Willard on Leadership

by Michael Willard

Leadership cannot be granted or assumed. It must be given. To be given, it must be earned, most often day to day, even moment to moment.

Good leadership is contagious. Often in an organization, the strength at the top can also be measured by the performance of stellar and immediate subordinates. Good leaders reap what they sow.

A Leader is an Optimist
In terms of mental outlook, most leaders are optimists, seeing the glass half-full rather than half-empty. I really don’t think that a pessimist can make a good leader, simply because leaders are born salespeople, whether they’re selling a product, a service – or themselves.

I have never met a successful salesman who was a pessimist.

A Leader Pushes Down Responsibility
I find that I get more out of seeing other people do great things. That’s your mission as a leader: to recognize other people’s great ideas, give those ideas visibility within the organization, and to reward individual and group accomplishments. Whenever possible, I believe in the principle of subsidiarity – a rather archaic word that means to delegate responsibility downward to a level where it can be capably handled.

A leader has to ask “why not?” more often than “why?” This is rather fundamental. It speaks to entrepreneurship, calculated risk, adventure, trusting others and, eventually, success.

An old British friend from the 18th century, Dr. Samuel Johnson, said: “Nothing will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” Those words have always resonated with me.

A Leader Believes in Himself
A leader believes in his abilities, though not to the point of arrogance. If that line is crossed, there won’t be many followers. It is hardest to believe totally in yourself when you have a setback. You question your worth and your talents, though, hopefully, not for long. You do, however, learn from adversity. It is a tough teacher, but most always you land on your feet with somewhat more traction than you had before. At least this has been my experience.

Leadership is Trust
No matter how you cut it, leadership always comes back to the word trust, whether it is leading employees or leading a new business pitch. If you are trusted, the chance of winning a pitch increases considerably. When the potential client is behind closed doors considering the various tender offers - whether it is our creative communications business or selling burlap bags of fertilizer - you want the dialogue to begin as follows: “Willard’s company had good ideas, but most of all we trust these folks to deliver.”

Leading During A Crisis
Nowhere is leadership more important than in a crisis. This is where the rubber meets the road, where companies can be seriously damaged or even destroyed because the CEO – though competent in other areas – was clueless in a crisis.

It happens. Just look at British Petroleum during the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The CEO, Tony Heyward, appeared absent without conscience during much of the crisis, and this contributed to a crisis of confidence in BP.

A real leader can lead during a crisis. He can remain calm when others are on the brink. He can make clear-headed decisions that, in fact, help to still the waters. He can clearly and strongly communicate to each of a company’s audiences. He can serve as the primary spokesperson because he (or she) is the person who has the gravitas to deliver the company’s messages with authority.

Leadership of People
Leadership is a dialogue, rather than one-sided communication. It is more listening than talking. Sometimes, it is caring enough to say goodbye to an underperforming employee who probably would be better off on another career track - and helping that person realize it. Leadership is about employees having the absolute certitude that in bad times you will suffer just as they will suffer.

Leadership is Learning
Learning is not something that stops once you get to the executive suite. It is constantly asking: “How can I do better?” A one-dimensional leader lacks the necessary brain inputs to develop strategy based on historical truths and future vision.

A leader has the innate ability to sometimes see beyond the next bend in the road. If an opinion poll is considered a snapshot in time, then a leader should be a step ahead of the trend line. This can only happen if a leader is sufficiently well-grounded in a universe of subjects and not simply a navel-gazer who lacks what in politics is called “that vision thing.”

It is not important that I like pop art, but that I am aware of its existence and its applications to design and advertising. It is not important whether I am artistically gratified by the music of the Screaming Banshees of Biloxi (to my knowledge, a fictitious band) but that I know they make a contribution to someone’s culture, somewhere.

In other words, a leader should be sufficiently well-rounded to grasp the obvious around him and to apply it to problems, issues and opportunities that are sure to arise.

Michael Willard is chairman of Willard and international vice-chairman of All About Brands Plc. He can be reached at Mike.Willard@twg.com.ua