Pillars of a Great Leadership

We’re going to begin by laying the fundamentals, the foundation stones of a highly effective methodology of leadership.  Think of this not so much as an ideology but as a highly flexible methodology.  There are three key pillars in this methodology

1. Understanding what leadership is
2. Understanding the nature of great leadership
3. Understanding Human nature
4. Complex problem-solving

Defining Leadership Simply

I’m going to quickly explain leadership beginning with a simple definition and then slowly expand that definition  from its most rudimentary form, through to its more complex.  Finally I am going to end by defining great leadership.

First Principle: The Task of Leadership – A Simple Definition

At Its heart the task of leadership is simply the organisation of resources. Think about this. The foundation of what a leader does, the first principle is leadership is simply the organisation of resources. A leader may have vision. A leader may have a particular approach. A leader may have other people do most of the work, but at the end of the day all a leader is doing is organising the available resources.

Now I can hear the cynics and the critics screaming at the their computer screen right now saying that’s ridiculous it can’t be that simple.  At it’s heart it is that simple. Leaders organise resources. When you truly understand this you will truly understand what you have to do in order to be a leader.

Of Course There Is More

However this definition doesn’t go far enough needless to say. It may be sufficient to explain simple forms of leadership but it certainly doesn’t go far enough to explain great leadership.  To say that leaders simply organise resources doesn’t tell us what resources, or why, or how.

I don’t want you to overlook the profound importance of understanding the very nature of leadership whether it be great or terrible. At its heart leadership is the organisation of resources. What we have to do in order to understand great leadership is to expand our understanding of a number of factors, the what of leadership organisation, the why of leadership and the how.

Why Understand The Task

People often ask me why it’s important to understand the task of leadership?  The simple answer to that question is to keep you grounded.  Too many highly talented, high potential people lose sight of the the primary task of leadership and become confused by all the romantic hype around the topic. What’s more some leaders lost touch with the “coalface” and start to become too far removed from the action that their decisions become inappropriate or inapplicable.  Keep your feet on the ground, get the job done by making sure you organise the resources.

In The Next Post

For now I simply want you to spend the time to think about this definition. In the next blog were going to expand the definition so it makes more sense and so that it begins to be more useful. In the next blog we’re going to look at the what of leadership.

For now these are just a few things to think about.

Cheers

Jim