Some Reflections on Leadership
Listening to Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AM, Governor of Victoria, during her presentation on Reflections on Leadership recently inspired me to come up with some of my own reflections on leadership.
The breakfast for AIM Fellows reiterated just what it means to be a leader. It is drilled into us that leaders are decisive – they have clarity and finality in their decisions. However, part of being a good leader is also about knowing when to change your decision. This shows your understanding of an evolving situation, and maturity and confidence in changing the course as needed.
Leaders need a fertile mind and should constantly nurture their creative and curious tendencies. Being a good leader means being adaptable and resilient – curiosity and creativity allows you to try new things and push the boundaries.
Having said that, excellent leaders are also those who have a strong vision and are bold in their pursuit of it. Being adaptable does not mean sacrificing your ethics and integrity, regardless of who is watching. Leaders ensure they do the right thing at all times and surround themselves with good, moral people who uplift them.
Another interesting reflection on leadership presented by Linda Dessau was one on mentoring. She spoke about how a mentor should help to guide, teach, counsel and champion their student.
Good leadership in organisations comes from diversity. As I have written previously, a measure for business success should be to actively track and improve gender, cultural and age diversity within the organisation.
A diverse workforce is essential for an organisation to perform better. Different skills, experiences and life views all contribute to higher performance – and demonstrate good leadership.
