Leadership ideas and reflections

How to lead by serving? (Asana)

comparisons

These past few days, I have been thinking about leadership quite a bit. One reason is the Atlas Corps Virtual Leadership Institute that I was selected for. I am also applying for the Chevening Scholarship and am part of a leadership development programme at work (and was asked to reflect upon the meeting(s) and the reading of Simon Sinek's book(s)). Servant leadership is something I am familiar with since my schooling days but with changing times, I think it is helpful to learn more about how the concept has changed or is adapted to different situations and also to find out about other leadership ideas. 

Servant Leadership in Scrum Teams

Creative Leadership's reimagined servant leadership

Simon Sinek's books 'Leaders Eat Last' and 'Start With Why' (as well as 'Find Your Why') unpack some of these useful leadership ideas. (see images below)

 

infographics and summary

Jean Roberto, an Atlas Corps leader from Brazil

My short conversation with Jean opened my eyes to how youth can take charge and lead movements through small and simple actions. By enabling the locals and giving them a voice, he is intending to amplify the message of sustainability about the Amazon region for the benefit of others around the world to be more proactive and intentional in taking care of the lungs of the world.

my idea is to track and monitor the personal leadership growth and reflections of aspiring community leaders for Mendaki Club's succession planning and capacity building

A chat with ChaCha, a Chevening Scholar from Indonesia now studying at Warwick Uni, UK

I also hope to reflect and write about leadership and networking here in preparation for my upcoming interview. It helped that I got a chance to speak to a successful applicant and learn from other applicants around the world.

Question 1. Leadership. Explain the difference between a leader and a manager. What does it mean to be a good leader/manager?

According to Simon Sinek, great leaders need to have empathy and perspectives. Managers think of themselves as in charge while leaders care about those under their charge. It is not a given and not everyone is a natural leader but one can train and build the capacity (like a muscle) to be a better leader. He even went on to say that when things go right, they give others credit and when things go wrong they take responsibility. A good leader is thus supportive and nurturing. However, in tough times, a good leader needs to pivot and be able to win the hearts and minds of those under their charge to get through it together.

Question 2. State the few characteristics you think are suitable for leader/manager and explain why?

Besides the aforementioned qualities, a leader needs to be a resourceful innovator, visionary thinker, empathetic communicator, grounded servant leader and a committed contributor. These are important because leaders/managers will need to navigate various wicked problems, interact with different stakeholders and work with a range of deadlines as well as environmental factors beyond our control.

Question 3. You have shown leadership skills. Provide an example where you helped someone to overcome his/her problem.  

I think one of the more recent examples is when I made time for a more junior colleague and listened in to his worries and concerns as he adapts and settles into his new role in our workplace. He had culture shock and faced difficulty getting some resources. I linked him up to some colleagues who could help him better and also provided him with some advice on how he can avoid future issues. 

Leadership reflections write-up for work purposes:

In my opinion, the purpose of leadership is to achieve the desired outcomes together with others. This enables me to rationalise with the concept of self-leadership too. As no man is an island, one would need to communicate, cooperate and collaborate with others around oneself to attain one’s goals and aspirations.  

“It’s lonely at the top.” When I hear that line, I used to think that leaders are not just alone at the top but lonely too. However, with concepts like servant leadership, experiences working with good leaders and ideas from books like ‘Leaders Eat Last’ and ‘Start With Why’ by Simon Sinek, I now know that the above need not be true although it is evidently not easy to be a good leader.

In my roles as an Executive Committee member in the youth-led Mendaki Club and as a volunteer leader with Young NTUC’s Project Refresh, I try to apply the ideals of servant leadership and listen to those whom I serve and work with while keeping in mind that it is not always about me as a leader. I got to work with other like-minded youth leaders to serve the target beneficiaries and thus I realise that leading need not be a solo experience.    

At work, although I do not hold official leadership positions, I get to work with and learn from good leaders and in some ways, I am given the opportunity to lead small teams too. The leaders I work with do not just ‘manage’ or ‘direct’ me and my colleagues but in many ways listen to our concerns and feedback as well as empower us to make informed decisions in our workstreams. Noting that one does not need to have a certain rank to lead, I do my part to be kept up to date with EdTech thought leadership and also to remain connected to colleagues from different sections and branches so as to be able to find synergies in our work. To be honest, I also appreciate the exposure to the Leadership Programme by you (Mr Suraj) and also the X-Labs one as suggested by Hai Siang and the personal and professional development I have gotten while at TfL has really provided me with insights and valuable perspectives on what kind of leader I want to be moving forward.

I really like the books by Simon Sinek as he shares some interesting ideas and relatable anecdotes that inspire me to be a better leader now and when the opportunity comes to lead in formal or official capacities. The books relate how leadership is behavioural, situational, transformational and authentic. The scientific (biological) aspects of leadership fascinate me and are actually pretty linked to my current interests in the science of learning and attention thanks to my work with Brain Boost TIme. Learning about the selfless chemicals (serotonin and oxytocin) in contrast to the selfish chemicals of (endorphins and dopamine) makes me a bit more intentional and cautious in my interactions with others, especially with my role as Mental and Emotional Wellness lead for the Staff Welfare Committee this year. I also cherished the essence of the golden circle and why it is important to start with why like how Apple as a technology company flourishes under Steve Job’s leadership. Furthermore, with changing times and more complex or wicked problems, leaders will need to combat and manage abstraction. 

This can be done by following five simple rules:

1. Bring people together.

2. Keep it manageable.

3. Meet the people you help.

4. Give them time, not just money.

5. Be patient.

With that, I’d just like to end with the following takeaways from Simon Sinek’s book:

Leadership is difficult because you can’t give your time and energy to everyone. This is why you have to trust others to trust others to trust others. Great leaders empower the levels of management and the managers become leaders themselves. (and hopefully someday soon I will be recognised as a great leader too).