I need a hero!
I need a hero!
Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?'
(Jim Steinman, 1984)
There is nothing as empowering (or sexy) as having a great leader as a boss - someone who encourages and motivates, always directing without judging. It's comforting to know that the organisation is in safe hands and someone with their eye on the horizon is at the tiller.
So where are they then? - these ‘gods', who are the people with the safe hands and the twinkly eyes.
Modern leaders are under more pressure than ever to perform. We criticise rather than trust them. Or are we more cynical? ? Do we not believe? Or do we want to take over as the leader, so we challenge them to make us feel good about our skills? Do leaders trust us - or do they want to control us? Belief in human nature is empowering - though people can get it wrong sometimes and managing the fallout is also a skill of great leadership.
Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Sam Rayburn said, "You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too."
Leaders are often flawed. There are stories about the colourful private lives of the leaders, such as Napoleon, John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill, to name but a few. And look at our modern day leaders - what about poor old Sven? It can't have been easy trying to run a football team with all that attention on your private life.
We remember the tough leaders who are dismissive of others. You only have to watch Dragons' Den to see how the ‘Dragons' - our business leaders - dispense cruel wisdom to peoples' ideas and dreams. It makes great television, but surely this is not what great leadership is about?
We see great leaders taking hard decisions, but are they? Maggie Thatcher was a great political leader (we are probably only just realising how good she was). She went against the popular opinion - and her credibility vanished.
Leadership is about trust. Sam Rayburn is right - we need to follow and trust all the people we lead. The transaction is mutual - sometimes we encourage them; sometimes they encourage us. As leaders, our job is to steer, not to control.
So what makes great leaders great? Great leaders communicate. They listen first and make sure they understand what is said before making the final decision. They check that decision, they worry about it, they continue to ask and find evidence to support it - they are the holders of collective thought. They can see the consequence of actions and take in to account everybody's view. They know that without people who climb the masts to trim the sails in all weathers very little would be achieved. They know that it is these people who are the real ‘heroes'.
All this is difficult enough when we work in close proximity with our people and teams and we see them every day. So how do we go about doing that, when the people we lead are not next to us every day? Leading and managing remote teams needs the same level of contact as managing a team that you ‘sit' with, but with ‘knobs' on.
Leaders of remote workers and virtual teams need to make even more sure that the people they lead are convinced that the hand on the tiller is a steady one and that the direction in which they are going is the right one. Leaders also need to be confident that their people will turn out and make that extra effort when the going gets tough.
So along with the conventional key leadership skills, in order to get the best from their ‘heroes', leaders of virtual teams need to have a few more strings to their bow. In particular, they need to focus on being an interactive leader. The medium is very much the message and communication needs to be encouraged by using the right medium - the one that they use. Specifically, this means:
Heroes? Heroes are who we aspire to be - great leaders are the ones who make us heroes.
I need a hero - To learn more about this author, visit Kirsten Hemingway's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
‘Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods,
Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?'
(Jim Steinman, 1984)
There is nothing as empowering (or sexy) as having a great leader as a boss - someone who encourages and motivates, always directing without judging. It's comforting to know that the organisation is in safe hands and someone with their eye on the horizon is at the tiller.
So where are they then? - these ‘gods', who are the people with the safe hands and the twinkly eyes.
Modern leaders are under more pressure than ever to perform. We criticise rather than trust them. Or are we more cynical? ? Do we not believe? Or do we want to take over as the leader, so we challenge them to make us feel good about our skills? Do leaders trust us - or do they want to control us? Belief in human nature is empowering - though people can get it wrong sometimes and managing the fallout is also a skill of great leadership.
Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Sam Rayburn said, "You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too."
Leaders are often flawed. There are stories about the colourful private lives of the leaders, such as Napoleon, John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill, to name but a few. And look at our modern day leaders - what about poor old Sven? It can't have been easy trying to run a football team with all that attention on your private life.
We remember the tough leaders who are dismissive of others. You only have to watch Dragons' Den to see how the ‘Dragons' - our business leaders - dispense cruel wisdom to peoples' ideas and dreams. It makes great television, but surely this is not what great leadership is about?
We see great leaders taking hard decisions, but are they? Maggie Thatcher was a great political leader (we are probably only just realising how good she was). She went against the popular opinion - and her credibility vanished.
Leadership is about trust. Sam Rayburn is right - we need to follow and trust all the people we lead. The transaction is mutual - sometimes we encourage them; sometimes they encourage us. As leaders, our job is to steer, not to control.
So what makes great leaders great? Great leaders communicate. They listen first and make sure they understand what is said before making the final decision. They check that decision, they worry about it, they continue to ask and find evidence to support it - they are the holders of collective thought. They can see the consequence of actions and take in to account everybody's view. They know that without people who climb the masts to trim the sails in all weathers very little would be achieved. They know that it is these people who are the real ‘heroes'.
All this is difficult enough when we work in close proximity with our people and teams and we see them every day. So how do we go about doing that, when the people we lead are not next to us every day? Leading and managing remote teams needs the same level of contact as managing a team that you ‘sit' with, but with ‘knobs' on.
Leaders of remote workers and virtual teams need to make even more sure that the people they lead are convinced that the hand on the tiller is a steady one and that the direction in which they are going is the right one. Leaders also need to be confident that their people will turn out and make that extra effort when the going gets tough.
So along with the conventional key leadership skills, in order to get the best from their ‘heroes', leaders of virtual teams need to have a few more strings to their bow. In particular, they need to focus on being an interactive leader. The medium is very much the message and communication needs to be encouraged by using the right medium - the one that they use. Specifically, this means:
- Using consistent language. Make sure that you speak to the press or contribute to magazines in the same way as you do with your team - that way they will recognise you
- Making time for people. Set up a ‘communications' plan around each other's day - and stick to it. This will give people comfort and reassurance to know that you are setting aside time for everyone.
- Being available. Always be willing to answer the phone and call people regularly.
- Keeping in contact. Get together - whenever you can.
- Giving constructive feedback. Comment in detail precisely and accurately on what they are achieving.
- Appreciating appreciation. Enjoy it when they say how well you have done and tell them that you appreciate it too.
Heroes? Heroes are who we aspire to be - great leaders are the ones who make us heroes.
I need a hero - To learn more about this author, visit Kirsten Hemingway's Website.
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