408,000 bosses and the balancing act on tiptoe

Many executives have not grown into their roles, but have simply slipped into them. Often, this is because they are technically competent or are promoted as a form of ‘recognition’ (or, as some might call it, ‘appreciation’). The result? A large number of executives fail spectacularly. Why? The new title on their business card, the parking space in front of the company, the greater authority over staff and budgets, and the higher salary are all tempting at first. Yet very few are aware of what leadership actually entails in day-to-day business.

In day-to-day leadership situations, it is inevitable that conflicts, obstacles, setbacks, challenges, resistance, disappointments and mistrust will arise. It is therefore important to be mindful of feelings and emotions in leadership situations and to deal with them carefully in order to lead successfully.

In many companies, managers slip into a role that does not really suit them. And the less the role suits them, the more they have to – figuratively speaking – stand on tiptoes to meet the demands. In the long run, however, nobody likes to be constantly standing on tiptoes: it is exhausting, painful and often comes across as tense and unnatural.

Why are so many employees dissatisfied with their bosses? If, in a hypothetical staff survey, the question were asked: ‘What do you think of your line manager?’, and there were only two possible answers – namely ‘well-liked’ or ‘idiot’ – how would the responses be distributed?

The secret of good leadership

So, what makes for good leadership? The first step is being on the same wavelength. As a manager and an employee, make sure you are emotionally compatible – the same sense of humour, a similar pace of work, similar ambitions, the same social views, similar tastes. That’s half the battle! Leadership based on figures and tools must largely be replaced by leadership based on people, because the results from leadership tools are merely downstream outcomes of the leadership relationship between two people.

Therefore: one of the most important qualities of a good leader is the ability to intuitively sense whether their leadership is having an effect. This can be seen in the attentiveness and the sparkle in their employees’ eyes – and, just as importantly, in the sparkle in the leader’s own eyes! This mutual resonance creates an environment in which leadership thrives. If these signs are missing, small cracks begin to appear, which can lead to a hint of chaos. So, managers and employees, be on the same wavelength. That makes perfect sense – and ideally, your eyes will light up too.