“As a leader, is it better to be feared or loved?” This was asked in our recent leadership webinar when we were presenting key insights from our brand new Leadership Masterclass: A Guide To The Art Of Leadership. In the course we profile great leaders like Nelson Mandela and Gandhi, who I pointed our were both loving and humanitarian leaders, yet led and inspired many millions of people.
However, in certain situations being feared is a critical part of the success of the leadership model that needs to be adopted. For example, in the army an authoritative style ensures that troops move in a co-ordinated, disciplined manner and their obedience often means that many other lives will be saved. What’s important is that we understand and develop the leadership style which is authentic to our skills and character.
While we were talking about war I was reminded how we started recording this course when Ukraine had just been invaded and I was in the UK soon after Zelensky addressed the UK Parliament. In that speech he invoked another great war time leader when he quoted Churchill, saying “We will never surrender, we will fight for our land, whatever it takes.”
In one of the lessons from the course I stand in front of Churchill’s statue and talk about his leadership style; the resilience he showed during the 2nd World War and the great speeches he used to lead the Allies to victory. Churchill also inspired me in that moment; I was very unwell with COVID at the time but knew I wouldn’t have another chance to teach on-location in front of Churchill and other great leader’s statues in London.
My co-instructor and course producer Salil Dhawan also used COVID to explain how the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of empathy and compassion in leadership. Our course teaches an entire section on empathy in leadership and the importance of leaders relating to their team with vulnerability, kindness and humanity. Building relationships with your team through shared experience and authentic emotion will ensure you “go far by going together.”
Empathy is the first “E” in the L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. model that we used as a comprehensive framework and course structure of 10 sections and over 80 lessons. We also teach Leadership models, Action-centred leadership as well as Diversity, Ethics, Resilience, Story-telling (& Self-leadership), High-performance leadership, Inspiring authors and People of note (like Churchill, JFK, Gandhi and Milicent Fawcett the inspirational women’s rights activist).
The course is entertaining, well produced, shot on location in India and London plus there’s an 80 page workbook with insights from each of the lessons. It’s one of the most current and comprehensive leadership courses available and Salil and I would love your feedback as a rating and a review as you go through the lessons.
Most importantly, take action and apply what you have learned from our lessons so you see immediate application and success in your life. Leadership is a crucial for everyone; whether you are leading yourself through life’s journey or defending a nation in war or a pandemic.
Amazing! Thank you Peter!