Leadership choices are made every day and yet very little thought is really put into considering the worthiness of the leader.
Too often a leader is chosen by default because no one else wants the responsibility.
The most suitable leader should have the right combination of a desire to make a difference, experience, skill, attitude and ability.
If someone is motivated by power, status, control or greed their decisions, actions and thought processes will be based on their own ego and what’s in it for them – and not necessarily what is right for their stakeholders.
Who wants to follow a leader who is motivated primarily by self-interest? Unless of course your interest is aligned with theirs. We call that mutual self-interest.
The best leaders know when to lead and when to follow. If a leader is motivated by not wanting to follow, then they will insist on leading – even when they are clearly not the best suited for the role. The end result is suboptimal compared to the right person leading.
Next time you are choosing a leader, consider these eight motivations and don’t listen to what they say. Consider their past actions and results as good indicators of future results.
Leadership Advocate and Co-Founder of the Goldzone Group. I help leaders to master the new rules of leadership for the new economy. Over the past 30 years, I have visited more than 500 cities in 54 countries to explore, learn from, and help many of the world’s leading companies, leaders, and luminaries in science, technology, health, finance, and entrepreneurship.