Shaping our leadership behaviour towards today's economy
Maria Pia Chircop, CEO, FHRD
'Leadership in Today's Economy', the theme of the FHRD Annual Conference scheduled for November 9, leads us to focus on individuals in very senior positions, like heads of state and politicians, heads of institutions and associations, heads of organisations and perhaps at those highfliers who have made it not only in business but also in other spheres of life.
Leadership starts from within the individual. It is the behaviour that one exercises in what s/he does and it is not the role one occupies. It can be seen in those individuals who do not only say that something must be done about a particular issue but it is seen in those who do something about it.
It is argued that no matter how much training and education is given to improve leadership actions, there is no training on how to be a leader. It is a lifelong journey of personal discovery and learning. Thus anyone can be a leader.
Leaders shape our organisations with their leadership behaviour and actions. Poor leaders create poor organisations and poor systems, and can generate unhealthy cultural traits, which can take years to unravel; while great leaders create great systems.
Peter Senge in his book The Fifth Discipline states that "when placed in the same system, people, however different, tend to produce similar results". Hence badly shaped organisations can turn competent people into incompetent ones.
On the other hand competent and professional leaders can help incompetent individuals to develop and integrate into their organisation's systems. In today's economy, organisations can only survive with great leaders.
However, leaders are human beings and they are bound to make mistakes and face failures. Some leaders pretend that they are infallible and they have reached the top by being wiser than others. Great leaders recognise that, rather than climbing at the top, they have survived to the top by overcoming adversities, missed opportunities, and turned mistakes and failures into challenges for continuous learning and improvement.
They replenish themselves by going back to the people from whom they have learnt to ask for help and guidance. They nurture their people by sharing freely their knowledge, skills and experience, and encourage empowerment and access to projects.
Leadership should not be looked at as being theoretical. It is the practice of leadership that will influence our workplaces and our economy.
Learn more about 'Leadership in Today's Economy' through our keynote speakers, presented below, and through a group of HR practitioners who shall be sharing their leadership experience with us. The FHRD annual conference is sponsored by: Dhalia Real Estate Services, Farsons, Hilton, HSBC Bank Malta plc, the Middlesea Group, Mizzi Organisation Automotive Ltd and the Union Haddiema Maghqudin.
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