To be effective, leaders need to know who they are

by Margot Cairnes

On 1 April Vittoria Coffee announced to Australia through a series of advertisements that it had discovered the white coffee bean. No longer did you need to add milk or cream. Brew up your white coffee from Vittoria's specially developed white beans.

Well, it was April Fools Day. But Les Schirato, CEO of Cantorella Brothers, owners of Vittoria Coffee, is no fool. The ads received coverage on every Australian radio and TV channel. Discussion of the ads made all the major Australian dailies. Exposure spread to Canada, Hong Kong and Europe. The media monitor reports came in a box, not an envelope. Vittoria Coffee had never had such press.

The silly thing was that Les had written that ad five years ago. For five years it sat in his desk drawer. Whenever he brought it out someone told him he couldn't use it. It would attract the attention of the Trade Practices Commission. Vittoria was now the leader in its niche; it couldn't do something as silly as play an April Fool's joke.

"It took me several years of hard work," Les told me, "to have the courage to listen to myself and ignore the blockers."

It takes a strong sense of self to listen to our own council. To take the risk of being different. It takes strong character to follow our own lead when everyone else tells us we are wrong. It takes great judgment to take calculated risks.

But isn't this what leadership is all about? Leadership is about being out in front. Being ahead of the crowd. Leaders are different.

To be different and effective, leaders need to know who they are; what they want and where they are going; to have emotional strength to be in touch with the people around them; the character to build and maintain relationships; the judgment to take risks.

These are very human capacities. Capacities forged by our personal beliefs, our individual value systems, our life experiences and our emotional health. All these things in turn rest on the decisions we made when we were growing up. It was as our brains were forming and maturing that most of the key frameworks of our character and judgment were laid.

 

The old Jesuit dictum of "Give me a boy until he is seven and I can shape him for life" is very true. So a big part of developing character and judgment - the key to good leadership - is raising awareness as to early decisions that are still shaping our thinking, acting and being.

Copyright ã Margot Cairnes

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Margot Cairnes

Margot Cairnes is an international leadership strategist. She delivers exceptional results through a unique approach to identifying and solving the issues facing organizations at times of great change, particularly implementing mergers and acquisitions. In addition to major change problems Margot acts as a mentor to leaders of global, commercial organizations. This confidential service provides a safe forum for leaders to explore the issues and beliefs that create and limit their success. You can visit Margot Cairnes web site at http://www.MargotCairnes.com or e-mail her at: cmuzard@changedynamic.com