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Guest Author: Jasbindar Singh

There is so much rhetoric in leadership but occasionally we get to see what great leadership looks like. Like many, I am touched by the historical event of the selection of United States of America’s first African American President. I feel there are so many salient points here as to what good leadership is that it is worth reinforcing.

1) Great leadership embodies a spirited vision, which transcends current circumstances and is able to instill a legacy of hope, be a guiding light and give its followers something to aspire towards. Think of Dr. Martin Luther King’s heartfelt speech, “I have a dream….” A dream, which many, many years later has now come to be realized.

2) Great leadership is able to inspire and motivate. It’s able to touch the hearts, minds and spirit of everyday people. The Obama campaign began at the grassroots level with little funds but his followers willingly dug into their pockets, got the ball rolling and did what they could. People were so inspired; they also turned out in record numbers to vote. In our organizational context, think employee engagement and the discretionary effort that is waiting to be tapped.

3) Great leadership holds a promise. This is a promise that the followers resonate with. In the American presidential campaign, there was the promise for America…the promise of change. This is a promise that people felt in their “being.” It seems that the overriding consciousness was one of “we can’t carry on in the world as we have been. Things have to be different.” Leadership promise is more than rhetoric. It’s real and people “get it.”

4) Great leadership is based on solid values. The values of progress, (different from the past) and unity not just within America but the possibility of engaging in dialogue so the world can come closer again, came across powerfully and engaged even the disengaged! Great leadership unites people to a common goal and is based on values which embrace and contribute to others. It’s more than “just about me.”

5) In defeat, great leadership is gracious. As was John McCain in his speech. We get judged not just when we are riding the wave of success but also how we deal with challenges and defeat.

And finally, leadership is a constant work in progress. How you get there can be just as important as achieving those results.

About Jasbindar Singh:

Jasbindar Singh is a business psychologist, executive coach, author and speaker.  Her expertise is in the areas of leadership development, career and life fulfillment and harnessing EQ and SQ for higher performance and employee engagement.  She is the author of No Body’s Perfect and Get Your Groove Back. To have her speak on this or related topics at your conference you can also contact her at www.sqconsulting.co.nz. You can also subscribe to her free six-weekly SQ-zine at http://www.SQconsulting.co.nz/form.php.