THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING ABOUT LEADERSHIP THROUGH OBSERVING THE MASTERS (AND THE DISASTERS)‍

Something happens to you when you step up to leading people, or at least something should happen in the same way that a first-time father or mother should feel an innate increase in the sense of responsibility when their first child is born. In the same way, your sense of responsibility moving from being part of the team to leading a team should bring about not only a shift but an increase in your sense of responsibility. When that day comes, it is not simply about your performance but about your ability to influence your team members to get the best possible performance out of them also.  

If you’re reading this book because you sense at some point in your career you will hold a leadership position, but are currently simply a member of the team, one of the ways that you can prepare yourself for this step up into leadership is by increasingly considering the day-today affairs of the business through the lens of your boss, your team leader, your supervisor or manager. It won’t give you the entirely full picture, but you will notice your perspective change when you begin to consider the following elements through the lens of leadership:  

• The rationale for leadership decisions-why did they make ‘that’ decision?
• The impact on the business and on levels of productivity
• The profitability of the business
• The impact on your company as a result of industry disruptors
• The impact of the behaviours and attitudes of individuals and the wider team
• How your boss differentiates herself or himself from simply being a member of the team, and especially how they approach the requirement of being a role model
• Various leadership styles of different managers including how they adapt their style to a variety of scenarios

Taking the time to observe these aspects of the business through the lens of leadership will give you a head start in understanding in what ways life is likely to be different for you stepping up from being a member of the team into a leadership role. And you don’t have to observe great managers in order to learn leadership lessons. If you have a boss, or have bosses in your orbit that are less than effective, there’s still lots to be learnt by asking yourself: “What’s not so effective about their leadership, and how might I manage differently when I’m a people leader?”

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