The key to true Leadership - Take a leap of faith

 

“The leap of faith involves having a basic belief in yourself and a fundamental trust in the vision of who, what, and where you want to be in the future.” - Jim Taylor

Leadership is such a buzzword nowadays, yet the concept is so broad and cannot be construed to one strict definition. I have heard many people define leadership and what it means to them, but leadership for me is about taking a leap of faith. What do I mean by that? You may ask.

Although Jim Taylor described what it means to take a leap of faith, his description fits perfectly to what leadership is mostly about. Belief in one’s self. Courage to take action. And fundamental trust in your vision for the future.

Faith is the key word in that description as scripture describes it as the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Henceforth, faith is about hope, vision, trust and belief.

Legend has it that many years ago all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That is faith. Later in life, that boy became the king of the village.

Caveat: Leadership without faith is like a ship sailing without a compass. It’s bound to get lost.

The word “Leap”, on the other hand, is not mere jumping or moving quickly and suddenly to a great height or greater force. Leap describes action, yet it is also an acronym which stands for Listen, Empathy, Ask and Partner.

If you think about it, those four words exemplify the true nature of great leaders. They listen to empathize and understand. They ask questions to partner and collaborate with those they are leading. Collaboration is ultimately the goal that all leaders must aspire to reach in order to realize the vision of a company or organization they are leading.

Let’s look at each of these powerful traits of great leaders and see how they are connected. 

1.    L = Listen

People feel important and cooperate willingly when their voices are heard. Listening is the first step that opens doors for team work and collaboration. The highly effective leaders understand that listening is a skill that ought to be cultivated and mastered as a delicate art for effective communication.

The greatest desire for human beings is to be understood but the paradox is that we don’t want to understand others. The first responsibility of a leader then, is to understand the needs and desires of the people he/she leads. Most often than not, these include being respected, appreciated, loved and valued. 

2.    E = Empathy

Empathy is a component of effective listening but with deeper implications. It involves emotional intelligence.

Empathetic leaders are those that have developed the ability to feel what the other person is feeling deep down in their hearts, not merely hearing what is being said through their ears.

3.    A = Ask

The best way to build rapport, influence and a healthy culture as a leader is to ask questions. Questions create clarity for a leader. Questions allow the leader to understand the needs and challenges of his/her followers. When people feel cared for, they voluntarily go an extra mile to ensure that all the desires of a leader are met in due course.

When you ask the right questions, you essentially build camaraderie whilst directing the focus of your followers on things that matter.  And that is the vision of the organization or that of a leader.

4.    P = Partner

In my research and study about leadership, I learned that all men who were regarded as great or true leaders were men of valour, integrity and service.

Men and women of integrity walk their talk. Their words, beliefs and actions are aligned and consistent at all times.

They are trusted because they are accountable and reliable. They are followed because they have a clear vision of who they are and where they are leading others. They listen intently to understand and commiserate with those they are leading.

Most importantly, they motivate, inspire and empower by teaching, guiding and grooming others who will take over when their tenure ends.  And they value unity and collaboration in the pursuit and accomplishments of their goals and visions.

The leap of faith underpins the fact that self-leadership is a pre-requisite for leading others. Self-leadership involves self-awareness, self-discipline, self-control and self-mastery.

One of my favorite mantra’s in life is that “I am limitless.” This means that within the confines of my own dreams and ambitions, there is nothing I cannot do, nothing I cannot have, and mostly importantly, there is nothing I cannot be.

This is a basic belief in myself and a fundamental trust in the vision of who, what, and where I aspire to be in the future. However, without connecting and collaborating with other people, all those dreams and aspiration, I realized, will be as good as a car without an engine.  

In conclusion, leadership is about taking a leap of faith.