Through my own learning journey as a leader, I have come to believe strongly in the need for leaders to have two definitions embedded in both their personal and professional psyche.
Without a personal definition for both success and leadership we will fail as leaders. How can we be effective in fulfilling a role when we do not understand what it is – in both an academic and a personal sense? And then how can we measure our effectiveness if we do not have, at the very least, a personal if not an organizational, definition of success?
I have worked in organizations that fail to quantity and clarify these 2 important terms. The result is always confusion which breeds resentment and frustration. Effective and innovative service delivery can never be achieved in such a culture.
When I commenced my Masters of Leadership with Deakin University I was challenged by the academic definition of leadership as “a process of taking people on a journey”. I was challenged by this definition because I had been in a high-level leadership role for 14 years and never considered what the word leadership meant – to myself; to my team; to my colleagues and to my CEO.
If you are not convinced of the value of clearly defining these terms, I challenge you to read this quote by Dr Shaun Ridley and then consider whether this definition enhance your ability to effectively lead: “Everyday leadership is made up of a series of actions that build trust and respect, point a direction, develop individuals and achieve outcomes. These micro behaviours will improve your leadership in the eyes of your followers, peers, bosses and others. You won’t get it right every time. Life and leadership are imperfect, fuzzy and grey. However, if your efforts genuinely have the best interests of your staff in mind, you will, over time, gain respect and recognition as an effective leader” (Dr Shaun Ridley ‘One Small Step’).
So perhaps it is time to consider, what do leadership and success look like to you?