Building up a Track Record
It is natural for people to feel some skepticism when they are faced with a new “leader”. Naturally they will question the leader’s credentials, qualifications, knowledge, skills, character, experience, ability to lead, etc. They will compare the new leader, usually unfavourably, with some previous leader. Whether the leader acquires her leadership role by position power or by being supported by some well respected authority, she must nevertheless expect to face initial skepticism, and even hostility. This is particularly true for a woman leader, who often has to function in a male dominated society. “Macho” societies often have norms and values which undermine would-be women leaders. In such societies a woman would need to excel much more than her male counterpart to be taken seriously.
In addition people do not follow anyone willy nilly. They usually check on the track record of achievement of a leader. They listen carefully to what the leader has to say, and then question whether the leader’s words are corroborated by her deeds and her character. The nature of leadership requires trust, because the leader promises to lead the people into new, sometimes unknown areas which are fraught with difficulties, and people may not be prepared to go into the unknown with someone they don’t trust. It is therefore imperative for a leader to build up a track record. A leader has to prove that she deserves to be trusted and to be followed.
How do you build up a track record? Some possibilities:
• Your friends and associates. People will judge you by the company you keep. People who assumed their leadership positions through appointment are particularly vulnerable in this regard: they may be seen as representatives of the person who appointed them, with all the advantages and disadvantages this entails.
• People will also judge you by the type of followers you are able to attract. If your followers are highly respected, people will respect you also. If, on the other hand, your followers are corrupt, drunk, violent, or superficial, people will judge you to be similar to your followers.
• Past achievements are very important. A new leader will need to get experience of leadership somehow. Quite often this is through voluntary work, which enables you to show what you can do even though you do not hold a highly paid position. People who have achieved recognition in their work may also win respect as leaders in other areas, for example a business leader may be able to become a church leader because of his prominence in business.
• One of the rules of good leadership is to avoid inheriting enemies. This is particularly true for political leaders. Some individuals and some groups have developed enemies through their past actions. It is important not to acquire these enemies through association.
• A feature of a good leader is her willingness to listen to people. This enables her to find out what are the problems and needs of the people. Knowledge of what are the real concerns and problems is important, whether you are able to provide a solution or not. However it is also important to be able to address some of these problems and challenges.
• A leader has to have a good track record of keeping her promises. It is therefore important not to make promises that you cannot keep.
• A leader must be reliable and trustworthy. This once again goes back to the question of the character of the leader, whether the leader’s character leads people to trust her.
Exercise 4.0
How would you establish your leadership credentials when you take over the leadership of a new institution? Participants begin by writing down their points on cards or on paper. Then the coordinator asks for contributions which are then organized under specific headings. These can be discussed as several participants may come up with the same or related points. Finally the coordinator summarizes the findings.
Suggested headings and discussion points:
1. By association or position – what are the advantages and what are the disadvantages? Examples can be given.
2. By past achievement. How far is achievement in one area transferable to another area? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such transfers?
3. By your vision and successful implementation of this vision.
4. By building up support through joint decision making to ensure that the vision as well as the implementation plan are owned by all those who are going to participate in the implementation
5. By getting to know your staff well, and winning their support. How do you do this?
6. By understanding your clientele, their needs and aspirations well, and working to fulfil these needs and aspirations.