Why leadership is important and must be addressed deeply

As you’ll know, if you’ve ever considered improving your skills and abilities in order to obtain, or sustain, a leadership position in your organisation or business, there are a lot of talks, trainings, various books and courses on ‘good leadership’ out there. 

And rightly so. We do need effective, competent and integrous leaders in all sectors, both business and public, considering the challenges our society is currently facing. Leaders will need to collaborate across differences and divides and so leaders need to be able to compromise - and they need to be prepared to serve! Leadership is not about authority and power. We need leaders that can inspire us to come together and guide us towards the right solutions. This is why leadership is important and it’s what I’ve seen to be true in my career working as a leadership keynote speaker for large international businesses and organisations.

      

Organisations and businesses also need to put resources towards developing these types of leaders. 63% of millennials feel their leadership skills are not being fully developed. Another study shows that 71% of millennials contemplate leaving their job within a couple of years if they feel their leadership skills are lacking and they are given no opportunity to grow or learn (statistics pulled from here). 

As a leadership keynote speaker I coach and facilitate workshops for current and aspiring leaders. There are a lot of talks and trainings out there telling leaders what they ‘should’, outlining the ‘right’ kind of leadership behaviours. These often don’t end up having any lasting, transformational effects because they don’t address the deeper reasons why we default to small-minded and self-important ways of thinking and behaving, which is what stands in the way of us becoming great leaders. 

I believe leadership training should not simply be about finding your leadership style or defining a set of leadership values to aspire to. Leadership training need to facilitate deep personal transformation. This is the work I’m committed to as a leadership keynote speaker and coach. 

Two essential leadership behaviours or attributes I always aim to cultivate in my work are vulnerability and courage. These two attributes are inseparable linked. Actually, there is no courage without vulnerability - as you will know if you’re a Brené Brown fan like myself. 

At the start of one of my talks or workshops as a leadership keynote speaker, I give the groups of leaders I’m working with - often small groups of 5-8 leaders - about 5 minutes each to share what’s going on for them right now. I don’t ask them to describe their life or share their personal story but rather I guide them to connect with what sensations, thoughts and emotions are coming up for them at that moment. 

This type of presence and attention to ourselves and our emotions will open up space for vulnerability. We become able to admit to our confusion, anger or anxiety and own up to our shortcomings or broken dreams. This is when courage is cultivated and we regain our confidence and clarity on how and what to change. We start to move authentically towards leadership behaviours and leadership values we before only aspired to.          

Through this process the group I’m working with develops trust in each other, and through that trust a safe space is created, in which they can continually be vulnerable with each other. I believe this is the foundation of real culture transformation and change within and across the organisation. 

When organisations bring in a leadership keynote speaker they’ll often go for someone who's achieved something seemingly remarkable - like surviving on a deserted island or winning multiple olympic medals. 

While this is inspiring, displaying traditional leadership values like strength, character and durability, these stories may not be what we need to hear the most. I believe we need to hear and share stories of leadership grounded in multiple experiences of failure. The most authentic kind of stories, those that will make the biggest impact on us, often won’t come from someone who’s popular on TV or YouTube - they’ll come from our peers and colleagues. 

If you’re interested in hearing about my story of failing and growing as a leader, I share some of it here, as well as more on my approach to leadership. You can also watch a snippet from one of my talks as a leadership keynote speaker.  

If your organisation is up for the type of deep transformation described in this short article, then let’s talk leadership and why leadership is important to you.