Unfortunately, for too many, it seems being a leader is about telling other people what to do, sitting in the big office and having a title. However, this is not leadership. At best, this is being a boss and a worst case scenario is this boss might be a tyrant.

A leader goes out of their way to understand your needs, desires and how they can relate to you so as to empower you to get your job done. They understand that they need to win your support, your trust and let you do the job in the way which is best for you and the organisation. They provide you with support when required and acknowledge your successes even for small achievements.

A woke leader realises that leadership also involves self-development. The days of the strong man leader (e.g. the autocratic boss doing things their way) is still around but becoming less prominent in the workplace. Enlightened leaders are happy to share the burden of leadership. They do this by empowering their staff to take on more responsibility whilst extending the necessary level of training and development required. By doing this, the leader demonstrates trust and confidence in her team. By accepting these responsibilities, staff members reward the leader with their commitment and loyalty.

The days of leading a business/enterprise just to make profits is much less fashionable. Increasingly organisations are being judged on the basis of not just profits but how well they exhibit good environmental and corporate social responsibility (ECSR). In this respect good leadership endeavours to satisfy the objectives of its wider set of stakeholders rather than to just focus on those providing finance. This said, the obsession with satisfying shareholders remains for many companies, especially if they are listed on an exchange. For these companies, quarterly reporting can lead to irrational decision making to “ensure the numbers look good” as otherwise, this might affect the share price. This type of behaviour is known as short-termism and can lead to erosion of long-term value.

What makes you a good leader in one situation or organisation will not, necessarily, make you good in another since the effectiveness of your leadership is context dependent. The key is to recognise your strength/weaknesses across a range of skills and determine which ones to use in your current situation.