God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – The Apostle Paul

Well It’s the end of our 32 wise words series. I am somewhat nostalgic if i’m to be completely honest. Reflecting on 32 of the most important lessons i’ve learnt so far has definitely had a somewhat profound impact in me personally.

I’ve always been open and honest about Jesus as my source of inspiration and my benchmark on Leadership and hence i found it fitting to end this series on something i’ve directly learnt from the leadings of Jesus.

Strategically the ultimate innovation Jesus did was not his miracles, his teachings, or his ministry on Earth. It was his death and resurrection. This moment in history was so significant that it literally divided the calendar. It was the “move” that tipped his ministry from a very successful middle eastern movement to a global phenomenon. From a few thousand followers to billions through out history. As a Christian there is a multitude of lessons and applications from this act on the cross, but for the purposes of this blog we will analyse, what teaches us about Love in the context of leadership?

It is an interesting observation that death in this context does not signify ending but beginning. Does that mean the key to great leadership is death? (obviously in a metaphorical sense). Well the scripture defines this death as the ultimate act of love. So perhaps the key as cheesy as it sound is love? But today the definition of love is blurred.

So what is love? How does it look like in action?  How and Why did it make the greatest leadership move of all time? and Lastly how does it apply to my leadership today? – These questions i’ll answer to conclude this series over the next few days in a few short posts.

Leading in love is about sacrifice not pleasure

So first – In this act on the cross we see love defined not in pleasure, but in sacrifice. A great leader layed down his own life for the good of those who follow him.

Love therefore is about sacrifice not pleasure – To truly love your team means to take the burden of doing what is best for them, not what is easier or more pleasurable for you.

Society today tells us that love is only love in the absence of hardship eg “get divorced if you aren’t getting along…”, “quit your job if you hate it” – I would argue love in the context of leadership (or any context for that matter) is only manifest in the presence of hardship.

At our company we are very intentional of creating a culture that embraces hardship as an opportunity to come together. Specifically i tell my team it’s their opportunity to test my integrity. Anyone can love and lead a team that is successful and doing well, but a leaders true motivations and identity are exposed in the face of hardship.

Sometimes as a leader it’s in the ultimate pain and suffering, the ultimate sacrifices you make that show your true ability to lead your people. It’s in these moments that your people know that you value the mission and their well-being above self-gain. It’s through these times that you become stronger and more able to achieve the challenge set before you.

“According to Louis Mobley, my mentor and the director of the IBM Executive School, Albert Einstein did far more than reinvent physics. Human beings are no longer just passive cogs in Newton’s mechanistic machine inexorably driven by the iron wheel of cause and effect. Instead we are all conscious agents, thinking for ourselves, just as capable of causing change as being driven by it. Einstein’s universe is a fluid place of feedback loops where cause and effect are interchangeable and often indistinguishable. Does the media lead public opinion or merely reflect it? Do parents produce children or children produce parents? Are consumers hapless victims of marketing or are marketing folks just hapless victims of a fickle consumer?

For leadership, Einstein’s revolution means that the old, neat distinction between leaders and followers no longer exists. Those bright lines between kings and subjects, nobles and serfs, bosses and “workers” are gone. We often switch between leader and follower many times in a single day, and success depends just as much on being a great follower as it does on being a great leader”. – Forbes – The 11 Leadership Secrets you’ve never heard

I remember walking into my business one evening to find out my favourite staff member was about to quit, another one of my staff was quitting and a third staff member in tears. After a few hard conversations i realised that leadership was not a dictatorship. I realised that leadership is simply facilitating the best in people. Providing the best possible environment for people to be the best and become the best they can.

This was my first exposure and first lesson in the leadership style Einstein coined as the feedback loop.

The feedback loop means that as leaders our job is done better and our success far greater when we respond, assist and work in the best interests of our people. Gone are the days where followers suffer at the expense of the leaders gain. Success is mutual in the feedback loop.

As leaders we forget that it’s in our best interests to serve the interests of our people. It’s easy to fall into the lazy pattern of simply demanding our people do what we want and do it our way. But in our company we call this lazy leadership. It’s far easier to just tell people what to do then to listen and build a culture where your people are better off.

But this is something i’ve learnt and am still learning.

“Hearing is not Listening, Speaking is not communicating”

When you say leader what is the first thing that pops to your mind? Many people hear it and image is a charismatic, charming leader who can motivate the masses. This was me 3 years ago. I thought talking at someone was the best way to communicate with them. My staff would speak to me and i would hear them but not really be listening because i was doing too many things at once.

It struck me one day when 1 staff member quit and another was brought to tears having a conversation with me. Because it was two staff i had to realise the problem was not with everyone else, but in actual fact the problem was me.

Listening is actually taking in what someone is saying and using the information you have just obtained from they have said to respond. Where as hearing is deciding in advance what you want to say and letting the other person speak so that you can await your turn.

Communicating is talking with someone: asking open questions with the purpose of working with someone toward a solution to their problem, and gathering as much information as possible. Speaking is talking at someone bullying them to accept your point of view.

Seldom few excellent people fall for the hearing and talking techniques, great people know when they are listened to and communicated with. Yet entrepreneurs have a tendency to always talk, because we are doers and have good gut instincts that’s what makes us successful to begin with. However transitioning from a start-up to a multi-million dollar business i’ve realises the strengths that made me a good entrepreneur in start-ups are actually weaknesses when working with a team of great people.

Hence i’ve learnt that these 2 areas are both areas which i need to improve. I’m still getting better but Since implementing this our best value as a company has come from our team and my willingness to simply admit i am not always right, and in fact most of the time they are.