Leadership Dilemma: Critical Abilities of a Leader

If you have been following my work then you know that I love showing how my leadership principles apply in real life. If you haven’t, well then now you know. Here is the latest question I received and my response to the question:

“What have you found to be the three most critical skills or abilities to possess in order to be a leader?” – Greg Smith

This is a fantastic question, one which I’d like to tackle in two parts:

1. The Gap
2. Three core areas of a leader

The Gap

A study of 673 Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies show that the average age of a CEO is around 50 years old. Currently 59% of the global work force is made up of Gen Z and millennials. There is a current age gap of 20 years between the people leading companies and the people managing their projects. There is a huge gulf, not only in experience, but also an understanding of an entirely new generation.

Further reports suggest that by 2025 millennials will account for up to 75% of the global workforce, which means that the age gap will increase to 25-30 years. Our teams our changing but the way they are taught is not. We must evolve now.

In the majority of schools, leadership behaviours are not taught and very few truly understand what it means to be a leader. Very few receive the coaching or guidance to become a leader. This is why people, such as Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela or Oprah Winfrey are considered to be great leaders. They are people, just like you and me but decided to behave differently and were in control of their actions. They did not learn how to be a leader in school. They learnt along the way. They understood their values but used life’s lessons to teach them how to change their behaviours in order to become a better leader. They probably did not realise they were such great leaders until later on in their lives.

This gap is why I believe it is important to understand exactly what being a leader consists of. There are two whole generations currently managing our projects using outdated management techniques. Within a few years these people will be managing a whole new generation of people, again using outdated techniques. Our current senior leaders cannot teach everyone and will not be around forever because they are ageing.

Leaders are currently reliant on mid-level managers teaching the future generations to become managers, not leaders. The mid-level need to learn the right behaviours on how to influence, communicate and become a great leader. These leaders can then pass on these right behaviours to the younger generation so that they can go on to lead great projects and great people.

It is important to understand that to be a great leader you do not need to be the next Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill or Mahatma Ghandi. You just need to be a great leader at what you do, whether that is a leader for you and your own life, leading a project team of 30 people or leading a business of 3000 people. Leadership behaviours are the same.

Three core areas of a leader

Simplification is one of my values. I have always done this in life. I simplify issues by breaking complicated areas down into manageable information chunks which is simple, concise and not over-complicated. I have done this with leadership too. There are countless books, videos, blogs, podcasts and courses on leadership, but sometimes they can vary and be fragmented so it can be difficult to piece together exactly what it is that turns managers into leaders. Through learning and experience I have simplified leadership into three core areas, ARE:

• Adaptability
• Right Behaviours
• Experience

As a leader it is important to understand that great leaders are not people who have a vast array of skills, they are people who display the correct behaviours in line with the above three core areas.

A leader is one who leverages their influence by utilising their experience to adapt and exhibit the right behaviours in any situation to create a positive outcome.

I trust this helps, JT.