Quick fire leadership questions: Part 1

Welcome to this new series of posts where I tackle quick fire leadership questions. I receive lots of questions from various platforms which require concise answers. So in this series I will be sharing my responses to these questions below.

Question #1: “Do the advantages of being a manager typically outweigh the stresses of it, and why or why not?” – Mary Scott

The negatives of any role are subjective as stresses are personal and always in transition, for example, what may stress a manager out one day, may not the next.

So to answer your question, it really depends on whether the manager is able to find a balance in the role. I believe a fundamental component in finding balance, is joy. Finding joy in an activity is a critical component of creating a healthy environment.

For example, on a recent project I was under constant pressure to deliver by the client and was managing a team of 25 in order to make this happen. Fortunately, I never felt stressed because I enjoyed the project, the team and the role. However, another manager working on another part of the project felt stressed all the time despite doing a similar role. When we spoke I understood the difference maker being joy. I found joy in my day to day activities whereas the other manager didn’t. There are many factors which can affect this, but ultimately, the determination of happiness in management is dependent on whether the manager finds joy in the role or not.

Question #2: “Do modern political leaders need a good character?” – Anonymous

Firstly, let’s understand what character means. The definition of character is “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”. Breaking this down further, the definition of qualities is “a distinctive attribute or characteristic possessed by someone or something”, such as she shows good leadership qualities.

It’s important to understand the meaning of the word because what this shows is that character is subjective. A person displaying leadership qualities may be received as good by one person or bad by another. So, to understand what it means to have good character, we need to understand what makes a leader be perceived to have good character. The answer to that is behaviour.

How a leader behaves defines how they are perceived which increases or decreases their influence as a leader. Behaviours, such as: communication, authenticity, sovereignty, decisiveness or trust, will all contribute to whether or not someone is perceived to have good character.

Take for example, the current opposition leaders in the UK, Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer. Many people like or dislike either of the leaders. They both could be considered to have good character, but it depends on who you ask. What is more important is that they demonstrate the right behaviours associated with being a great leader, whereby the ultimate aim of a great leader is to create a positive outcome for all.

Question #3: “When calamity struck, how did your leadership emerge?” – Amy Potter

When a leader is faced with a challenge, problem or disaster, they are facing a test of their discipline. When I’ve faced major challenges in life such as, a death in the family, rejections or failures, I learnt to accept that I am being tested. I need to think:

• How should I react?
• How can I control my emotions and behave like a leader?
• What behaviours do I need to display right now?

Without discipline, we will always struggle to move forward because we fail to learn from our mistakes by reverting to our old behaviours. Discipline comes from your willpower to succeed which is derived from understanding your purpose. You purpose (or why) will become your compass.

Discipline is also a good reason as to why everyone is not considered a leader because overcoming calamity requires discipline to one’s purpose and behaviours.

I will always be open to tackling challenging leadership questions, so if you have a burning question please do reach out and I will write a response.

Thank you for reading, JT