THE KEYS TO LEADERSHIP
What does it take to be a good leader? And can one learn the law of the land, or is it more a case of being born ready?
What is the definition of a leader ?
There is no distinction between a leader in business or politics and a leader in the army. The fundamentals are the same. A “leader” must build his status on two essential pillars: he must be , 1st, competent and 2nd, exemplary with his subordinates. Then he has three duties:
- directing,
- commanding,
- and delivering homework, tasks and assignments.
Finally, he must animate his structure. At the root of a drama if any, there is always a gap and a leader who has not managed to control its structure … I would add three more verbs: a leader must know how to control, sanction if necessary and straighten the structure in the sense of his vision.
What are the attributes that a leader should not have?
 | Cowardice is an unforgivable fault: cowardice towards its own team and people. It consists here in seeking to please them. We do not stimulate them, we do not propose them objectives that invite them to surpass themselves. But cowardice also vis-à-vis its own leaders: here too, we try to please them, we do not know how to say “no” and we do not really participate in decision-making. To combat cowardice, a leader must have character, which is produced by will and courage. All this must be based on a very strong general culture. It is essential to argue, to prevail in the decision making and to be taken seriously. A true leader can not be carried by the wind and the scum of things. |
What about “horizontal management” ?
In today’s society, everyone is called by their first name, kisses, talks to each other; we speak wrongly through, and more important, we lack perspective… Finally, the leader is less and less identifiable. In the event of a hard blow, it is difficult to know where to turn. When one goes towards a too much familiarity with one’s collaborators, it endangers the exercise of one’s responsibility! To be a leader, you have to know how to inspire the trust and respect of your employees, without becoming too familiar.
A good leader is in fact interested in his team…
Yes, a good leader knows each one of them well … He has to know them thoroughly indeed. He must love them without showing them, or not too much … I deeply believe that a leader who is not feared is not a good leader. I use the verb “to fear” in the biblical sense: the fear of judgment, the fear of not doing well, the fear of fraternal correction … In the sixteenth century, the philosopher Pierre Charron went so far as to say that the soldier must fear his chief more than the enemy. The notion of “obeying friendship” has always seemed suspicious to me. What a leader needs to win is the respect and vision of his teams so that if there is a blow, the right decisions will be made and implemented. I am convinced that one really knows one’s leader only when one sees him facing a test. It’s the same for subordinates: a leader really knows them by testing their will, their taste for risk and their ability to make efforts! We will then spot the “good talkers” between the right doers …
Eric LAMBERT
