LeadershipHQ Magazine 3rd Edition September Issue | Page 27

Leadership
A Journey, Not a Destination
By Matthew Francis

What is
leadership?
It’s only a three
word question, but
it can be difficult to
answer succinctly,
and boy does it stir
up a whole host
of diverse, and
very passionate
responses whenever
it’s posed!

Conversation often starts with the
typical ‘Management v Leadership’
debate, and inevitably includes reference to a host of words or phrases
that typify leadership: inspiration;
motivation; trust; integrity; inclusion;
collaboration; coaching; mentoring,
the list goes on.
As part of an ongoing leadership development program, I recently spent
some time with a senior leadership
team defining ‘what leadership means’
to them and their organisation, and
after much robust conversation, it was
eventually agreed that a leader:
• Builds trust and communicates
effectively;
• Continually improves;
• Builds talent;
• Achieves results;
Underpinning these four broad
non-negotiables were a series of behaviours and measures, things like:
demonstrating commitment to critique of own performance; setting
stretching developmental tasks for
their people; living the mission/vision, and inspiring others to do the
same, among many others.
For those aspiring to become leaders,

or equally, for current leaders who’ve
had some honest self-reflection and
decided they’re just not up to par, the
question begs: how do you develop
into the best leader you can be?
So many people approach leadership
development like items on a checklist;
‘complete them one by one, tick them
off, and I can call myself a leader’.
The reality is, leadership just doesn’t
work this way.
Leadership is not an end-goal; it is not a
destination that you ever actually ‘reach’.
Leadership is a collection of moments; the everyday statements you
make (or don’t make), actions you
take (or don’t take), and the way you
conduct yourself, both in front of
your team members and in private.
In short, being a true ‘leader’ is a lifelong commitment; a way of life.
At the heart of leadership is ‘follow-ship’.
In order to sell, a salesperson needs
customers; in order to heal, a Doctor
needs patients; etc.
© LeadershipHQ 2015 | 27