If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.
– Albert Einstein –
I came across a post by a person with a massive follower base, asserting: “Leadership is not a question of time but of attitude”. It was said all it takes is to ask your team members how they are doing and show an interest in them.
While I understand the appeal of this statement, I respectfully disagree. It is crucial that social media stop creating an idealistic image that does not align with reality. Here is why I disagree:
𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆
Attitude is a crucial foundation. It is a person’s general outlook and disposition which tends to be relatively stable. While attitudes can change over time, it is not as simple as offering a piece of advice to ask about your team members’ well-being as claimed by the post. If someone cares they would be doing it already.
𝗜𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀
With the still prevalent traditional leadership, changing to modern ways of leadership is a significant transformation that impacts not only the leader who initiated the change but also their team. When a manager alters their leadership style, it affects the dynamics of cooperation and collaboration within the team.
Teams are likely expected to work autonomously and make decisions on their own, which can create uncertainty, especially for individuals who have grown accustomed to continuous reassurance from their line manager. Employees accustomed to traditional leadership may exhibit skepticism towards the genuineness of this new leadership style and may be inclined to stick to old patterns. The leader must actively drive change in this aspect as well. Moreover, as teams operate with greater autonomy, leaders must identify and cultivate the necessary skills required for this new dynamic.
Changing leadership styles requires a significant amount of time. It is not possible to isolate leadership changes; they reverberate throughout the entire system, necessitating a comprehensive transformation.
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲
It was explained that leadership is about seeing and listening to people to build real connections. While I concur with this, I would like to emphasize that this necessitates a substantial investment of time and cannot be accomplished in passing.
This means engaging in meaningful conversations rather than mere small talk.
👉𝗧𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗺 𝗨𝗽: Cultivating a modern leadership style requires a considerable investment of time and effort, and it is a job that demands a person with the right attitude.
⌚️💰May I add, devoting all this time to leadership is an excellent investment.