WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER

You see, a great leader can be made! We can all be great leaders as long as we know what needs to be done. This article from Adriaan Groenewald shows us the way and highlights some of our greatest strengths and weaknesses.

What makes a great leader?

Adriaan Groenewald

17 March 2007 at 06h00

For the last couple of years I have been involved in the development of leaders and have interviewed many top leaders on the topic of leadership. So, what have I learned about leadership? What qualities do the great leaders in South Africa possess? What qualities should you therefore work towards if you want to become one of the greats? Here are some tips - if you want to be a great leader in South Africa you should learn to:

1. Define situations factually. When a situation confronts you, don't allow emotions to "hijack" your thinking. This takes incredible maturity. When an emotionally-ridden situation or an individual that is in an emotional state approaches you it is very difficult not to get carried away and react emotionally. How did cricketer Herschelle Gibbs react when a section of the crowd behaved emotionally? We know the answer to that one, and he paid a price for it. Why didn't Graham Smith act like Gibbs? Can you see why Gibbs is not the SA cricket team's captain? One of my earlier mentors, Tom Creamer, used to encourage me as a young manager to not get so emotionally charged when debating issues in management meetings. I thought he was wasting his breath, but I have come to understand that he was absolutely correct.

2. Confront. There are far too many leaders in top positions that fear confrontation and as a result postpone or ignore the inevitable. You have to confront any obstacle or constraint to successful movement forward. In an interview with Adrian Gore, the founder and CEO of Discovery, he said the following about confronting so called problems: "I have found that when you have problems there is a moment in time when you turn and face it, and you sort of accept it emotionally and intellectually, and you take a run at it; that's when you are at your best. When you are running from the problem, not only does it catch you and eat you up but it is also very demotivational. How you motivate yourself is to attack the problems."

3. See possibilities. Don't only see the obstacles ahead but also see the possibilities. When you are bombarded by perceived negatives, take note of them, and even put contingencies in place, but don't fixate on them, start seeing the possible positives about the situation as well as the possible opportunities. Don't accept negative input only about any situation or person; insist on exploring the other side of the coin. This is especially important when someone shares "one-sided" negatives with you about another person. A great leader will never accept one person's input only, especially if it has a negative tone and can affect an the person's reputation or future. Tom Creamer decided to hear my side of a situation that potentially could have had devastating affects on my future. Because of great leadership, he positively affected the course of my career. In the context of this leadership quality it is therefore not wrong for President Thabo Mbeki to try to express a positive statement of crime not being out of control. But such statements are only valid and uplifting when the leaders have managed to clearly acknowledge and show that they are confronting the obstacle of crime in SA effectively.

4. Create movement. I asked my mentor why he was successful? His answer was short: "I get things to move." For any movement to occur there must be motivation (mutually agreed upon aspirations); direction (plans/ strategies on how to accomplish aspirations); and structure (resources, systems, etc). Without a buy-in to aspirations there will be no sustainable motivation and passion or committed hearts; without realistic directions, a logical belief that the goal can be achieved will be absent - buy-in from the logical left brain; and without relevant structures, such as money, physical movement will not be substantial or even possible. Very few leaders can effectively ensure the presence of all three these principles, and among those that can draw together all three, few can balance them effectively. For example, Mbeki in my opinion is very strong directionally, but he is weaker motivationally - the ability to integrate aspirations of all stakeholders. Perhaps this is why there is so much disunity in the alliance, although I wouldn't want to try and integrate such diverse aspirations myself. If he understands that he is more directionally gifted and accepts it, he can compensate by surrounding himself with leaders that are stronger on the motivational front.

5. Do the tough things. When I interview top leaders like Sean Summers, Adrian Gore, Matthews Phosa, and others I quickly sense two things about them: I feel comfortable and know that they want to, can and will integrate with my aspirations if at all possible; and I sense that if I don't play ball they can and will act tough. However, many leaders in very senior positions often battle to act tough and confront obstacles to movement, especially when the obstacle ends up being a person. I recently facilitated a Q&A evening between Ingrid Kast, CEO of DAV Professional Placement Services (top company to work for in 2006 survey) and a small audience of about 25 people. Someone asked her what was the toughest thing she ever had to do as a leader. Her answer was when she had to let her first employee go. Having to act tough or having to make tough decisions is part and parcel of being a great leader.

6. Evaluate and re-evaluate fanatically. Assess or measure the desired movement towards agreed upon aspirations, directions and structures, and then follow-up with and hold accountable the relevant individuals. A wise man once said: "When performance is measured performance improves, but when performance is measured and reported the rate of improvement accelerates."

7. Surround yourself with the best. Some leaders have the knack to surround themselves with the right individuals. Others just get it wrong. What is right for one leader is of course not right for another. I just find that the better you know yourself the more likely it is that you will get this one right. Consciously or subconsciously you will surround yourself with other leaders who complement your possible weaknesses, shortcomings or those areas that simply don't interest you. To become a great leader in SA is more challenging than in most other countries. South Africa is a microcosm of the rest of the world. The world is watching, or should be watching, our leaders closely as they turn and face our challenges and take a run at them. Adriaan Groenewald presents the Leadership Platform show on Classic FM 102.7 and on Summit TV. For more information on becoming a confident leader in South Africa call 011-463-7470.