Personal Development

Where true leadership begins…

A couple of weeks ago I attended an excellent debate in central London entitled ‘It’s the journalists not the politicians who have fouled our political culture’. The chair was broadcaster, Martyn Lewis and the panel of six made up of leading journalists and politicians, three for the motion and three against. All got about ten minutes to state their case and it was then thrown out to the audience, of about seven hundred people, for comments and questions before everyone voted.

On the way in we were asked whether we were for or against the motion and the numbers were

For the motion 215
Against the motion 244
Don’t know 237

One the things that came up was that public surveys had put both politicians and journalists at the very top of people’s least trusted professions. I doubt whether most people would consider journalists as their leaders, nor politicians for that matter, but both hold positions where they can and do, in different ways, exert considerable influence.

Perhaps, one of the reasons they are so mistrusted is because there is often seen to be a discrepancy between what they say and what they do.

True leadership begins with the self and developing six important qualities

Consistency

This means being consistent in thoughts and actions. Leaders do what they say they are going to do. They follow through because they know that consistency brings success.

Commitment

Once they have chosen their path leaders are committed to follow it. When the going gets tough they stay the course. They can handle the emotional pressure.

Courage

Fortune favours the brave. Leaders sometimes have to make tough decisions but they face them head on and move on anyway. They continue when others have quit.

Congruency

Leaders are truly aligned. They have values, beliefs, goals, thoughts and behaviours that work together. They have a strong and powerful sense of self and walk their talk.

Confidence

Confidence is something that builds through the other qualities. Being congruent, consistent, committed, and having courage all promote confidence. Leaders have the confidence to try, and to win.

Caring

True leaders care about others and are not just focused on self gain. They can see the big picture and always strive for the greater good. Success for them is not about trampling over others to get personal rewards.

And back to the debate…

A good point was made by an audience member involved in statistics. He said that when public surveys were more detailed it was only certain sections of the media that attracted such mistrust and individual politicians rated much higher for trust within their own constituencies. But none the less you may be interested in the final vote

For the motion 239
Against the motion 407
Don’t know 89

Anyone for politics?

Read other articles >>>