A definition of true leadership

The simplest way to recognise true leadership in an organisation is to look at the people within. It is not because you have been given or are "wearing" the title of a manager that you will be identified as a leader. You will be recognised as a leader by the people around you if they want to follow you and not have to follow you.

In the many years I have been coaching people around the world, my biggest finding as been the problem we have with the way we judge our colleagues in the first instance. Our worst enemy is the attitude we have towards them when we meet them and the way we judge them. Our inbuilt instinct automatically judges them within 10 to 15 seconds and this can create a lot of problems we are not even aware of. When people feel that they are judged, they feel that they are not heard and this will cause us never to be leaders to these people. Our ability to manage and deal with people we don’t like (even if we don’t recognise why) will define our greatness as leaders.

The truth is that we have known people for many years that still don’t trust us, and we know some for five minutes who do. My experience shows that trust is usually created by showing a detectable level of concern. When people truly believe you are concerned for them, they tend to think you possess good judgment. After all, if you care about them, you must know what you are doing.

So what is the fastest and most effective way to show people that you care and you’re competent?

Make sure they feel heard, which is more than just listening. I call it listening like a leader

If they feel heard, they will choose you over anybody else