The Huntsman Example
“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” Ray Kroc
People knew what to expect from the Huntsman as he had arranged many hunts before. He was a well-organised hunter and expected discipline within the rider’s ranks. People also knew the Huntsman and his wife were bona fide hosts, providing refreshments before, during, and after the hunt, for humans and animals alike.
People of all riding competencies were comfortable in the knowledge that the Huntsman wouldn’t expect them to make jumps, or gallop at speeds that they were not able to handle. The Huntsman always found routes that challenged people’s skills without breaking their courage.
A kind and patient man, the Huntsman placed the safety of the people, horses, and dogs before the achievement of the goal. Some of the leadership behaviours displayed extended from the Huntsman’s natural ability, some of them he learned the hard way.
Natural leadership ability is God-sent, but the lack thereof should not be cause for embarrassment. Nevertheless, it is unacceptable for a leader to ignore his or her lack of skills. When a leader lacks leadership skills, they are nothing more than an empty can. We all know the quote of how an empty can makes the most noise. It is leaders with no natural ability that are the ones arrogant enough to think they don’t need to develop themselves, and they seem to shout the loudest in the crowd.
The respect people have for your capability and temperament forms your reputation. Reputation clings like wet horse-poop on the bottom of a riding boot. Be cautious when forming your reputation, because it will be around for a long time.
If you have moulded your image as a leader already, know that it takes humility and patience to restore any kind of damage to your reputation. People will forgive mistakes made when a leader selects the wrong task, makes a bad decision, or heads in the wrong direction, provided that leader owns up to the error and humbly bares the consequences. The same people are less forgiving when the fault made by the leader is character-based and violates the Leadership Code.
In talking about team development, we must not only look into leadership, but we must start with it. The leader is the cement that brings cohesion to the team. The difference between a bad leader and a good leader is a legless team that goes nowhere and a team that leaves a legacy.
Do not confuse personal capacity development of the leader with team development, even though the two intertwine. In the ideal world, the leader develops his/her capacity before the team forms. In the real world, the leader is often compelled to develop as the team evolves because there isn’t time to wait for the leader to grow before initiating the team.
As far as team development is concerned, the sky is not the limit. The limit is the leader. The team cannot and will not grow beyond the leader’s capacity, and so the leader inherits the relentless responsibility to remain current, fresh, and relevant. A leader becomes willing to grow when he or she understands they are the team’s lid. There is no set time frame in which a leader must develop. Some leaders are ready to lead a team early, some reach leadership maturity in their old age, and others develop somewhere in between.
The leader doesn’t have to be the best person in every skill required to achieve the objectives. If that were the case, there would be no need for team members. People with varied skills and abilities make up the team, use those that have the skills to perform the relevant tasks. The leader should recognise a task is within a team member’s ability and delegate it accordingly. The leader must however be skilled at leadership and in team development. As the curator of the vision, the leader must ensure that all the team’s decisions and efforts align with the vision.
As it stands, the leader should be capable in three major responsibilities:
• Self Development – make sure personal growth allows for team expansion.
• Vision Curatorship – the responsibility of ensuring the team remains on course is and will always belong to the leader. We will discuss this at length in the following chapters.
• Capacity Identifier – the leader must allow members to lead in areas where members have pre-identified strengths.
These three responsibilities remain with the leader, who may share the load with other team members but always retains accountability.
“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” Ray Kroc
People knew what to expect from the Huntsman as he had arranged many hunts before. He was a well-organised hunter and expected discipline within the rider’s ranks. People also knew the Huntsman and his wife were bona fide hosts, providing refreshments before, during, and after the hunt, for humans and animals alike.
People of all riding competencies were comfortable in the knowledge that the Huntsman wouldn’t expect them to make jumps, or gallop at speeds that they were not able to handle. The Huntsman always found routes that challenged people’s skills without breaking their courage.
A kind and patient man, the Huntsman placed the safety of the people, horses, and dogs before the achievement of the goal. Some of the leadership behaviours displayed extended from the Huntsman’s natural ability, some of them he learned the hard way.
Natural leadership ability is God-sent, but the lack thereof should not be cause for embarrassment. Nevertheless, it is unacceptable for a leader to ignore his or her lack of skills. When a leader lacks leadership skills, they are nothing more than an empty can. We all know the quote of how an empty can makes the most noise. It is leaders with no natural ability that are the ones arrogant enough to think they don’t need to develop themselves, and they seem to shout the loudest in the crowd.
The respect people have for your capability and temperament forms your reputation. Reputation clings like wet horse-poop on the bottom of a riding boot. Be cautious when forming your reputation, because it will be around for a long time.
If you have moulded your image as a leader already, know that it takes humility and patience to restore any kind of damage to your reputation. People will forgive mistakes made when a leader selects the wrong task, makes a bad decision, or heads in the wrong direction, provided that leader owns up to the error and humbly bares the consequences. The same people are less forgiving when the fault made by the leader is character-based and violates the Leadership Code.
In talking about team development, we must not only look into leadership, but we must start with it. The leader is the cement that brings cohesion to the team. The difference between a bad leader and a good leader is a legless team that goes nowhere and a team that leaves a legacy.
Do not confuse personal capacity development of the leader with team development, even though the two intertwine. In the ideal world, the leader develops his/her capacity before the team forms. In the real world, the leader is often compelled to develop as the team evolves because there isn’t time to wait for the leader to grow before initiating the team.
As far as team development is concerned, the sky is not the limit. The limit is the leader. The team cannot and will not grow beyond the leader’s capacity, and so the leader inherits the relentless responsibility to remain current, fresh, and relevant. A leader becomes willing to grow when he or she understands they are the team’s lid. There is no set time frame in which a leader must develop. Some leaders are ready to lead a team early, some reach leadership maturity in their old age, and others develop somewhere in between.
The leader doesn’t have to be the best person in every skill required to achieve the objectives. If that were the case, there would be no need for team members. People with varied skills and abilities make up the team, use those that have the skills to perform the relevant tasks. The leader should recognise a task is within a team member’s ability and delegate it accordingly. The leader must however be skilled at leadership and in team development. As the curator of the vision, the leader must ensure that all the team’s decisions and efforts align with the vision.
As it stands, the leader should be capable in three major responsibilities:
• Self Development – make sure personal growth allows for team expansion.
• Vision Curatorship – the responsibility of ensuring the team remains on course is and will always belong to the leader. We will discuss this at length in the following chapters.
• Capacity Identifier – the leader must allow members to lead in areas where members have pre-identified strengths.
These three responsibilities remain with the leader, who may share the load with other team members but always retains accountability.
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