PORTRAIT OF THE INSPIRING LEADER

The world today more than ever needs visionary leaders in all spheres of life – from business and technologies to politics, science and art, to social relations. Why? In the course of millennia, during the greater part of the history of humanity, people had relied on natural leaders – the chieftain, the shaman, the elders in the village or the town, the priest, the local monarch. The power relations between them were set in tradition, changes were extremely rare and usually came slowly and imperceptibly – climate and technological transformation, arrival of new ideas and their acceptance or rejection by the society.

Our everyday life is dramatically different. We live in a world of dynamic changes that in the span of a human life transformed technologies, economy, culture and our habits more than in, say, the past 500 years. The times are turbulent – speeding climate change, global shifts in the international economic landscape, political turmoil that in places has erupted into armed conflicts, a recent pandemic that, in most likelihood, will not be the last challenge of such type.

In such instability people crave leaders capable of explaining to them the world, of offering them a direction to follow and an exit from the situation. They want people capable of motivating them to head on the road towards the unknown regardless of the price they will have to pay, and to lead ahead until they establish a new level of balance in the world. A titanic task that the new generation of leaders is facing now. Due to tradition, a significant part of these leaders are men. 

For a number of reasons, politicians are failing to become the leaders that the world needs today – leaders who know what they do, who understand what they have to do and are ready to mobilise the entire society to accept even unpopular measures on their journey towards realising the set goals.

Due to the specificities of the modern economy and society, the people who really have the power to change the world around them – on a big or small, local scale – are ones engaged in business activities. Founders of companies, visionaries, impressive general directors and CEOs – these are the people today who set the agenda of the entire world. The names of the most influential of them are known to everyone – Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and their musings on the topic of leadership sometimes become inspirational quotes. Of course, the true leader is a leader regardless of how big the organisation he manages is. The true leader can inspire change even with a small team.

And so – what qualities do we need to seek from business leaders today?

SKILL TO SEE FARTHER FROM THE REST

When times are uncertain and everyone senses that change is needed, but are at a loss on what the change should be, the leader is the man who identifies the right new direction.

The actions of the leader speak more than their words. Their deeds show to the team that they are in good hands and that they can calmly follow their lead.

ATTITUDE TO THE OTHERS

To lead means to show the way, not to force your employees as a herd in the desired direction. A good leader can convince his team that his choices are the best possible in the present circumstances. This is why such professionalists can be recognised by the tendency to surround themselves with active, analytically thinking followers rather than with passive yes-sayers who automatically perform the set tasks.

True leaders manage to show to the people in their team that their ideas can be valuable, that their efforts are meaningful, that their work indeed makes the world a better place, that their opinion is heard and recognised. Achieving this in practice is very hard – managing a team is a task that requires good leaders to be not only open for dialogue, but also consciously responsible.

Or, to put it in another way – the difference between a true leader and a boss is that the first leads and the second manages.

HIGH RESPONSIBILITY

Big, charismatic dreamers can inspire the others with the sheer power of their enthusiasm. However, if they fail to create a team that is sustainable and perseveres to achieve their goals, they cannot be called true leaders. The true leader is not only capable of lighting the spark of inspiration in others – he is also capable of keeping it alive and turning it into the fire of sustainability.

The organisational skills, the capability to create a working team and to give them an opportunity to develop are key talents of good leaders. And, when the leader feels that they lack some skills in this area, they manage to attract a follower capable of dealing with the task and helping him achieve the dream team.

TRUE PASSION

The true leader does not just go to the office. He does not just do his business tasks and is not in his position because of the salary. He is really passionate about his job, strives for results that are as close to perfection as humanly possible, and does not count how many hours he has worked. For the others this sometimes might look like obsession, but the true leader understands with his entire being that he could not live otherwise.

Why? Because good leaders believe in the potential of their ideas, in the quality of the products and services that their teams create, in their relevance and capability to significantly improve other people's lives and businesses.

CONFIDENT LIKE A ROCK

This passion and faith in their own ideas gives true leaders the power to stand up for their principles and position even when it seems that the entire world is against them. The capability to categorically declare your standing before the others and to defend it even without support, combined with the perseverance to work in the direction you have chosen, becomes an inspirational example for the others and shows internal integrity without which true leadership is unthinkable. 

This can mean that good leaders can consistently defend the nonstandard business strategy they have chosen, or the unique product for which the market might not be ready yet, or a controversial marketing campaign. Good leaders realise that we live in a world in which disruptive ideas are often the only way forward that guarantees that the organisations that they lead will be way ahead of the competition. 

CONSTANT LEARNING

The good leader is aware that no-one was born ready for leading. Even naturally talented leaders need systematic learning, seeking different sources of information and inspiration, and growing with the world and field in which they work. They are aware that effective leadership is like talent in arts – it is 5% talent and 95% hard work.

This is why it is hardly surprising that we can find leadership lessons even in the texts of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and historians, and on the pages of Sun Tzu's famed work, The Art of War. Even back then people realised that leadership is much more a "craft" that can be mastered if one is persistent enough rather than a talent that few are born with and that stays constant with time. This is also why smart companies today strive to identify employees with leadership potential and to help them – with courses, trainings, mentors and options for professional development, to unleash their potential.

A DOSE OF HUMILITY

Good leaders are aware that not all of their decisions and ideas are great or perspective. This is why when it becomes clear that they will not work, they swiftly change course in a way that will not harm their organisation. They always eagerly credit the positive contribution of each member of their team, they can choose employees, colleagues and advisers that complement one another like in a symphony orchestra, and avoid blowing their own trumpet.

They know what rights and responsibilities to delegate to the others in the team and are always the first to congratulate them honestly for their success. Because they know that team is what makes success possible.

Discussing the qualities of good leaders in theory is interesting. But what is really exciting is to meet the men that are an example of leadership today. In these interviews we present some of these rare people – men who had accepted their role as leaders out of necessity, because of chance or internal conviction, men who on a daily basis prove in practice the qualities needed for achieving true success.