Q&A with Simon T. Bailey: Follow the leader

The notion that all leaders are born that way isn’t necessarily true, says Simon T. Bailey.

“Yes, some leaders are born with the innate qualities to become a leader,” says Bailey, director of the Brilliance Institute, a Windermere, Fla.-based business consulting firm. “But when the rubber meets the road, most leaders are made and they’re made over time. They’re made during the heat and pressure of change. Sometimes, this can take decades to develop. So don’t give up.”
 

Q: What are the main misconceptions business owners have about leadership?

A: Some misconceptions business owners have about leadership is whether they have what it takes to lead the team, will the team buy into the vision and do they realize I put my blood, sweat and tears into this business and do they have the same passion that I have. Sometimes leaders start questioning themselves and those around them whether the team is in it like they’re in it.
 

Q: That’s a lot to ask.

A: That’s why you need to really step back and build a bridge from where a person or a team is to where they need to go. When you help them get to where they want to go, then they’re going to help you get to where you want to go as a leader.

Q: Owners agonize over the question of whether they have the skills to lead. Let’s step back a little and tell me how a business owner best hones their skills? How do you find the person you need to be?

A: All of the research says that, whether you’re a big company or a small business, for leaders it all comes down to the fundamental question of “Am I self-aware?” That self-awareness question covers if a leader realizes his shortcomings as well as knowing his areas of opportunities. Answering this enables an owner to hire people to fill those gaps so that they can best focus their attention on their strengths and what they do best in the business.

Next, ask yourself: “Am I flexible and adaptable?” This flexibility and adaptability allows an owner to be nimble when the market is changing, or even when the market is uncertain. When the market is uncertain that flexibility and adaptability allows you to pivot and stay relevant in the midst of change.

Finally, ask: “Am I a learning leader?” Are you staying abreast not only of what’s happening in your industry but also what’s happening in allied industries? Are you borrowing the best ideas that are driving change and success in those other industries and bringing them into your own? That happens when you develop the skill set of learning agility, where you’re constantly learning but also passing that learning on to your team so you’re not the only one with the information. Instead of being the smartest person in the room you’re making sure those around you are informed – even those individuals who work for you on a seasonal basis. As a leader, if you really want to stay on the edge, then you need these things in place.

Q: Then how do you foster a sense of leadership in the people who work with you, from the top down?

A: Effective leaders understand how to connect. They realize that every person who works for them is wired differently and needs different things. When you understand who your people are as humans then you can go beyond seeing them just as people who are doing. Real leaders understand how to treat people with respect and how to challenge them, but this only happens when they understand how to connect and have relationships with the people they work with.

Q: When you look throughout history who is an example of a great leader?

A: I’d have to say Steve Jobs. He probably is the greatest inventor of the modern era. What allowed him to be a leader was he didn’t accept anything less than excellence. Now, how he went about that, most people would challenge his approach. But keep in mind, if everybody likes you then you should probably look over your shoulder because there’s probably something wrong. Steve Jobs had the ability to be, what I like to call, a sandpaper leader — I like it but let’s sand this down a little more to get it to where it’s should be at. Because of his visionary leadership, Apple has disrupted three to seven different industries in less than a decade.

Q: What do you see as the common mistakes business leaders make about leadership?

A: One of the big mistakes is not accepting or being open to feedback. It’s okay to ask the question, “What aren’t you getting from me?” However, many leaders don’t like to ask that. Another would be looking at failure as an end instead of a beginning. As a leader you need to reframe failure and learn from it to become smarter and faster. Lastly, sometimes, as leaders, we focus on the now and not the future like we should. I often suggest that business leaders schedule 15 minutes on their calendars each day just to think. Carve out time to think about the future, what it’s going to look like and how you expect to operate in that environment. Those things are critically important to keeping leaders fresh and on the edge because they have an eye toward the future and a foot in the present.

Mike Zawacki is editor of sister publication Snow Magazine.