Leadership has been a keyword in many spheres over the past few months, with uncertainty across politics, industry and personal lives being underpinned by how well – or not – crises have been managed. Much like Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the ‘divine’ link between a leader and a workforce has never been so under the microscope. As the world continues to change, business leaders have needed to be agile and adapt in record time. This has made the old command and control structure of leadership seem outdated and untenable. So, just what makes a good leader today? 

 To err is human
For me, the importance of vulnerability should not be underestimated, particularly in a world as rapidly changing and shifting as it is today. In a time where so many answers are unknowable, collaborative solving is paramount, and that requires open, vulnerable leadership.  

There is an enduring sense in business that it is important to always maintain a professional demeanour, to be removed from those who we work with. However, vulnerability promotes authenticity and helps build connections across teams. This is important. If you lack connection with somebody, it makes it difficult to work with them. Therefore, opening up to your team and asking them for help can bond the team together and lead to better decision making. 

 Connecting with people means you need to be seen and have the courage to be imperfect. It is something that many business leaders struggle with, as they strive to project an image of being all knowing. However, vulnerability makes you more relatable and helps encourage team mates to follow your lead.  

It is something that the military does well. People’s perceptions of the military often focus in on   seniors barking orders and subordinates doing what they are told. However, military leaders are generally very open in expressing their need for support from specialists and those with the required knowledge, even if those people are at a very junior level. They see this as a strength – knowing it creates greater trust, mutual respect, and confidence across the team. There is a well-known military maxim to ‘trust the person on the ground’.  

At the very start of my former career in the military, I found myself deployed as a leader into my first combat operation. It was a conflict that had been going on for several years, and many of my team had extensive experience there. They knew far more than I did, and it would have been insane not to draw on that. That’s why I encouraged the people around me to take ownership and share their solutions for how they would approach the task. Together we decided upon a plan, which we then activated, and I led. 

This sense of needing to be omnipotent is all too often found in the business world. Whether it comes from a place of protecting team members – not wanting to burden them, a lack of trust, or from wanting to be seen as knowing everything – it means business leaders feel they have to do it all themselves, which is exhausting and unachievable, as well as counterproductive.  

Some leaders may think that showing vulnerability opens Pandora’s box. That you have to start sharing everything with everybody, all the time. However, that is simply not the case. Remember, vulnerability is only impactful if it used appropriately – too much leads to it becoming mundane.  

Safe Spaces 
The best way to start showing more vulnerability in a work setting is to create a safe space. If you create an environment, even a temporary one, that is outside the day-to-day, it is far easier for you and the team to critique and be vulnerable whilst maintaining a degree of control. 

Safe spaces can be vital in challenging deep-rooted beliefs. It is important to allow team members to have a mandate to challenge what’s been decided and demonstrate that everyone involved is listened to. This gives team members a valuable chance to shape the plan they are a part of which, in turn, provides them with authentic ownership and can be highly motivational. After all, if they are in the room when decisions are made they are more likely to own the solution. 

Leadership Flex
Many of the most admired leaders in history were known to be adaptable. Even Sir Winston Churchill, famous for his unstinting and seemingly inexhaustible resilience throughout World War 2 said: “The best Leaders are those who arrive at the results of planning without being tied to plans.” This approach was completely at odds with the culture of the time, which prized a perfect plan based on absolute certainty. Churchill’s style, as counter intuitive as it seemed at the time, was critical in fostering a more innovative, creative, and agile approach that garnered success. 

Eighty years on, innovation and creativity in planning have become the norm. Today, it is more or less accepted that a plan will have to adapt once it meets reality. Yet some organisations still struggle to understand how to develop a better planning culture.  

The basic principles of planning
The solution is to follow some basic principles which create successful outcomes. Firstly, it is crucial to involve a small number of people from every level of the organisation in the planning process. When faced with ambiguity or volatility within the workplace, individuals tend to make decisions in silos or with a very select group. However, diversity in thinking is the key to dealing with any complex and uncertain environment.  

The input of staff from the top tier all the way to the frontline gives the plan the acute reality check it needs. Creating a small planning team from a vertical slice of your organisation brings diversity of thought from a wide range of influences, backgrounds, and levels within the business. This helps ensure the right solution is identified the first-time round. Plus, it generates advocates throughout the organisation who will own the plan and be wedded to its success moving forward.  

Secondly, whilst we have all heard of having a Plan B, it is rare that leaders create one. The military teaches its teams to come up with a solution to the problem, then set that aside and generate a second way to achieve the same outcome but via a completely different pathway. They even seek a third option where possible. The time spent to investigate all the possible angles is considered essential to ensure nothing is missed. Frequently, it is neither Plan A, B or C which is selected, but the best parts of all three.  This is a great lesson for business leaders. Only by investing time in the planning process do you get more diverse and innovative solutions that stand a greater chance of success.  

Remember, working to create the perfect plan – polished, flawless, and beautifully presented –  is folly. Churchill knew that no plan survives contact with reality, it will inevitably be forced to adapt to allow for new developments. Better, therefore, to get a plan that is 80% fit for purpose and use the remaining available time to test it and see where it could potentially fail. 

Fostering ownership
In my experience, a good leader is defined by the culture, genuine care, and compassion they have for their team. A successful leader is one that can enhance their teams’ abilities to create their own solutions. To foster this, good leaders empower their teams to think independently. After all, ownership and buy-in can only truly be achieved when leaders set out the ‘what and the why’ but leave the team to generate the ‘how’. This is key. If those at the sharp end of the organisation are in the room to solve the problem, they will own it. 

There is immense pressure on senior leaders today as they try to plan among so many unknowns. It is no secret that every organisation is as different as the people in it. However, there are now flexible frameworks available that can be applied by leaders in any type of organisation, to any type of problem. By taking a 360° view of their business, leaders can unlock potential across every level of the organisation. This will help build organisational resilience top to bottom, whilst actively training teams to identify problems and come together to shape the solutions.