Being an effective leader: searching for the answers | Third Sector ...

Last October, I embarked on a part-time masters in voluntary sector management with the prospect that after two years I would leave CASS Business School with a toolkit of management and leadership skills ready to change the world. ?

The amount of studying has been colossal and, as my friends will verify, so have been my stress levels. But the process has been fascinating, in terms both of learning and, more importantly, of the constant sharing of ideas with peers, academics and practitioners from varied backgrounds.

We had many lectures from chief executives whose confidence you could almost taste. They told us about their vision for their charity and how to lead others to achieve this vision. This got me wondering??to be a leader, do you really have to be convinced that your opinions are the best for any given organisation? Are some people just natural born leaders, or are they just very good spokespeople? Can you learn how to be a leader? Listening to these leaders, I found myself beginning to lose confidence in my own abilities.

At this point Debra Allcock-Tyler, chief executive of the Directory of Social Change, sprang into our lecture theatre. Her self-deprecating wit, astuteness and human approach struck a chord within minutes. She spoke of being afraid, getting it wrong and?being uncertain. What she had in common with the other chief executives was a deep belief in the importance of the organisation?s vision and commitment to serving beneficiaries, but the rest of her talk was very different. This resonated with me so I asked if I could work-shadow her.

I won?t take you through a step-by-step guide to leadership because there are a plethora of books that will do that better than me (and if anyone?s after a reading list I can definitely help you out). What I learnt from Debra is that it is fine, if not admirable, to critique yourself. This continuous cycle of self-improvement ensures effective leadership and that staff buy into you as a person, leading them through good and bad times.

Debra?s style showed me it?s OK to tweet something that might ruffle some feathers; it?sOK? to push back; it?s OK to get things wrong, as long as your beneficiaries are at the heart of your actions. Debra?s comments also sparked a light-bulb moment:??Why does it matter what people think of me personally if I know what I?m doing is for my beneficiaries? That doesn?t mean it doesn?t hurt if I get negative feedback, of course it does, but I?ll get over it. Eve! Go get a voice and make yourself heard. Passion is the one thing leaders need more than anything.?

I realised I?d been asking the wrong questions. It?s not about learning to be confident and it?s not about a one-size-fits-all leadership. If you?re a natural born worrier you probably always will be. Leadership is about realising it?s not about you. As a receptacle for the views of those you serve, it?s imperative that you brush off the things that hurt you personally in order to achieve your organisational vision.

As a chief executive of a VCS organisation, money is not the motivator. The uniqueness of having no ?bottom line? heralds charismatic and inspiring leaders, of which Debra is one. This doesn?t mean she?s not in charge of the detail ? she was clear that effective leaders have their eye on the fundamentals. Seeing this sort of leadership in practice really enhanced my thinking. I?d urge anyone to shadow a leader ? you?ll never know what light-bulb moment you?ll have.

Eve Wagg is programme manager for The Communication Trust

Source: http://guest.thirdsector.co.uk/2013/07/08/being-an-effective-leader-searching-for-the-answers/

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