This extract on leadership from Robin Sharma’s book Greatness Guide was forwarded to me by a friend and I reproduce it especially for my colleagues from the investment banking community. If you don’t bother to read it, don’t worry, because rich bankers have rarely made good, lasting leaders (look around and point out if you know any)- they have to be busy predominantly focusing on short term profit targets.
"Leadership Isn’t a Popularity Contest
Being a leader isn’t about being liked. It’s about doing what’s right. Great leaders are different. They fearlessly make tough calls. They speak their truth. They run their own race, making the right decisions and worrying little about public opinion. They are courage in action.
I speak and write a lot about being caring and respectful of people. Treat your people well and they’ll treat your customers well. That’s a no-brainer. Help people get to their goals and they’ll happily help you get to yours. I’ll take that value to my grave. See the best in people and be the most compassionate person you know. But being kind doesn’t mean being weak. Being a good human doesn’t mean that you don’t need to be strong and courageous when required by the circumstances.
Extraordinary leadership is a balance between being tender yet tough, compassionate yet courageous, part saint and part warrior, friendly yet firm.
All that the best leaders really care about is being fair, doing what’s right and getting results.
Do the right thing rather than doing the popular thing. The best thing to do is generally the hardest thing to do. Make the tough decisions. Speak with candor. Let underperformance know when they underperforming. Tell you superstars how much you love them. Just be real." - Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma
Just to add my two bit - a leader is not necessarily the one who has the power to strategise, decide and instruct. Every person is a leader of his own goals,which may be sub-goals of his surroundings. He is a leader if he sees a great dignity and relevance in what he does and if he eventually succeeds in making a remarkable difference to his surroundings; he ceases to be a leader if he fails to do so.
Henry Ford said the he preferred to be a first rate truck driver rather than a second rate executive.
Just check out your surrounding - namely your family business, your home, your company, your Ministry...Probably you will see drivers and tea-boys functioning with more dignity, success, efficiency, precision and quality compared to the nominated leaders.
