Having launched the five-star leadership paradigm as the cornerstone of 21st century leadership development and practice, I’m taking time to reinforce the introduction of my book entitled ‘World-class Leadership Thinking’, especially because the leadership philosophy which teaches that as ‘a leader thinks, so he leads’ implies that every leader leads to the extent of his leadership thinking capabilities, and so makes the quality of a leader’s mind the single factor that most fundamentally determines the success or failure of his enterprise, community or nation.
As I posited in my book under reference, no one can successfully lead an enterprise, community or nation without having the ability to continuously think thoughts that can be used to drive its optimal development, growth and progress! Since questions are both an integral part and accurate indicators of the active thought processes of the person asking them, I’m going to demonstrate how the template of the seven fundamental laws of leadership can be used to model the seven big questions that thought-edge leaders are always asking themselves and seeking to answer as a mark of their commitment to the delivery of world-class leadership.
The law of leadership psychology. Based on this law, world-class leadership must be the product of the right leadership psychology. Some of the thoughts that shape the questions that leaders ask in response to the law of leadership psychology are as follows: 1. Problem-solving and burden-bearing are the two polar extremes of leadership and so every leader either thinks as a problem-solver or as a burden-bearer. 2. From Jesus Christ to George Washington, Nehru Gandhi, Martin Luther-King Jr. and Winston Churchill, the incontestable facts of history clearly show that the greatest leaders of people, enterprises and nations have always been great problem-solvers! The first question that world-class leaders frequently ask themselves is-What problem(s) am I solving to make my enterprise or nation better, more efficient and more productive?
The law of authenticity. Based on this law, world-class leadership must be wholly authentic in its contents and processes. Some of the thoughts that shape the questions that leaders ask in response to the law of authenticity are as follows: 1. Difference-making is the strongest evidence of the presence of authentic leadership. 2. While a leader may not necessarily be the most intelligent or bravest or most skilled, he cannot afford not to be the biggest difference-maker in the community, enterprise or nation that he leads. The second question that world-class leaders frequently ask themselves is-What specific difference am I making to ensure that my enterprise or nation can become more distinctive?
The law of ethical excellence. Based on this law, world-class leadership must be hinged on deeply-entrenched core values. Some of the thoughts that shape the questions that leaders ask in response to the law of ethical excellence are as follows: 1. Ethical leaders always lead with the understanding both that nothing can be gained by doing what’s wrong and that nothing can be lost by doing what’s right! 2. A leader’s willingness to lead by his personal example is the most valid proof of his commitment to the delivery of model leadership. The third question that world-class leaders frequently ask themselves is-Am I a role model who’s consistently leading by his personal example?
The law of knowledge-leadership. Based on this law, world-class leadership must be totally knowledge-driven. Some of the thoughts that shape the questions that world-class leaders ask in response to the law of knowledge-leadership are as follows: 1. It’s only the best learners of a game who can become its best players! 2. Quite often, a small piece of new knowledge can turn out to be the biggest contributor to the achievement of much-needed change, innovation and progress! The fourth question that world-class leaders frequently ask themselves is- Am I building a knowledge-led enterprise in which continuous learning is a shared value?
The law of strategy-led leadership. Based on this law, world-class leadership must be distinctively strategy-driven in its thinking and actions. Some of the thoughts that shape the questions that world-class leaders ask in response to the law of strategy-led leadership are as follows: 1. A mediocre is anyone who has no game in which he’s the best player. 2. Never be so terrified or disappointed about your weaknesses or failures that you can neither recognise your strengths nor build on them. The fifth question that world-class leaders frequently ask themselves is-Am I continuously building on my strengths and correcting my weaknesses to enable me counter the threats to my success as well as optimally exploit my targeted opportunities?
The law of people-centered leadership. Based on this law, world-class leadership must be wholly people-centered and relationship-driven. Some of the thoughts shape the questions that leaders ask in response to the law of people-centered leadership include the following: 1. It’s only when a leader is committed to value-addition that he’ll recognize, develop and relate with people as the most valuable assets to and through whom he can deliver the highest value and so be constrained to be intentionally people-centered in his thinking, planning and actions. 2. Every leader ought to lead with the understanding that his good intentions will never be good substitutes either for the choices and preferences of his people whose best interest he has at heart or the consensus that he should build with them. The sixth question that world-class leaders frequently ask themselves is- Am I genuinely people-centered in my thinking, planning and actions?
The law of transformational leadership. Based on this law, world-class leadership must be thoroughly transformational in its thinking and actions. Some of the thoughts that shape the questions that leaders ask in response to the law of transformational leadership include the following: 1. Nothing complicates and frustrates leadership as fundamentally as the error of attempting to lead a community, enterprise or nation within the context of its present state rather than within the context of a clear vision of the future state into which it should be transformed. 2. The most successful leaders are those who know how to strategically lead both from and toward the future! The seventh question that world-class leaders frequently ask themselves is-What future have I envisioned for my enterprise or nation?
What problem(s) am I solving to make my enterprise or nation better, more efficient and more productive? What specific difference am I making to ensure that my enterprise or nation can become more distinctive? Am I a role model who’s consistently leading by his personal example? Am I building a knowledge-led enterprise in which continuous learning is a shared value? Am I continuously building on my strengths and correcting my weaknesses toward effectively countering the threats to my success and optimally exploiting my targeted opportunities? Am I genuinely people-centered in my thinking, planning and actions? What future have I envisioned for my enterprise or nation? These are the seven big questions that always dominate the thoughts of leaders who are committed to the delivery of world-class leadership. These seven questions can also be used to measure the quality of both leadership thinking and leadership performance. Since it’s most unlikely that a leader who either cannot or refuses to ask serious questions can deliver any serious solutions, it’s self-evident that any leader who’s not asking these fundamental questions is certainly not committed to the delivery of any meaningful leadership!
