MBS insights
Passion, Purpose and People: Building a Business Through Authentic Leadership
MBS Events
October 2009
The MBS Group hosted a breakfast with business leaders, with Tim Perman, Managing Director for Seven Seas, and Camillo Pane, GM UK Healthcare for Reckitt Benckiser as guest speakers.
We gathered to discuss how the current issues in business and in the wider world have underscored the need for a different kind of leader for the 21st century. In this context, authentic leadership i.e. being your own person, knowing your purpose, and acting in a consistent and courageous way to achieve long-term business success is rapidly gaining ground. We talked about communications, change, people and values. This is what we learnt:
1. Communicate your vision – and be clear about what your expectations are.
2. Reassess your attitude to failure – and start seeing it as an enabler of future success.
3. No news is bad news – keep telling your people what you are doing, involve them and give them the opportunity to respond to plans.
4. Connect and listen – you cannot dictate how people relate to each other but you can and should lead by example.
5. Duality, not duplicity – a good leader knows how to get close to people, but also maintain the distance when needed, and does so without losing trust.
6. Embrace risk – authentic leaders often take personal risks and go through the toughest challenges.
7. Put the ‘self’ back into development – let people choose what they want to do as long as it helps shape their careers and overall life experience.
8. Make space for individuality – standardisation can lead to a style of leadership that is unimaginative, predictable and lacks sophistication.
9. Know where you come from and share your own experiences – it will help you connect with those around you and give the business a renewed sense of purpose.
10. Understand global – Western notions of ‘authenticity’ can differ greatly from those in other parts of the world. Bear this in mind when working in a global context.
