On a Philosophy
Proper leadership starts with a crafted philosophy.
A philosophy is the foundation that anchors the structure to withstand the shifting sands of time and tide.
This week’s Tools-n-Tips asks questions about philosophy via two thought experiments.
One is about your philosophy, and the second about others’.
Familiarise yourself with the Influential Leadership Philosophy in the infographic below.
I present it in first person so that each of us can take ownership thereof.
NOTE. Not too long ago we covered another dimension of the Influential Leadership Philosophy in the Notes. Refer here to that edition.
Here are the two pieces of our thought experiment:
- If you applied the Influential Leadership Philosophy in your own life and in your leadership moments, how would you be doing?
- If you applied the Influential Leadership Philosophy to other’s lives and leadership moments—to people who often pretend to be leaders and are erroneously referred to as leaders, like the current crop of political, business, and social ‘rulers and bosses’ (generally, but also in our own homes, teams, schools, communities, workspaces and countries)—how would they be doing?
The Influential Leadership System is clear and emphatic that a leadership philosophy is essential in any credible leadership construct and practice.
The Alpha Programme is at pains to build the rationale for such a position, as some of you know.
Suffice to say here, that a philosophy is like a brand or a trademark that establishes and demonstrates the essence of something. If we see the name, we know what we will get.
When a person with an Influential Leadership Philosophy leads, it must be obvious to observers on what basis they lead—it will be recognised as ‘that person’s way of leading’.
The Influential Leadership Philosophy means the following in practice:
1. We must appreciate that we can only fully benefit through a leadership moment if all those influenced by our behaviour also benefit.
It is a normal human instinct that we do things because we will benefit. This is what drives us to excel, to innovate, to go further, to be #1 in the world, to change things for the better.
What Influential Leadership establishes is that to maximise benefits for myself I must include others. This requires that I, that we, lead on a win-win basis.
Have you seen this approach recently? Yes, members of the South African rugby team have demonstrated this very well.
2. The opposite of the win-win approach is one based on a zero-sum mentality. Here the practice is to use one’s personality, power, position or leverage to get as much personal benefit as possible, while leaving others with as little as they can get away with.
Do you recognise this approach? There is a lot of it about. It is what gets us into a mess all over—in our families, teams, schools, workplaces, communities and countries.
3. The second part of the Influential Leadership Philosophy goes a step further than only establishing that we each benefit most through collective benefits.
It also recognises that we each have the responsibility and the capability to lead through our social agency.
Social agency is central to the Influential Leadership System. You will find it discussed in many of the Notes. Here is just one if you need a refresher.
The Influential Leadership Philosophy recognises that humans act in ways that reward them—that will benefit them in some way.
If you want to maximise your leadership rewards and benefits, then the way to do it is:
- To appreciate that the quality and value of your life is tied together with others’, and
- That you have the capability to lead in this way.
Anchor your leadership moments to a philosophy that rewards you richly.
Regards,
Colin @ Karoo
We Close the Leadership Gap!
Leadership Weekly Note: 4723. 201123
e: colind@karoo.world
Follow The Karoo Influential Leadership on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KarooInfluentialLeadership
