The Leadership Creed

The unwritten leadership creed is universally understood: Leaders develop their people. 

We do this by engaging, respecting and valuing our people and through the provision of  opportunity, education and experience.

It is the way we do things around here, and everyone gets on board.  It’s the vibe.  It’s the culture. And it’s not easily achieved.

The Onion 

We all know that culture is a tough gig.  It’s the big onion.  Peel back one layer, and there is another, and yet another.  How do we embed a culture that resonates with our vision for the organisation across all the layers?   

One of the challenges is that we are, in the main, caught up in a complex landscape of competing priorities.  And while we know that good leadership is all about people, finding the time to engage at a deeper level can sometimes seem impossible.  

We want to be effective, but we don’t always see a clear path in the face of our daily reality.

How do we meet deadlines, drive growth, execute innovative strategy, change culture, build stakeholder relationships, develop and coach our people?   

Leadership Now 

Unlike the aloof, emotionally under-developed leaders of old, holding court in the corner office and directing from a distance, as contemporary leaders we are immersed in all facets of the organisation and its people. 

A decade ago, HBR was talking about the essential, and central role of trust in the leadership space Trust‍

In the ensuing decade so much has been added to our leadership lexicon. Trust remains central, and we know more about how to build trust across the layers of the onion. We know and understand the business we are in. We genuinely care about the lives of the people in our organisations. This immersion in the well-being of people is evident in the quality of conversations we have as we touch base across the company - whether by face to face or by way of digital interface.

Asking the Right Questions 

When we approach the many layers of the organisation with curiosity, we find ourselves asking discovery questions. This approach positions us a listener, rather than speaker.   When we engage people in these deeper conversations, we are rewarded with insights into the organisation that aren’t available to us through transactional interactions.

The Checklist 

Whether we currently lead teams, divisions, groups, regions, departments or an organisation, the 6 pillars of the Leadership Creed provide us with a simple checklist. 

Engage - Am I engaging people actively? 

Respect - Am I respecting people openly?

Value - Am I valuing people unreservedly?

Opportunity - Am I providing opportunity that responds to the diversity of people?

Education - Am I growing people through access to relevant education?

Experience - Am I extending people through new experiences?