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On Being a Great and Phenomenal Leader

Phenomenal leadership requires you to courageously take a stand despite pressure, complexity, competing priorities, ambiguity and resistance. You should get in the habit of making informed, timely, decisive choices.


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Pɨuṩ Mṳhumuzå

2 years ago | 3 min read

Being a phenomenal leader is being able to influence organisations, institutions or even citizens of a nation to achieve or aspire to a higher alignment with the success of the said entity. It can also be just for personal or professional growth. Such is the fabric of a great leader.

In whatever you do, meticulously see to it that your actions, decisions and words build Trust through reliabilitycredibility and meaningful connection. For this is what it means to be a great leader among other considerations. I recommend reading, The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell to get a better understanding and appreciation of the value of growing in Leadership.

In a nutshell, The 5 Levels of Leadership are;-

  • Level 1 — Position. The lowest level of leadership — the entry-level, if you will — is Position. …
  • Level 2 — Permission. Level 2 is based on relationships. …
  • Level 3 — Production. …
  • Level 4 — People Development. …
  • Level 5 — Pinnacle.

The 5 Levels of Leadership. Image Source: LinkedIn Article by Akshaya Jain

Are you are A Manager or a BossIs a question that is asked a lot yet I feel like it is often answered wrong.

See! There are leaders and there are bosses. Whichever you are is most likely determined by the way you talkthink and generally carry yourself. How you treat people and how you react to negative and positive situations matter as well.

If every day you enable a single person to be better than they were the day before, then you, my friend are a great leader. Bosses think & believe they have “Authority” or so they like to convince themselves. But most often, it’s the leaders who have “Authority”. For they gracefully command it without necessarily demanding it.

Just so we are clear, being a manager doesn’t necessarily make you’re a leader! Neither does barking orders. The people you manage, determine how great a leader you are. And the grace with which you continue to build on your leadership craft determines how great a leader you continue to become.

The Leadership framework. Image source: Google

See, knowing your job and being good at your own roles, only contributes to part of your success.

The other contribution comes from;

  • How well you motivate your subordinates to perform better.
  • The way you supervise your subordinates’ activities, roles and duties.
  • The kind of a role model you are to your subordinates.
  • How you listen, give feedback or deliver disciplinary action to those employees below you who stray off the intended path.

So what exactly is good leadership?! And how can organisations build excellent leadership depth?!

Great leaders are made by the people they inspire and motivate to achieve success. Bosses are broken by the people whose feet they step on or the bridges they burn on their way to success. So don’t be a Boss. Be a Leader.

The ability to consistently champion the four leadership disciplines; — Setting directionmotivating commitmentdriving for results and most importantly continuously developing themselves is key to making one a great leader.

You need to build leadership depth and continuity by mentoring someone, training those under your leadership and above all championing the values that enable those people to be the very best you, your organisation or your nation needs to succeed.

Remember, Employees, don’t leave jobs they like or companies that are successful but rather bad bosses. This is as true for managers as it is for employers. Being able to lead gracefully takes patience and consistent deliberation. Be a great leader.

When you become a leader, you stop working to succeed as an individual and start working to improve systems, processes, and people around you.

Together, Everyone achieves more. Image source: Google.

Phenomenal leadership requires you to courageously take a stand despite pressure, complexity, competing priorities, ambiguity and resistance. You should get in the habit of making informed, timely, decisive choices.

Most Importantly, articulate your decisions while respecting, crediting, and appreciating those who help and contribute to your success.

Personal Experience: “I happen to be part of Rotary and along the way, I have been humbled to take up different leadership responsibilities. I’ve succeeded at some, failed miserably at others, but ultimately learned from most. I can tell you from experience that there is nothing as hard as leading volunteers.

You can’t force them to do anything because you are not paying them and you can’t assume to discipline them because they can just as easily walk away without guilt or second thought.

Sometimes you’ll be right, and sometimes you’ll be wrong. But people will respect your decisiveness and stay with you, especially if you back it up with respect and genuine appreciation. Be a great and phenomenal Leader.

Cheers.



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Pɨuṩ Mṳhumuzå

I am an IT Engineer, with a deep enthusiasm for business technology development, professional growth, community outreach and meaningful connections.


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