What is a Leader?
I’m sure you have read countless articles where the writer pulls out the trusty old ‘dictionary definition’ of a leader and thus dissects this definition into a series of aspects. Whilst this works well to get the point of ‘define the thing before talking about the thing’ across, it doesn’t quite capture what I aim to talk about here – types of leaders – and how each of them leads differently. There is a vast difference between each of the leaders I will put forth in this article and I believe that it is important to understand their differences. It is these differences that define them as individuals. Yet, they are all inspiring leaders.
Leading one group of people to one goal is one type of leadership that requires a specific set of leadership skills. Leading a network of teams within an organisation to achieve a set of varying goals, is an entirely different set of leadership skills. An entirely different type of leadership.
This is something that is more significant than the simple term of ‘leadership’. To improve your leadership skills is not to simply become a better leader. No, it is to embrace the leader that already resides within you. To be the best leader you can be, not simply the best leader compared to all the others. An inspiring leader.
What Makes a Good Leader?
A great leader is comprised of a plethora of skills and qualities that make them great. There are, however, a few that are key. More general leadership qualities are the ones that made this list:
1. Vision
A leader without vision is blind and a team with a blind leader is, thus, also blind. Vision is everything. The leader is there to focus on that vision. To understand it, its obstacles, its possibilities and its potential for success. Leaders must know their vision and it must be crystal clear to them before even attempting to articulate it to anyone else. Once understood, a leader should explain and articulate this vision in a way that serves each and every person that must understand it too. A great leader not only knows their vision back to front and upside down but they should have great skills in ensuring the rest of the team are on that same page, too.
2. Accountability
Accountability is an often overlooked word. It is, however, one that carries a fair weight when talking about leaders and leadership. Accountability is the action of one deeming themselves responsible for something and making this known to the rest of the team. Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, the consistency in constantly holding yourself accountable for your own actions presents you as a strong and unwavering leader. A key part of leading a team is being the anchor that holds the team down and the glue that holds them together. If that anchor starts to rise, people start panicking and throwing themselves overboard. If that glue starts to break away, people will not reach for the sewing machine… they’ll break away with it.
Being accountable for everything you do means that, even if you have made mistakes, the team always knows exactly where they stand and who will lead them to victory. Any wavering from team members on this fact and things become a big problem… hold yourself and others 100% accountable for every action. If nothing else, things just run a bit smoother when there’s a lack of blame-shifting and toxicity within your team.
3. Leading by Example
This is where we separate the good from the great. This is the one that really defines how good of a leader you can be. The reason this is so important is as follows; to lead is to find the razor-thin balance between taking control and letting go. A leader leads, they control, and they guide. This is the natural leadership definition in most people’s heads. The thing that is often forgotten is that to become a leader is to acquire a team. To acquire a team is to rely upon them to help reach your collective goals. To do that, well, you gotta let go a bit…
The point is that you must lead your team but you must also realise that they are here to do a job. You must be one of them. You must work as hard, or harder than them, you must not nitpick and micromanage and you must trust that they will do what they need to do to reach the goal. Trust in them, yes, but trust in your own leadership skills first. If you know you’re a good leader, you know you’ve taught them well.
4. Decisiveness
For a team to work well towards a goal, it must have an anchor. As aforementioned in ‘leading by example’, you are that anchor. Becoming visibly flustered and stressed when trying to make difficult decisions for the team is something the team will notice very quickly. It’s like ducklings following their mother through the pond. Underneath the surface, the mother is kicking hard. She’s looking for food and directing her young towards it – a tough task.
Above the surface, however, she is calm and collected. You don’t tend to see mother ducks begin to uncontrollably thrash about in the water when they don’t know where to go next. No, they stay calm so as not to alert her young to the problems she may be facing.
The parallel, here, is in making difficult decisions for you and your team. You must remain kicking at all times. Under the water, you may kick as hard and as stressfully as you’d like. On the surface, however, you must keep composure. Do not be afraid to ask the team you recruited for help, it is what they’re there for. However, a leader that throws his toys out of the pram before asking for said help is not a leader to be respected by their team. Be decisive, even if you believe it’s the wrong decision. The importance does not lie in the decisions you make, it lies in the brave face presented by you which motivates your team to keep kicking.
Our Pick for the Top 5 Inspiring Leaders:
1. Sir Winston Churchill
A truly inspiring leader. A name known by everyone, a leader respected by all. Churchill’s unwavering face of steel is what allowed so many to trust in this brilliant man in leading our country to victory. Under the most pressure this country has ever seen, Winston Churchill took action. He began to make decisions, some good, some bad. The bad decisions were forgiven by the people, however, because at least there was someone there actually doing something.
People tend to feel much better about things not going their way as long as they feel there is something being done about it. Churchill may not have got it right on every single turn, in fact, he definitely didn’t. The people of our country, however, felt as if something was being done to save the country. That there was a strong leader wading through the bombs and planes and getting the country to a better place. Churchill is a great example of leading by example and being a decisive leader.
2. Elon Musk
Now, of course, a household name. The special thing about Mr Musk is his versatility in leadership. As I explained, it’s leaning into the correct type of leadership that is key to leading your team to victory and success. Elon is conducting at least two different sets of leadership skills on a daily basis.
The first is his companies. Musk, as a CEO, must lead his individual teams of designers, innovators and engineers to produce the product of his vision. When he envisaged a world-changing electric vehicle, he had to convince a group of people that this was something that needed to be done. Before any traditional leading was done, Elon had to lead people to believe in his wacky ideas.
The second is on a much bigger scale. He is leading the world to a more efficient and sustainable place. In keynote speeches, talks and product launches he is leading vast groups of people to invest their time and money into a better outcome for the planet. This type of leadership is one of the toughest – he is not only leading all the time but convincing all the time, too. Convincing people to believe in his global-scale ideas.
3. Julius Caesar
I mean, Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? It took serious leadership skills from the original leader himself – Julius Caesar. Caesar rallied large armies into military success. This type of leadership is physical. He had to build strong men who would build a strong army. Then, he had to convince them that this fight was worth fighting. Caesar had to convince them, ultimately, to give their lives for this cause. That is one hell of a persuasion skill set.
On a different note, he led political victories, too. He created an empire from a republican state. He convinced so many to look to him for their safety, for their law and order. The set of leadership skills this man had at his disposal is a set that we still do not know everything about.
4. Greta Thunberg
It is no surprise that this marvellous woman’s name is an anagram for ‘great’. Thunberg is a fantastic leader – a leader of the people. Similar to Elon Musk, Greta Thunberg has rallied thousands of people behind her cause. Her leadership skills lie in her ability to convince, to explain a situation that requires action and have people listen. Not only listen, in fact but get involved and help. Thunberg is leading the country’s climate change activists to a point at which their voices can be heard. She has gifted so many with the opportunity to raise their concerns and to help resolve these world-threatening issues.
5. Margaret Thatcher
Now, certain opinions to one side as I’m sure her techniques were not favoured by all. The bottom line is, however, that Margaret Thatcher was a fantastic leader. She fought a war, defeated the unions and won three elections in her time whilst standing up for the voice of women in the process. Thatcher led a country to change the way it thinks. She rallied thousands of young Europeans to rely not upon the state, but upon their own hard work.
The mark of a great leader is one that is not overthrown by another. Thatcher’s policies and the things she put in place were not overturned by her successor, Tony Blair. Governments with different interests, rival parties and rival leaders could not stand in the way of the genuinely good changes Thatcher made to our country. She was a firm leader.
Inspiring Leaders: How Do I Become One?
Well, honestly, following the inspiration put forth by some of these mentioned leaders would definitely not do you any harm. Alternatively, we cycle back to the beginning of this article. Be yourself. The role of a leader requires passion and flair. Someone who believes in what they are working towards.
Our Actionable Tips
1. Be Passionate
Step one to being one of the great inspiring leaders is to lead something you feel strongly about. If this is not a decision you can make, find a way to believe in the cause. You are better off not leading at all if you are leading a team to a victory you don’t care about.
2. Be Versatile
As discussed, all these different types of leadership require different approaches. Do your best to lead in as many different ways as possible. Practice makes perfect! Throw your hat in the ring to lead the group as much as you can. Leadership requires confidence, so put yourself forth and lead!
3. Be Inclusive
Being aware of your team, who they are and how they work is very valuable. Understanding that you are one of them, too, is even more valuable. As the leader, work harder than your team. Set the pace, set the example and lead the way to success. The best leaders are the best team players, so don’t be a dictator, be a guide.
Find within yourself the inspiring leader that lies there, wake them up and start making decisions.
Be strong, be brave, and be the anchor and the glue that your team needs.
