Leadership skills – are you a true leader, a boss, or a bastard?

What does it take to excel in leadership these days?

Get it right and your business will soar. Get it wrong and your employees will shut down emotionally, lose motivation and then they’ll dump you, leaving a trail of devastation behind.

So ask yourself: what leadership skills do you really, honestly, have?

To understand business leadership today - look in the mirror!

Are you a true leader, a boss or a bastard? Leadership consultant David Peake, of Quantum Edge, asks the question in a fascinating study on business leadership.

The question gets to the nub of how to be a leader in business, because each characteristic – leader, boss or bastard - creates a different emotion in the workplace, which flows on to staff.

Characteristics of leadership - the good, bad and ugly

• A true business leader will build you a bridge to the future, will engage with you emotionally and care about you
• A boss provides structure for you but fails to make a personal connection
• A bastard fails to build bridges to the future for you, shows no empathy, he may steal your thunder, take your glory, play nasty office politics and put self interest ahead of the group.

If you're the latter, you may need some serious leadership training to avoid the damage poor leadership can inflict on your business.

The devastating impact of poor leadership training 

David Peake describes a 4-phase flow-on effect of poor leadership on staff:

• Volunteers, as they start working with you, will walk over hot coals to perform for you. If their efforts go unrecognised, they slowly become…
• Whingers, who start to resent the lack of positive recognition for work well done. They detach themselves emotionally and slowly become…
• Survivors, who shut down emotionally, who "quit and stay", complying with their role but without any sense of willing input. And eventually, they become…
• Prisoners, who adopt a victim mentality and will sabotage the organisation for the appalling way they’ve been treated as an individual.

How about some leadership development?

Some managers are elevated to leadership positions without any form of leadership training. A leadership development program may be just what your organisation needs to ensure your eager, enthusiastic “volunteer” staff don’t become resentful, angry “prisoners” who’ll stop at nothing to stick the knife in and bring you or your reputation down. Leadership development programs would be a small price to pay.

 

Contact us to talk about your business or schedule a free 90 minute phone consultation.