What Makes a Great Leader?

Leadership requires specific skills to help lead your team to success. These skills are dependant upon the ability, expertise and motivation of your staff and the industry you operate in. This article looks at three types of Leadership style.

This month we have an article ‘What Make a Great Leader?’ written by Oliver Jones who is studying business at Oxford University.  Strong leadership has always been a vital ingredient for every business and it is refreshing to see that it is still a main focus of study on Business courses at top Universities.

 

This is why we offer a  full range of Leadership, Managerial and Supervisor Courses to train existing, new and potential business leaders.  Every course is bespoke for leading within your business. This is achieved by designing the course with the input of your L&D and HR departments.

 

What Make a Great Leader? – Oliver Jones

 

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, all very influential business leaders, but what makes them the leaders they are today?

The term leadership has very subjective definitions, being characterised differently by every generation, industry and status.

The need for strong leadership has evolved over time, as organisations require increased stakeholder demands and a need for stronger innovation.  This is due to the complex nature of globalised businesses. To be a leader is about building foundations allowing diverse opinions to co-create new innovations as a team, to sustain creativity across organisational boundaries.

Linda A. Hill’s article (Hill, 2022) describes leaders taking on three roles:

  1. The architect – Creating the culture and capabilities to encourage an organisation as a whole.
  2. The bridger – To establish social connections and access talent across different industries and backgrounds to curate a more creative team with a wider range of ideas.
  3. The catalyst – Accelerating ideas to create a genuine impact and change.

TED Talks

Simon Sinek’s TED Talk demonstrates how Apple has become influential by innovating the way traditional businesses develop and advertise themselves. Apple identifies that to secure sales. They need to sell their ideas, their vision, and their values before selling their product. Simon places importance on working for a belief, and not just a pay check, which may suggest why Apple is still at the forefront of leadership and innovation today.

To become an influential leader, Roselinde Torres’ TED Talk outlines the need for courage to move into the future and abandon previous successful practices, to take risks and to diversify your network. The most impactful development comes when someone can build enough emotional stamina to withstand people doubting your ideas.

Traditional leaders may seek compliance in their authority. However modern influential leaders who take on these roles and hold the courage required can understand innovation and success is built off co-creation from committed people, as innovation is a voluntary act.