The Lost Art of Leadership
Have you noticed lately how the world seems to have an abundance of “Leadershit” instead of Leadership?
There are people in power making decisions that compromise our basic human values of trust, loyalty and respect. As a result we’ve come to expect the worst from our "leaders" and this attitude causes more complaining at all levels when things go wrong or aren't done properly.
Worse, when someone steps up and actually tries to fix a problem, they face an incredible uphill battle because of a lack of trust. And if by some sliver of bad luck this aspiring leader screws up while trying to fix a problem, they are instantly crucified and labelled "just like the rest".
This needs to stop.
We need to flood our minds with positive role models of good leaders to re-inspire us what leadership actually means. We need to rebuild our trust in leadership as a capability to solve problems.
So how do we achieve that?
Well you as an existing or aspiring leader, need to step up and play a bigger game. Let me break it down.
Great Leaders Embrace Communication
The other day I stumbled upon a live stream from Don Meij, the CEO of Dominos, Australia’s largest pizza chain. Don was inside one of the store kitchens, wearing an apron and gloves instead of the traditional corporate suit and tie. He began demonstrating Dominos fast cook ovens by making a pizza and cheesy garlic bread and told us a bit about what was happening in the company.
I was stunned.
Here was a leader of a major Australian company giving us a behind the scenes look at what's happening and why it's important. It had such a different effect to seeing an ad or reading an annual report. It was personal. It was relatable. It was human. And THAT is what creates trust in today’s world.behind the scenes look at what's happening and why it's important. It had such a different effect to seeing an ad or reading an annual report. It was personal. It was relatable. It was human. And THAT is what creates trust in today’s world.
But did it work?
Hellz yeah!
The comments on the video were extremely positive. They weren't just from customers but also other franchise store owners who were excited because their leader was actually doing what a leader is meant to do.
To extrapolate why this is relevant to you, think about what Don is doing here. He's getting out of his office, rolling up his sleeves and telling us what's going on. Most importantly he is demonstrating to us how excited he is about the changes and what they mean to the ecosystem of the company - its people, shareholders, franchisees and customers. When was the last time you saw a “leader” do that?
Such a simple gesture from a leader has such a huge impact given the world we live in today.
Great Leaders Guide Followers
Tech startup Speedlancer has a unique implementation of leadership. Many of you might not have heard of them so bear with me for a moment while I explain who they are and why they are brilliant.
Those of you who use freelancing platforms know how time consuming it is to post a job, wade through tonnes of proposals and then select the right person for you. Well Speedlancer does all that heavy lifting for you.
All you have to do is post a job and then wait for the result. Their visual project management workflow is pure gold and allows you to instantly know where a task is at, so you can focus on doing what you do best and let the software handle the rest. Using Speedlancer is less like outsourcing important tasks to strangers, and more like having extended family (ones that you actually like!), to get stuff done!
Okay back to the story.
After hearing all the international reviews about them I decided to check them out. So I signed up and when I logged in, up pops this little message window with a personalised greeting offering to show me around the software.
The thing is, the greeting isn’t just from anyone - it's from Adam Stone, the CEO of Speedlancer who is walking me through the platform. AND he's got his LinkedIN and Twitter details on there so I can go to him directly if something goes wrong.
Let me give you some context as to why I valued this approach.
I’m passionate about cars and I frequently visit a very popular motoring website here in Australia to read reviews on new models. But every time I visit that website, a little popup chat window appears along with an annoying bell and asks me if I want to chat with a team member. I know it’s just a chatbot and since I’m there to read reviews, I automatically close it. But it doesn’t take the hint and every time I open up that website or a new tab to read about a different model, the bell goes off and the chat windows appear.
Now when I visit the website I turn my sound off and get ready to close the windows as soon as they pop up. Rather than enhancing my experience it annoys the sh*t out of me. This is also an example of disconnected leadership as someone in that company authorised this torture.
Speedlancer’s popup is different. It’s not intrusive, it’s helpful. I’m new to the environment and don’t know much about the platform so I would relish some digital guidance as a first time user. I don’t care if it’s not a live chat or even if it’s a chatbot because the pic on the popup isn't just some random employee that I have no intention of caring about. It's the leader of the company, showing up to face his customers and accept responsibility for their success or failure on his software.
That's instant credibility. That's instant trust. THAT is leadership.
Great Leadership Isn’t Complicated
Such simple things as stepping up and showing your face to customers blows my mind because we live in a world where our "leaders" hide behind policies, procedures and closed doors. They're quick to claim micro successes and even quicker to shift the blame when things go wrong. That’s the status quo of leadership today and it needs to change.
You don't need a title to lead. All you need is a desire to step up to help those around you. That's how we influence the world to become a better place. And when you think about it in the grand scheme of things, can we afford not to?
- AJ~
AJ Kulatunga is a keynote speaker and management consultant on Entrepreneurial Thinking who helps companies select and implement ideas that solve problems.
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