Nick Roud, Founder Nick Roud Coaching 8th Aug 2023
| Don’t you think this should be the very first question that is asked of a leader or would be leader in an interview? Why do you lead? Very few can and do appreciate the enormous effort that they put in as a leader. I love the phrase, the ‘reluctant leader’ but it’s true there are millions of people out there right now who lead, could be in the community, the church, the sports field, the home, a committee member, the list is endless. As I reflect on a recent board meeting where we welcomed in a quest speaker who spoke from the heart on a specific topic that could make a wholesale change to an industry crying out for movement. It got me thinking about the very topic that I love, Leadership! Does Leadership therefore come down to a simple; do you know what you are doing? Well it certainly helps doesn’t it, but dig a little deeper under that hood. If one doesn’t have passion, true passion, then how are you going to lead a group (big or small) forwards? It’s rare that I see any sort of KPI (key performance indicator) attached to a leaders performance, are we missing something unique to focus only on the results that a leader obtains? How might culture truly therefore be measured, if in fact it can. But as I write todays blog I believe that a leader should be measured on passion If I was a board chair and I wanted to ensure my organisation was in the hands of a leader who will grab the hearts, minds and spirits of others I surely would have passion down as my number one go to as a measuring tool. I’d be reviewing this as part of my board preparation and checking in with my CE and or Leadership group all the time. Could a person who is not passionate inspire a team to produce a result? Could a person who shows little emotion bring others alongside them? Could a person who is just turning up to collect his/her pay check really move the needle? My answers continue to be the same, No! On the flip side to the coin, what if passion was left unchecked. How might an egotistic person damage the essence, the core, the culture, the spirit of a team? The leader who likes only the sound of his/her voice, the leader who wont or can’t allow others to make decisions, the leader that ensures all the spotlight is turned to themselves. It’s not uncommon to see the rise of a professional , a successful team player who the organisation feel will make a strong manager and then into leadership only to for that individual to be ill equiped, left high and dry when it comes to getting the very best out of others. I wrote a few months ago about professionals around the world who move into a people lead position only to leave the organisation soon after due to the fact that he/she is not given the support, tools and coaching to successfully progress. Investing in your people isn’t the be all and end all but it goes a long way to support individuals! This is so important, as a leader am I getting the very best out of others……..? As a leadership coach I judge no one. Who am I to judge you or the next person. That;s not what gets me up and out of bed every morning. My role is to hold safe space, hold the mirror and ensure what is looking back at you is the leader you want to be. In the evidence I collect on my clients through leadership assessments and interviews, it’s very rare not to see ‘passion’ as one of the top two responses to my question, Why Do You Lead? Normally but not always the response is, Nick I love what I do, I am passionate about my people and I care about them. So why do you lead or aspire to lead? What is driving you into the loneliest job you will ever experience? What are your natural strengths and behaviours when it comes to serving others and how do you measure yourself against (yourself). That’s right, I said against yourself. I’d love you to remember this isn’t a completion to win a set of cooking pans from your local supermarket, this is life changing, for you, for your people and for your community. So as I wrap up my thoughts today, I ask you to go into it with leadership with passion, if you don’t have passion maybe look at doing something else and don;t stop looking till you find that passion from within. Not all people will succeed as a leader, there will be so many things outside of your control and whilst I said its you against yourself the essence of leadership comes when you can inspire a group of people to come together for a period of time and deliver something that makes a difference! That is the yard stick! Never get beyond yourself, check in daily with your own passion, is it up, is it down, is it where you want it to be? Come to think of it, when was the last time you checked in on yourself? Many of my executives forget to do such a thing, they are constantly looking after others and fail to check in on themselves. Do it today and ask yourself this question‘Why Do I Lead’? Good luck and do let me know how you go, I’d love to know Nick x Nick Roud is a multi-award winning leadership coach, his clients are CEOs, executives and emerging leaders. His work is evidenced based, structured & forward focused, he attracts the very best leaders to his coaching business. |
