Leadership is Common Sense

This week, someone mentioned that my principles about highly effective leadership are simple, that they are common sense. I loved hearing this as I definitely believe, in fact, that leadership, while challenging, is simple. It is doing the basics, e.g.,

• Treating our people with respect, kindness, and caring about their well-being
• Hiring good people, equipping them to do great work, trusting and empowering them
• Communicating with them regularly, ideally one-on-one conversations each week
• Asking each team member for their ideas about how we can improve, what they need to do their work well, and advice they may have for me
• Realizing that conversations are the work of a leader, and a short conversation is better than no conversation
• As humility is the foundation of growth, we must always be striving for continuous improvement
• Addressing problems and difficult employees promptly. This is our responsibility as a leader

There are other similar basic principles, and yes, these are simple. That is why I named my coaching and consulting practice Common Sense Leadership.

I recently viewed this year’s Global Leadership Summit, which is always a highlight of the year for me, as there are outstanding presentations by accomplished leaders in business and the church. I gain a lot from each of these leaders and their stories and messages – except one who states that leadership is a grind. I disagree.

Certainly, leadership is challenging in our hyper-busy and competitive world today, but as leadership is helping others do great work, it can and should be highly fulfilling.

I recently had a conversation with a CEO who complained about his responsibilities and that he wished he did not have to deal with them. Leadership is definitely a grind for him.

However, to be honest, he is not leading. Yes, he is a CEO, but he is not a leader. Leadership does not come from our title or position, it comes from helping people succeed – our relationships and our conversations with our people, and how we help them feel about themselves.

I contrast that with a pastor of a church in our town who loves his role, feels he is privileged to have it, is always striving to improve, is a lifelong learner, believes in the value of leadership assessments and conversations with an experienced coach, and sharing what he is working to improve with his team members and asking for their feedback.

No surprise. This pastor is highly regarded and respected by those in his congregation and those in our community. To him, though there are challenges, leadership is not a grind, it is a joy and is fulfilling.

A very favorite adage of mine is Helping the other person out, that is what life is all about.