Leadership

WWW.LEADERS-FOR-THE-WORLD.COM

TIM COBURN

LEADERSHIP AND THE CRITICAL FEW PURPOSE, LEARNING, INNOVATION

AND LEADERSHIP WITH HUMANITY

Purpose, Innovation and Leadership with Humanity

March, 2015

TIM COBURN

*Human Capital Trends Survey. Deloitte, 2014

Define it Leadership is the ability to engage people and take them with you. As you do, leadership is the ability to create value for the world.

Keep it Simple Leadership isn’t easy. Let’s keep the explanation simple.

First, you need a purpose. Then, you need learning, innovation and leadership with humanity.

LEADERS FOR THE WORLD

Copyright © Tim Coburn 2015 All Rights Reserved

The World Needs Leaders Leadership is one of the most talked about ideas in corporate life.

And not without good reason.

The need for leaders is the no. 1 human capital requirement of corporate organisations, at every level and in every part of the world (Deloitte, 2014*).

That’s how important it is.

Responding to the Need Leaders for the World helps companies develop the leaders they need by equipping them with the skills required to do a great leadership job.

As well as developing leaders, Leaders for the World equips coaches and consultants with tools and techniques to develop their own leadership clients.

Good Leadership Our work is grounded in a definition of what good leadership is.

Distilling the best ideas from his international experience at world class companies, Tim Coburn sets out what it takes to be a ‘leader for the world’.

LEADERSHIP

The Critical Few Good leaders do many other things. But if you don’t have these, there’ll be a big gap in your performance.

Think of them as the critical few.

LEARNING INNOVATION

LEADERSHIP WITH

HUMANITY

PURPOSE



PURPOSE

PURPOSE

LEARNING INNOVATION

LEADERSHIP WITH

HUMANITY

What’s Yours? A leadership purpose is not about you and your career. Or this year’s numbers.

It should say how you intend to improve life for other people. It has to do this because that’s what inspires the motivation in others to follow it.

Think of it this Way People don’t really follow you as a person, they follow your ‘big idea’.

Who you are, what you know and what you do, make a difference.

But great leaders know it’s not about them. They know it’s about the idea, ambition, vision or goal that stands outside them.

That’s why great leaders last.

Your Big Idea Having a ‘big idea’ you care about, that others also want to achieve, applies at any stage of your career.

If you want to lead, having a purpose beyond your career, is critical to your success.

Purpose As a leader, your purpose is what you want to create, improve, change or do for others.

To be a leadership purpose, it must be something other people also want to bring about, who are willing to put their time and effort into achieving it.

Most Leaders Don’t Know Defining a leadership purpose might be harder than we think.

According to Harvard Business Review (May, 2014*), barely 20% of leaders are clear about their purpose.

People work well for leaders with technical brilliance, great judgment or genuine likeability, even when their purpose isn’t clear.

But organisations measure success by the value they create. That means they need leaders who have a purpose with an enriching intent. Intelligence, character and qualities are helpful, but not enough.

PURPOSE

*From Purpose to Impact. HBR, May 2014.



PURPOSE

LEARNING INNOVATION

LEADERSHIP WITH

HUMANITY

Innovation With the context changing so quickly, leaders need to be the masters of innovation, too.

Imagination rarely gets onto the list of corporate leadership requirements. But innovation is impossible without it.

A Creative Challenge Innovation is a leadership challenge for two reasons.

First, your new idea needs to be good enough to create more value. Innovations that add value differentiate leaders from the rest.

Second, the best ideas are not always yours. They shouldn’t be. Great leaders bring about other people’s ideas, not just their own.

With Passion and Humility Great leaders use their imagination collaboratively. They are passionate enough to speak for their own idea and humble enough to withdraw it when a better one is offered.

Learning The idea of learning as a leadership capability is back in fashion.

It used to be something to do in a classroom, or when you’re reading a book.

Today, everything we know is online and at our fingertips. Routine work is automated and employee capacity is re-directed to work that needs human, not artificial, intelligence.

Learning is more important than ever.

The Strongest Indicator of Future Success The ability to learn from experience is the strongest indicator of the potential to succeed.

That’s right. Not intelligence, motivation or technical brilliance – but the ability to learn.

In today’s world, your ability to lead depends on your ability to learn.

LEARNING AND

INNOVATION

LEARNING INNOVATION



LEADERSHIP WITH

HUMANITY

PURPOSE

LEARNING INNOVATION

LEADERSHIP WITH

HUMANITY

Moral Courage This second meaning is about the way you deal with ethical issues. From how you tackle fairness, prejudice and confidentiality, to how you handle difficult conversations, instill a code of conduct and stay within the law.

Leadership with humanity requires you to uphold a personal, as well as a corporate, code of ethics.

Leaders with moral courage don’t stand by. They act quickly, with ethical integrity.

Social Purpose This third meaning asks you to see to it that your work adds value to society as a whole.

Organisations commit to social responsibility. Leaders must do the same. Great leaders are not remembered for the profit they made but the value they gave to the world.

Compassion Leadership with humanity rests on your empathic sensitivity to the needs of people and the wider world. And the intent to do something about it.

If you don’t care you won’t lead.

Leadership with Humanity A harsh recession, the rise in social conscience, intolerance to unwelcome authority and higher expectations are some of the reasons why leadership needs a human touch.

But what does it mean?

Serve to Lead This first meaning underpins the way you relate to the people you lead.

Serve to Lead is a self-less commitment to put the interests of your people before your own. It includes a consideration for their welfare as a whole, as well as the things that affect their engagement, motivation and ability to do a great job.

Employee engagement and its positive impact on corporate performance show why it matters and what happens when you do it well.

With sincerity, ‘serve to lead’ earns the respect and builds the trust that grant you permission to lead.

LEADERSHIP WITH

HUMANITY

The World Needs Leaders As economies recover, as the digital transformation continues and as social responsibility grows, corporate executives as asking:

‘To address the challenges we face now, what kind of leaders do we need?’

‘What capabilities must they have and how can we develop them?’

The ideas in this paper add to that debate.



LEARNING INNOVATION

LEADERSHIP WITH

HUMANITY

PURPOSE

THE WORLD NEEDS

LEADERS

Leaders for the World Leaders for the World is a vision of leadership.

Developing Leaders Organisations develop leaders through a rich mix of experience, assignments, coaching and formal learning.

In this mix, despite the rise of new technologies, the best companies for leadership say they still rely on high-touch, face-to-face learning experiences*.

Innovative and Unique Leaders for the World specialises in executive and leader development that addresses real issues and develops capability at the same time

Working collaboratively, we deliver unique solutions for the specific challenges you need to resolve.

With a Personal Touch

Leaders for the World is led by Tim Coburn, a leadership specialist with 30 years international experience in senior roles at the BBC, Motorola, Rolls-Royce, Kenya Airways, Syngenta and Serco. He works with executive credibility, unassuming presence and natural warmth.

Invitation If you’ve enjoyed these ideas and want to know more, please get in touch:

[email protected]

It includes the capabilities today’s leaders need.

*Best Companies for Leadership. Hay, 2014

Leadership

Leadership & Management

Transcript of Leadership