To me there is no ‘magic bullet’ or finest leadership style, when it comes to leading an organisation. There are many traits that have always been important for leaders — empathy, clarity, authenticity, and agility— are even more crucial when it comes to transforming an organisation and during times of economic uncertainties brought about by the pandemic. So, when we talk about ‘Leadership’ in this era it is inevitable for us to take into consideration the new insights and advancements developed during the past two years to ‘re-imagine’ the work environment, instead of looking at ‘business as usual’ approach.
Prof. Hj. Mohd Said Bani C.M. Din Founder & Managing Director, bzBee Consult Sdn Bhd & President of PRCA Malaysia
In this context, there must be some degree of flexibility that accommodates everybody including allowing employees to work remotely. A leader must be concerned for the well-being in the workplace especially in light of widespread grief, anxiety, and burnout brought about by economic challenges world-over, to help staff feel their best so they can work effectively.
Hence, implanting concern for wellbeing into the workplace is key to fostering a sense of belonging amongst personnel – A good leader will make personnel feel inspired, respected, treated fairly, having a sense of belonging – to feel ‘included’ within the Group and the larger goals of the Organisation.
From the business perspective, many would say an organisation that is looking towards new directions should be led by a ‘Visionary Leader’ who sees the world differently and encourages others to innovate and experiment. To me, a leader with vision but without action brings nothing to the table. Many leaders have an abundance of vision but are lacking in good execution.
To me, a leader with vision but without action brings nothing to the table…
Hence, the attributes of a good leader would be one with ‘transformational leadership’ style – a proactive leader who gets things done to turn vision into reality. This leader should be able to encourage and unite the team towards a common goal, to inspire everyone to reach higher, take calculated risks towards new directions at the same time making strategic plans on ‘how to get there’.
These are key because for any organisation to transform and strategies to materialise the team needs to be aligned to a common goal, with everyone being clear on their respective role to achieve this goal.
I believe that other key attributes of a good transformational leader are the ability to communicate with empathy, one who is resilient physically and mentally, able to balance patience and support by recognising that people take time to change, one who is able to build on the culture of change and finally, a leader who ‘walks the talk’.
