Being Indispensible as a Leader

By Richard Casavant, Ph.D

The business world has become more competitive and more volatile. We can observe that our corporations are over-managed and under led. Leadership is about coping with change in a more competitive and volatile world. Can a leader be indispensable?

Being indispensable as a leader is cultivating self-knowledge.

In self-knowledge the self is open, fluid, flexible, supple and dynamic in body, mind and spirit. Self-knowledge leads to mastery through five aspects: instruction, practice, intention, edge, and acceptance.
Instruction is not only the transfer of knowledge but also inculcating and developing the worldview of the master through learning from teachers and mentors.
Practice is the lifelong search for perfection with perseverance through the ups and downs until breaking through a new level.
Intention is being clear that every action has a purpose and that purpose relate to the philosophy underlying the act. Intention becomes clear when an action is viewed as part of a larger pattern.
Edge means working to the limits of your own capability while learning specific techniques and then extending those boundaries when you have mastered them to the degree that you are able.
Acceptance is when we subordinate our ego to the demands of our art and accept that we will always be smaller that the art's potential even if we become the grandest master of all.

Being indispensable as a leader begins with listening.

The path of self-knowledge is never ending, yet we must also get to know our people to the best of our abilities. Too often, leadership is defined as giving orders. Many entrepreneurs and professionals still used a model of leadership that is best suited to the military or other situations where life and safety are critical concerns, but in business that is rarely the case. More often in business, leadership is about listening to people and helping them get what THEY want in the light of a larger context.

Effective leadership is about listening! It is working WITH your staff to help them get what they truly want, whether it is recognition, respect, job satisfaction or income, in the context of the business' over-all goals for growth, customer loyalty or increased sales. It is listening to cues in order to carefully select, nurture and encourage our people to develop and play important leadership roles in the organization.

The best salespeople listen to find out what the customer wants, and then they find ways to provide it. The best managers listen and understand the needs and desires of their staff. The best entrepreneurs are experts in listening to the marketplace for feedback about change, new trends, and new services.

Being indispensable as a leader is to inspire.

Inspiration is the oxygen of the soul. The greatest need of people is to inspire and be inspired. Being a living example is the only thing that inspires others. Inspiration is to create, animate and give life to transform a dream into a reality that serves others. Being indispensable is a serving relationship that inspires you to successfully achieve your own transformation and in turn inspire and serve others in making the world better than when we encountered it.