quotient Inventory or RQi, which is a comprehensive tool made up of 6 key elements (and 26 sub-elements):
- Purpose and Fulfilment
- Positive Mindset
- Supportive Relationships
- Managing Problems
- Managing Emotions
- Managing Physiology
I recently had a resilience assessment with Elaine, which I found to be very enlightening. The assessment gave me an invaluable opportunity to explore and recognise how I deal with and overcome stressful situations both within work and life. As well as offering me a very in-depth assessment of my own resilience and the tools I currently use to overcome stress, it also opened my eyes to ways I can deal with situations more effectively…having this insight will be extremely beneficial to my own learning and development.
Now, when I look back on my life and think about some of the really stressful situations that squeezed me – be that the chronic health condition I suffered from, starting and running businesses, financial difficulties and divorce, I can see that having many of those 26 sub-elements in place has helped me to build my resilience muscles and become not just a survivor but a thriver who is now in a position to support others, like yourself, on their journey of becoming a resilient leader. So, whether you’re an emerging or seasoned leader, a senior leader in an international organisation or a CEO of a company, the Resilience Quotient Inventory is for YOU. Want to take this further? Get in touch and find out more about how the RQi can help you become a part of a growing movement of resilient leaders who are committed to improving organisations, transforming lives, and making our world a better place.In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure world, leadership is often defined by strategies, data, and decision-making frameworks. But, after two decades of coaching, training, and working with leaders across the globe, I’ve come to realise that there is a deeper, often overlooked component of leadership, especially in the business world, and that is: spirituality.
What Do I Mean by Spirituality?
For me, spirituality involves tapping into your true self and core purpose—gaining inner clarity that guides your decisions, actions, and responses, especially when the stakes are high. And that matters because life throws a lot of challenges our way as leaders, and as I say in my book, Leading from Your Core, “when life squeezes you and the pressure is on, what you’re like on the inside will come out.”
In moments of crisis, when the pressure is intense, it’s this deeper alignment that allows leaders to act with calm, focus, and strength. Spirituality is the force that gives you that inner strength as it connects you with the best version of you.
“Spirituality is the force that gives you that inner strength as it connects you with the best version of you.”
Why Does Spirituality Matter Now?
Leadership is no longer just about managing tasks, achieving targets, or driving results and efficiencies. The world we live in continues to be increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. It’s in this kind of environment that leaders need more than just technical skills, frameworks, or strategies—they need inner strength and deep insight. When you’re grounded spiritually, you’re better equipped to handle uncertainty and inspire confidence in others, even when the path ahead isn’t clear.
Harvard Business School’s William George has noted that ‘mindful leadership‘ is becoming essential for today’s leaders. By developing self-awareness and emotional intelligence, leaders are better positioned to respond to challenges with resilience and calm. This parallels my belief that spirituality, often understood through mindfulness or core purpose or inner self or spirit essence, is the foundation that sustains effective leadership over time.
“Spirituality is the foundation that sustains effective leadership over time.”
Spirituality and Leadership Mastery
I know what you’re thinking—”of course, with a name like Obi, it’s only natural that you’d lean into spirituality!” But, beyond the name, my deep passion for personal leadership and relentless pursuit of mastery earn me the title of ‘Jedi of Personal Leadership’. And in that spirit, I liken spirituality to the Force. The Force, for a Jedi, is something bigger than us that we connect with deep inside of ourselves. It enables us to tap into the transcendent dimension of life. It is the source of clarity and strength. It helps you lead with calm in moments of chaos and with purpose in moments of doubt. This Force—this spirituality—provides a deeper, unshakable alignment that keeps you steady, no matter the challenges around you.
“Spirituality provides a deeper, unshakable alignment that keeps you steady, no matter the challenges around you.”
And when you’re able to lead from that place of inner alignment, you become not only a more effective leader but a more fulfilled one.
(If you’re curious about your own spiritual alignment as a leader, consider taking our new CORE Leaders Self-Assessment. More information at the end of this article.)
Real-Life Leadership in Action
For many leaders, spiritual alignment has been a key to long-term success. Take Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, for example. He has spoken extensively about how his spiritual practices, particularly meditation, helped him lead with clarity and focus. His spiritual grounding gave him the energy to make thoughtful decisions during his time at Medtronic, allowing him to cultivate a high-performance, values-driven organisation.
Another great example is Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. His leadership approach is rooted in empathy and compassion, which he credits to his deeply held spiritual beliefs. Nadella’s spiritual alignment helped transform Microsoft’s culture by focusing on emotional intelligence and inclusivity—values that have fostered innovation and long-term growth at one of the world’s largest companies.
Then there’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former president of Liberia and Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state. Her leadership during Liberia’s recovery from civil war and through the Ebola outbreak was guided by her spiritual beliefs. She credits her spiritual grounding for helping her maintain clarity and strength during times of national crisis, which allowed her to lead with compassion and resilience.
Finally, David Steward, CEO of Worldwide Technology, has built one of the largest Black-owned businesses in the US by relying on his faith and spiritual principles. Steward’s spiritual grounding has influenced his leadership style, allowing him to foster resilience, create a positive company culture, and use his platform to serve others. His faith continues to be a cornerstone of his leadership success.
Practical Ways to Tap into Your Leadership ‘Force’
It’s not just about big moments of inspiration; spiritual alignment can and should be integrated into your daily leadership practice. Here are some simple, practical ways to apply spirituality in your leadership:
- Daily Reflection: Start your day with a five-minute reflection on your core purpose. Ask yourself how your actions for the day will align with your long-term goals and values. Even if you only have five minutes, this practice sets the tone for purpose-driven leadership and seamlessly integrates into any routine, no matter how busy you are.
- Pause for Clarity: Before making major decisions, pause, lean into silence, and reconnect with your deeper self. Imagine the best version of you stepping forward to ask: “What impact will this decision have on my team, my values, and my long-term goals?” This mindful pause creates space for more thoughtful and aligned choices.
- Embrace Uncertainty: Leaders grounded in spirituality don’t need to have all the answers. Embrace ambiguity with confidence, trusting that there is an intelligence that can guide you through even the most complex situations.
Take the Next Step: Discover Your Spiritual Alignment
If you want to go deeper; if you’re curious about how aligned your leadership is with your core purpose; If you want to lead from a place connected to the best version of you, take our CORE Leaders Self-Assessment – https://corealignmentassessment.coreleaders.co.uk/obi-twe9fyvl.
No matter where you are on your leadership journey, the CORE Leaders Self-Assessment will help you evaluate your inner alignment, including your spiritual core, and you’ll begin to discover how this positively impacts not just your decision-making, but also your business outcomes, team engagement, long-term growth, and personal resilience.
Here’s to unleashing your leadership excellence from the inside out.
May ‘the Force’ be with you!
Obi Abuchi
The Jedi of Personal Leadership
Are You Walking the Walk or Just Talking the Talk?
Do you recognise these values?
- Respect
- Integrity
- Communication
- Excellence
They sound like great values, don’t they?
Before the scandal that sent them into bankruptcy in October 2001, those were the corporate values that the Enron Corporation (an energy company that was based in Houston, Texas) espoused as their guiding principles for how they do what they do.
The problem was that it was all talk. In reality, there was another set of guiding principles driving their culture.
One person put it like this, “Enron’s collapse was a product of the culture of greed, dishonesty, ethical blindness.”
Bridging the gap between our talk and our walk, our espoused values and our lived values, isn’t simply a challenge for amorphous organisations, but a challenge for the individuals that lead at all levels within any organisation.
When organisations and leaders have power, authority and influence without a strong a healthy core they cause damage to the people around them and to our world.
That’s why we believe that truly effective, inspiring and transformational leadership that stands the test of time and doesn’t give in to the pressure of the next quarter’s bottom line, begins with personal mastery.
CORE Leaders are in it for the long haul and do the hard work of developing inner character.
Are you a CORE Leader?
#personalleadership #personalmaster #coreleaders #livingourvalues
2 Things Effective Leaders Know About Goal-Setting in order to Hit the Mark Every Time
Over the years, I must have had thousands of conversations with leaders about goal-setting and achieving organisational targets. What surprises me the most is how many are so focused on the ‘what‘ of goal-setting (i.e. what goals they need to achieve) that they miss out on the real magic – the ‘why‘ and ‘how‘ of goal-setting.
That said, the truly effective, engaging and transformational leaders are absolutely clear about ‘why‘ their goals are important and know ‘how‘ to create goals that really do engage their people and always hit the mark.
This means going way beyond SMART or SMARTER goal-setting.
For a deeper insight into the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of effective goal-setting that always hits the mark, check out the final principle I share in the A-Z of Personal Leadership.
#goalsetting #coreleaders #compellinggoals #effectiveleadership #engagingleadership #transformationalleadership
Why is it Critical for Leaders to have a Strong CORE?
Difficulties break some men [and women] but make others.” – Nelson Mandela
For more than two decades, I’ve been fascinated by the difference that truly effective, inspirational and transformational leaders make to those around them. I’ve discovered that the best of the best have learnt the secret of effective influence – it begins with mastering one’s self and channeling one’s ego in the service of others in order to lead in a way that is deeply purposeful, authentic, and courageous.
Having a strong CORE, developing your character, as a leader is critical. In this video, I share why.
Enjoy!
What is the Best Way to Lead?
Trade wars, evolving expectations of new entrants into the workforce, increasing global competition, political instability, and technological advancements are just some of the reasons that organisations all over the world are experiencing phenomenal change. Although this triggers lots of discussions at senior management level about strategy, organisational structure, risk management, diversification, and digital transformation, it’s not creating enough of a focus on a fundamental question – What is the best way to lead? Or, to be even more specific, what is the best way to lead others so that you win their hearts and minds and unleash the best of their productivity, motivation and engagement as you navigate global and organisational challenges? The answer is surprisingly simple. The answer is … influence. In his book, Chasing Daylight, Erwin McManus has this to say about influence:
“Influence is about winning the heart and soul of another person through the strength of your own character. Influence flows through relationships. Influence can do what command can never do. Influence is born out of who a person who is. Influence is rooted in character.” Perhaps the reason so many leaders prefer to rely on their power, authority, or intelligence as the foundation of their leadership, rather than rely on the strength of their character, is that they’re afraid they will have very little influence otherwise. And yet, the sort of leadership that wins hearts and minds, the sort of leadership that brings out the best in those around us, the sort of leadership that increases engagement and productivity isn’t power, authority, or intelligence-based leadership, but character-based leadership. The best leaders – the truly effective, inspirational and transformational leaders – have learnt the secret of effective influence – it begins with oneself and not with others. If you want to lead in a way that stands the test of time and really makes a difference, then you need to focus on your influence and remember that influence has everything to do with your character.
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Want to go deeper? Sign up to access the A-Z of Personal Leadership Success video series, today!
Why Does Character Matter in Leadership?
As a leader, if you asked anyone in your team or organisation, in almost any context, if they’d prefer to have a leader with or without character, you’d struggle to find someone who wouldn’t overwhelmingly want to work for a leader with character.
The question must then be asked, what is character? Many would describe it in terms of how a person behaves or their qualities.
Character actually has its roots in the ancient Greek word, kharaktêr, which means chisel or stamping tool. The idea is that what is desired is created and forged by shaping and removing the junk or unwanted material. So, when we think of a leader with character, we really mean one who has undergone the painful process of getting rid of undesirable qualities and becoming a person who can be described with words like tenacious, trustworthy, resilient, reliable, courageous, full of integrity, or being purpose-driven rather than ego-driven.
Character building doesn’t just happen; it requires intention. You’re not simply born with qualities like reliability, resilience, integrity; it’s something you take responsibility for building.
Why does any of this matter? Why does character matter in leadership?
Let’s step back in time for an answer – more than 130yrs back in time.
So, it’s 1888. A Swedish chemist, who had made his fortune inventing and producing dynamite, was reading a newspaper and suddenly came across a headline and story that literally rocked him to his core!
What could have been so shocking as to cause him much despair?
Well, the story was meant to be an obituary about his brother, Ludvig, who had recently died in France. Instead, the obituary, in the French newspaper, was about him. The editor had mixed up the brothers. The headline read, “The Merchant of Death Is Dead.” Alfred Nobel’s obituary went on to describe a man who had amassed riches by helping people kill one another.
This summary of his life shook him to his very foundations. And so, upon reflection, he resolved to use his wealth from that moment onwards to change his legacy. The Nobel Prize awards that we have today are thanks to the more than $9 million he left after his death to fund awards for people whose work benefits humanity.
In a sense, Alfred Nobel had a unique and rare opportunity to live his life all over again and do it right. To live a life that counted.
As leaders, if we’re really honest, we too want our lives to count. When all is said and done, we want what we did with our lives to have made a difference, not only to our organisations but to our families and even our communities.
The challenge is that we get sucked into the false notion that we can rely on our authority or power to lead and we don’t put in the hard work of growing in character.
It’s no wonder Abraham Lincoln said,
“Nearly all men [and women] can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
What would people say about you? Are you a leader with character?
Our world needs more leaders who are committed to doing the hard work of growing from the inside out. That’s the sort of leadership that wins hearts and minds. That’s the sort of leadership that results in thriving organisations. That’s the sort of leadership that truly unleashes the best in others.
What Keeps You Awake At Night? (Part I)
In my conversations with leaders about the pressures that they face, it’s common to hear those burning issues described as “the things that keep me awake at night.” I get it. As an entrepreneur, CEO or senior leader there’s a lot of responsibility resting on one’s shoulders – from business development to team development, from product innovation to process innovation, from customer engagement to employee engagement. With burnout and mental health challenges becoming a hot topic for senior leaders, there’s a critical change in the way that we lead that would address any barriers to sustained leadership effectiveness.
At the beginning of this year, I participated in a 3-day leadership conference in Lubbock, Texas. The conference was attended by CEOs and their senior leadership teams and covered many fundamental areas, including building a purpose-driven business, aligning culture around a clear set of values and leadership styles. I noticed, as I read the bios of the various speakers, that one of the breakout speakers described himself and his wife as the “Stewards” of their family-run company. I was immediately drawn to that description and had a great conversation with the speaker later that day. I couldn’t help but wonder, what would happen if more CEOs and senior executives saw themselves simply as stewards, responsible for doing their absolute best to look after, grow and nurture someone else’s assets, even if it was in fact a business that they had founded or co-founded?
The answer is that they will sleep more soundly. After all, when you’ve done your absolute best to serve others, when you recognise that your ego or reputation isn’t at stake because you’re not playing that game, when you know that you’ve got nothing to hide and your conscience is clear because you’re committed to acting ethically, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, those leaders who apply the principle of stewardship can sleep like a baby and get up the next day ready to play at a level that very few dare to reach.
Many years ago, I came across a model by Steve Siebold describing the different levels at which people live, think and play the game of life. I think it’s so relevant for leaders (and complements this principle) that I like to use this model with those I train and coach to show what separates the best leaders from the rest.
- The first level is – playing not to lose – this is where, as a leader, we’re more dominated by the fear of failure or the fear of not performing well. We do what we do simply to avoid the consequences. It gets us some traction at least.
- The next level is – playing to cruise – this is where we’re all about staying under the radar. Still very much a fear-based approach to leading and playing the game of life. Some would describe this as operating at the level of mediocrity.
- The third level is – playing to improve – we’re really beginning to switch gears here. As leaders, we’re thinking that we can actually accomplish more than we thought. We might even be better than people said we were.
- The fourth level is – playing to compete – this is where we’re really focused on being the best. We see our peers as competition. A lot of driven and ‘high-performing’ leaders operate at this level. This level is about having strong beliefs and confidence in our capabilities, but we’re still driven by fear and ego. It’s still about what we can achieve. It’s still about protecting our reputation. It’s still about making a name for ourselves. When we lead at this level, we get a lot done but we can also cause a lot of damage to our organisations and the people around us because we’re highly competent, often very intelligent and have a big ego – a very toxic combination.
- The fifth level is – playing to win – this is the level where we’re no longer competing with others but competing against ourselves and are focused on achieving and being our personal best every single day. I actually prefer to think of this fifth level as “playing to contribute, to serve, to give,” because,at this level, we’re about learning, growing, contributing, expressing ourselves and running our best race. We’re more attuned to the needs of others and excel at bringing out the best in those around us for the common good of the organisation. We have no need to feel afraid of what others might think or say, because we’re no longer playing that game.
This is why leaders who operate at this level can sleep soundly at night and are way more resilient than their counterparts who operate at other levels.
So, how can you start to operate at this level? How do you apply the principle of stewardship?
More on that in Part II coming soon…
#resilience #character #coreleader
What Keeps You Awake At Night? (Part II)
In Part I, I shared one of the key principles that separates the best leaders from the rest. If you haven’t already, be sure to read that before moving on (click here to read Part 1).
In this article, I dive straight in and answer the questions that wrapped up Part I:
- How do you begin to operate at this level of “Playing to Win”?
- How do you apply the principle of stewardship?
For starters, the following three actions will help. Whether you run a FTSE 100 company, Fortune 500 company, are on the Board of a medium-sized business, or own and run a small business, these can apply to you.
1. Recognise that effective leadership begins as an inside job
It’s very easy for senior leaders to become so consumed with addressing the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of their external world that they pay very little attention to the VUCA within. This goes way beyond simply incorporating mindfulness and regular exercise into your daily routine but involves doing the hard work of clarifying your values, walking with integrity, cultivating habits that maximise your energy and courage, addressing shadow beliefs, and growing your emotional intelligence. This will help you lead from a place of purpose rather than a place of fear.
2. Stay close to where the action is
Part of the challenge of leadership is that the typical hierarchy in most organisations means that as you develop as a leader, you move further away from the frontline action and often lose touch with the reality of the day-to-day challenges your people and customers actually face. To counter that, make it a habit to regularly visit and talk directly to your customers, walk the floor of your business and have lunch with frontline colleagues. Don’t just analyse business data, get under the skin of it by having real conversations with the people at the coal-face of your business. If you see your role as removing obstacles for your people and solving your customers’ challenges, the only way you can truly do that is to intimately understand the obstacles and challenges as best as you can.
3. Guard yourself against the danger of privileges
I absolutely believe in leaders being rewarded for their work, contribution and results. However, the privileges that you receive by virtue of your position can so easily get to your head and cause you to rely on your power, authority, position and intelligence to influence others, instead of your character. That’s when leaders begin to abuse their position, make unethical decisions and compromise their values. That’s also when they begin to lose the respect of those who look up to them. So, put checks in place to guard against abusing your position and the privileges that come with it. Some great examples of checks used by senior leaders include, advisory boards, salary caps and charitable giving commitments.
Our world needs leaders who are more devoted to serving others than they are themselves. The payoff is not only improved performance, results and engagement in the workplace, but also a sound night’s sleep.
#resilience #character #coreleader