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Helping others reach their potential is what leaders do, but many bosses fear a push from below
Nina Suebsukcharoen
The manager who says ``Why would I want my people to be as smart as I am?'' is definitely not leadership material, says Mr Bell. |
That special quality that sets one person apart from the others is often leadership, yet leadership is difficult to define.
Many of us have suffered at the hands of a boss in an old corporate structure with the final say. In this stifling atmosphere, workers are afraid to voice their opinions because they might be laughed at, criticised or even punished.
A study done in England last year shows that 26% of executives are sometimes afraid to give ideas on how they could do their job better for these very reasons. This sort of a person is not a leader but a dictator, says executive trainer David Bell, whose Bangkok-based company, Ra-Kahng Associates Ltd is a licensee of Crestcom International that trains managers worldwide.
However today's savvy leaders realise that it is not necessary for them to be the boss as there are other qualities that ensure greater success.
"The best leaders are the people who don't make a whole lot of statements but ask people questions: 'What do you think about this?' 'What would you do?' 'Could you give your opinion?' 'What are your thoughts?' They also listen. Great ideas can come from anywhere, not just the boss," said Mr Bell.
Good leaders also focus on motivating others. They are also people who make time for important things, with Mr Bell reminding us of the old adage that if you want something done you should ask a busy person to do it.
"I think good leaders these days give people balance in their work life so that they are not breaking under stress all the time. Pressure is allowed but with a challenge."
Among Mr Bell's leadership courses is one on dealing with difficult people. While there are many approaches, one should first try to ascertain why a person has become difficult. Could it be because of the way this person has been treated by a leader or others in the organisation? Is it possible that this person became difficult because his boss avoided problems and just passed them on to somebody else to solve?
One good tactic in handling difficult people is to prepare a script before one meets them and to not be shy about using it. Another is to try to build bridges because these people are not difficult all the time. Mr Bell suggested that when a meeting is held one should try to sit with a difficult person rather than next to one's friends and in doing so might discover that he is not difficult after all.
He says that people form opinions of others which stick and are generally hard to live down. Should the person tagged as being difficult get a new job in another company, some people in his previous workplace might even insinuate to the new boss that hiring him was a mistake.
Mr Bell also has advice for corporate victims: people who are stuck in repetitive jobs because they fear they won't find another one somewhere else. This brings to mind a tale from Greek mythology where Sisyphus, the king of Corinth, was condemned to the underworld as punishment for his evil life. There he was forced to roll a huge stone uphill for eternity, but it always fell back when he reached the top with the whole process starting again.
There are two ways to avoid feeling that a job is a Sisyphean task. One is to take greater interest in what one does and improve one's performance and competitiveness.
The other way is to learn more about one's job and company products. But one needs to combine knowledge with interest to make oneself more productive. This makes them closer to being a leader."
People can obtain this knowledge from reading books, talking to other people and enrolling in suitable courses.
Frequently one cannot grow any further in the company one is working for because the managers are insecure and afraid that other people are coming up too fast. However Mr Bell pointed out that they themselves cannot be promoted unless there is somebody who can take their job.
"I once had it said to me when I presented my programme to a manager, 'But why would I want my people to be as smart as I am?' "
The attitude of a real leader, said Mr Bell, is that acquiring smart people will help his company expand.
Mr Bell acknowledges that there is a built-in resistance that makes it tougher for women to reach the top but this is now changing. Ra-Kahng Associates itself has roughly an even male-female split in its courses. Only four to five years ago far more men than women enrolled.
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