Steen Hildebrandt: Ingen ved hvad ledelse er

Summary

The transcript explores the complex and multifaceted nature of leadership. It acknowledges that despite extensive study and literature, a precise definition of leadership remains elusive. Leadership is intricately tied to human behavior and performance, involving guiding people, strategy, economics, and the environment. The speaker emphasizes the growing importance of networking and partnership in modern leadership. They also discuss the integration of global goals within traditional economic contexts, suggesting a shift in prioritizing stakeholders over shareholders. The transcript contrasts good leadership, characterized by long-term vision and sustainability, with poor leadership, which is short-sighted and detrimental to various stakeholders. It concludes by questioning whether leadership can be taught or is an inherent talent that can be refined. The speaker believes leadership involves personal qualities shaped by upbringing and experiences, which can be improved through education and awareness, but also suggests that a certain innate talent is necessary.

Takeaways

• 🤔 **Leadership Definition**: Good leadership is not precisely defined, despite extensive study and literature on the subject.
• 📚 **Elements of Leadership**: There are many elements to leadership, with numerous books written on the topic, indicating its complexity.
• 🔄 **Evolving Concepts**: Leadership concepts are constantly evolving with new terms like 'authentic leadership' and 'sustainable leadership'.
• 👥 **People-Centric**: Leadership is closely tied to people, as it involves leading, strategizing, and managing various aspects with human involvement.
• 💡 **Network Skills**: A key attribute for a leader in 2020 is the ability to work within and orchestrate networks, emphasizing partnership and collaboration.
• 🌐 **Global Goals**: Effective leaders understand how to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into traditional economic models.
• 💰 **Economic Balance**: Leaders must balance economic needs, such as profitability and liquidity, with the interests of various stakeholders, not just shareholders.
• 🚫 **Poor Leadership**: Bad leadership is characterized by short-sighted, ego-driven behavior that neglects stakeholders and focuses solely on immediate economic gains.
• 🔮 **Long-term Vision**: Good leadership requires a long-term perspective, as short-term focus cannot lead to long-term success.
• 📈 **Crisis Management**: Crisis management is a reality that leaders must navigate, but it should be a temporary state from which they recover and revert to long-term thinking.
• 🎓 **Leadership Development**: While leadership involves inherent talent and personal qualities, it can also be improved through education, training, and experience.

Q & A

What is the speaker's general view on the definition of leadership?

The speaker believes that despite many years of studying, teaching, and writing about leadership, it is difficult to define precisely what leadership is. There are many elements and aspects to leadership, and the field is continuously evolving with new terms and concepts.

What does the speaker suggest as an important characteristic for a leader in 2020?

The speaker suggests that the ability to work within, influence, and orchestrate networks is a very important characteristic for a leader in 2020. This includes acting in networks, establishing networks, and working with partnerships and various relationships.

How does the speaker relate leadership to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

The speaker relates leadership to the SDGs by stating that a competent leader in 2020 understands how to work with these goals and integrate them into a traditional economic context. This balance is important as it addresses economic needs while also considering the broader societal and sustainability aspects.

What does the speaker say about the role of stakeholders in a business?

The speaker emphasizes that a business has more stakeholders than just shareholders, including society, customers, employees, future employees, suppliers, and financial investors. The interests of these stakeholders should be considered more than mere words, potentially leading to a shift in the economic distribution of profits.

How does the speaker define poor leadership?

Poor leadership, according to the speaker, is characterized by running an ego trip, focusing narrowly on short-term economic maximization, and pulling all economic benefits to the company at the expense of customers, employees, suppliers, and investors.

What is the speaker's stance on the importance of sustainability for future leaders?

The speaker is convinced that leaders and companies that do not take sustainability seriously will be the losers in the future. They consider neglecting sustainability as a sure path to failure in the long term.

Can good leadership be described as long-term oriented, while poor leadership is short-term oriented?

The speaker agrees with this characterization, stating that one cannot lead successfully in the short term over the long term. They emphasize the need for a balance between short-term profitability and long-term thinking.

What does the speaker believe about crisis management in leadership?

Crisis management is a reality, and it is something that leaders must overcome or face failure. If a leader overcomes a crisis, they must return to long-term thinking and planning.

How does the speaker view the role of education and training in developing leadership skills?

The speaker believes that while one cannot simply read oneself into becoming a good leader, education, training, and courses can help refine and improve inherent talents and abilities. They emphasize the importance of personal qualities, experiences, and role models in shaping good leaders.

What does the speaker suggest is the source of leadership talent?

The speaker suggests that leadership talent comes from within the individual, shaped by personality, abilities, experiences, upbringing, and learning from various role models throughout life.

How does the speaker describe the continuous evolution of leadership concepts?

The speaker describes the continuous evolution of leadership concepts by mentioning the introduction of new terms such as authentic leadership, distance leadership, honest leadership, and meaningful leadership, indicating the field's dynamic nature.

What is the speaker's view on the complexity of leadership due to human factors?

The speaker views the complexity of leadership as being closely tied to the diversity and nature of human beings. Leaders are humans who need to deliver results, lead people, work with strategy, economy, and the environment, which adds to the complexity of defining what leadership is.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Elusive Nature of Good Leadership

The paragraph discusses the complexities of defining good leadership. Despite extensive study and literature on the subject, a precise definition remains elusive. The speaker acknowledges the many aspects and elements of leadership, such as authentic, distant, honest, and meaningful leadership. Leadership is closely tied to human nature, as it involves guiding people, strategizing, managing finances, and interacting with the environment. The speaker also touches on the importance of networking and partnership in modern leadership. Additionally, the ability to work with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within a traditional economic context is highlighted as increasingly important for future leaders. The paragraph ends by posing the question of what constitutes bad leadership, describing it as ego-driven, short-sighted, and economically exploitative at the expense of other stakeholders.

05:00

👁‍🗨 The Future of Leadership and Sustainability

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking in good leadership, contrasting it with short-term, unsustainable practices that neglect the SDGs, sustainability, employees, and society. The speaker is convinced that companies and leaders not taking sustainability seriously will be the losers in the future. Good leadership is described as being able to balance profits with the needs of various stakeholders, including society, customers, employees, future employees, suppliers, and financial investors. The speaker suggests that the increasing importance of stakeholders' interests might lead to a shift in the economic distribution of profits, potentially disadvantaging shareholders for the benefit of society. The paragraph also explores the idea that leadership cannot be solely learned through education but involves a combination of innate talent, personality, and life experiences. The speaker believes that while one can improve their leadership skills through reading, education, and being attentive to role models, there is a certain inherent talent in a person that contributes to effective leadership.

Keywords

💡Leadership

Leadership refers to the process of guiding a group of people or an organization. In the script, it is discussed as a complex and multifaceted concept that is difficult to define precisely. The theme of the video revolves around understanding what constitutes good leadership and how it differs from bad leadership.

💡Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is a concept that emphasizes genuine behavior, transparency, and the positive expression of one's personality. The script mentions various types of leadership, including 'autentisk ledelse' (authentic leadership), as part of the evolving understanding of leadership.

💡Network

A network in the context of leadership refers to the interconnected system of individuals or organizations. The script highlights the importance of being able to work within and orchestrate networks, which is a crucial skill for modern leaders.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the script is mentioned as a key consideration for future leaders. It implies meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The speaker argues that leaders who do not take sustainability seriously are likely to fail in the long term.

💡Crisis Management

Crisis management involves the strategies and procedures for handling emergencies or crises. The script discusses it as a reality that leaders may face, emphasizing the need to move beyond crisis management to long-term thinking for the survival and success of an organization.

💡Ego-Trip

An ego-trip refers to behavior driven by excessive self-interest or self-importance. In the context of the script, it is presented as a characteristic of bad leadership, where leaders prioritize their own interests at the expense of others and the organization's long-term health.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders are the individuals, groups, or entities with an interest or concern in the organization's actions and decisions. The script discusses the broader responsibilities of a leader to consider stakeholders beyond just shareholders, including society, customers, employees, and suppliers.

💡Long-term vs. Short-term

The script contrasts long-term and short-term perspectives in leadership. Good leadership is associated with a long-term view that balances economic goals with sustainability and stakeholder interests, whereas bad leadership is characterized by a short-term focus on immediate economic gains.

💡Personality

Personality is the unique combination of characteristics that form an individual's character. The script suggests that while leadership involves personal qualities and traits that one is born with or develops over time, it also implies that leadership can be refined and improved through learning and experience.

💡Role Models

Role models are individuals who serve as examples to be emulated. In the context of leadership, the script mentions that everyone learns a great deal from role models like parents, teachers, and peers, which shapes their ability to become good leaders or employees.

💡Economic Distribution

Economic distribution refers to how wealth and resources are shared among members of society or within an organization. The script discusses the potential shift in economic distribution, where the interests of a broader set of stakeholders might lead to a more equitable sharing of profits beyond just shareholders.

Highlights

Good leadership is difficult to define precisely, with many aspects and new terms emerging regularly.

Leadership involves working with people, strategy, economy, and the environment.

Many have tried to create a recipe for the good leader, but it's not a straightforward task.

A key trait for leaders in 2020 is the ability to work within and orchestrate networks.

The competent leader in 2020 understands how to balance the Sustainable Development Goals with traditional economic considerations.

A business has more stakeholders than just shareholders, including society, customers, employees, future employees, suppliers, and financial investors.

Poor leadership is characterized by short-termism, egoism, and a narrow focus on economic maximization at the expense of others.

Companies that disregard sustainability and focus solely on short-term gains are likely to be the losers in the future.

Good leadership is long-term oriented, while bad leadership is short-term oriented.

Leaders must balance profitability and liquidity with long-term considerations.

Crisis management is a reality when a company cannot pay its bills, but it should not be a long-term state.

Many aspire to be leaders, and there are numerous leadership training programs available.

While leadership training can help, being a good leader also requires inherent talent and personal qualities.

Leadership involves a combination of personality, abilities, experiences, upbringing, and learning.

We can always improve our leadership skills by reading, listening, learning from role models, and participating in courses.

The key to good leadership lies within the individual - it's about personal talent and qualities that can be refined over time.

Transcripts

Du er jo gammel ledelsesekspert og har været det i mange år -

- hvad er god ledelse egentlig?

Ja, det er jo et godt spørgsmål.

Jeg vil være tilbøjelig til at sige -

- efter at have arbejdet med ledelse i rigtig mange år -

- vi ved ikke, hvad ledelse er, og det må man jo selvfølgelig ikke sige -

- fordi vi er mange, der så at sige har levet af at studere -

- undervise og skrive osv, men jeg vil alligevel sige -

- vi kan ikke sige, hvad ledelse er særlig præcist.

Vi kan tale om de elementer, der er i ledelse -

- og det er der skrevet kilometervis af bøger om, det ved du, og det ved jeg -

- så der er rigtig mange aspekter i ledelse -

- og der går næsten ikke en dag uden at der kommer et nyt tillægsord -

- autentisk ledelse, distanceledelse, ærlig ledelse, meningsfuld ledelse osv.

Og alle de udtryk, alle de bøger og alle de kurser -

- de er jo i et eller andet omfang en bekræftelse på -

- vi ved ikke rigtig, hvad det er, så vi bliver ved og ved at cirkle.

Og en af forklaringerne på det er, at ledelse har meget med mennesker at gøre -

- mennesker er forskellige, ledelse udøves af mennesker -

- mennesker, vi kalder ledere -

- og mennesker, der er ledere skal præstere resultater -

- skal lede mennesker, skal arbejde med strategi -

- skal arbejde med økonomi, skal arbejde med omgivelserne -

- skal arbejde med mange mange ting, og det er jo derfor -

- at der er mange, der har prøvet at lave opskriften på den gode leder -

- og det har jeg i grunden aldrig rigtig prøvet på.

Jeg kunne jo godt f.eks. sige om ledelse lige nu -

- at en meget vigtig egenskab hos lederen i 2020 -

- det er at kunne arbejde i, og påvirke og orkestrere netværk.

Det at kunne agere i netværk, det at kunne etablere netværk -

- det at kunne arbejde med partnerskaber -

- det at kunne arbejde sammen med mange mennesker i mange slags relationer -

- det er en selvfølgelig evne, og det har det måske været altid.

Jeg tror alligevel, man godt kan sige -

- det er noget, der bliver mere og mere vigtigt for morgendagens leder.

Jeg kunne også vælge at sige, den dygtige leder i 2020 -

- det er en leder, der forstår at arbejdet med verdensmålene -

- og balancere verdensmålene ind i en klassisk traditionel økonomiverden -

- fordi der skal være økonomi, der skal være likviditet -

- der skal være udbytte til aktionærerne også i morgendagens virksomhed -

- det er ikke sikkert, der skal være så meget, som der var i går -

- det kan godt være, at verdensmålene og den ansvarlighed, der ligger -

- i verdensmålene, fører til, at der bliver lidt mindre til aktionærerne -

- det kunne jeg sådan set godt forestille mig -

- og det ligger jo nok i nogle af de advarsler, der kommer, og som hedder -

- en virksomhed har flere interessenter end aktionærerne, samfundet, kunderne -

- de ansatte, de kommende ansatte -

- leverandørerne, de finansielle investorer osv.

Og hvis disse interessenters interesser i forhold til virksomheden -

- i virkeligheden betyder mere end blot ord -

- så kunne det godt være noget, der medfører, at vi forskyder -

- den økonomiske fordeling af udbyttet -

- til ulempe for aktionærerne til fordel for samfundet.

Vi ved det ikke, men det kunne godt være.

Men det er lidt interessant med, hvad der er god ledelse -

- men så er jeg næsten nødt til at spørge dig et endnu svære spørgsmål -

- hvad er dårlig ledelse?

Dårlig ledelse det er jo nok så det, at man kører et egotrip -

- at man kører et meget snævert kortsigtet -

- meget snævert fokuseret økonomisk maksimeringsløb -

- og hele tiden trækker det meste økonomiske til virksomheden -

- på bekostning af, hvem der nu er i vejen -

- kunder, ansatte, leverandører, investorer -

- som man sådan set snyder på den korte bane -

- med succes for virksomheden på den korte bane.

Det vil jeg nok sige, er en risikabel form for ledelse -

- den findes heller ikke i den her rendyrkede form -

- i hvert fald ikke særlig udbredt.

Men der er masser af virksomheder, der alligevel prøver på at køre -

- kortsigtet og uden hensyn til verdensmålene -

- uden hensyn til bæredygtighed -

- uden hensyn til medarbejderne som en seriøs interessent -

- uden hensyn til det omgivende samfund -

- og jeg er ret overbevist om, at de virksomheder og de ledere -

- det er fremtidens tabere.

Den der ikke tager bæredygtighed alvorligt -

- vil jeg anse for at være en sikker kandidat til at tabe -

- på det lidt længere sigt.

Kan man så sige, at god ledelse, det er langsigtet -

- mens dårlig ledelse er kortsigtet?

Ja, det kunne man godt nærme sig -

- for man kan ikke lede kortsigtet med succes på lang sigt.

Man er nødt til, selvom det er en vanskelig balance -

- man er nødt til at erkende, vi skal have overskud -

- vi skal have likviditet, og det skal vi have altid.

Men vi skal også tænke langsigtet -

- jeg havde nær sagt, så vidt det er muligt -

- man kan være så meget på spanden, så man er nødt til at køre som krise -

- og det kender vi jo, og det kan man godt komme afsted med.

Kriseledelse er en realitet -

- og kriseledelse er man i, når man ikke kan betale regningerne.

Så må man simpelthen ty til andre midler.

Og man kan ikke være i kriseledelse i 100 år -

- så kriseledelse det er noget man overvinder, eller man dør.

Hvis man overvinder det, så skal man tilbage og tænke langsigtet.

Men så er der jo mange, der gerne vil være ledere -

- og der er også mange lederuddannelser -

- det har du jo selv været en del af, det system der -

- kan man i det hele taget uddanne sig til leder -

- eller er det noget med, at man har et talent i sig -

- hvor man så kan forfine det her talent?

Jeg tror, man må sige, men der er vi tilbage til, hvad er ledelse -

- jeg tror ikke, man kan læse sig til at blive en god leder -

- der er meget personlighed, der er mange personlige egenskaber -

- evner, erfaringer i en leder, som man har med sig -

- man er født, man er opvokset, man er dannet, man har lært -

- sidemandsoplæring, rollemodeller -

- vi har jo alle sammen lært ufattelig meget af vores mor, far og nabo -

- og første skolelærer, daginstitutionspædagog -

- og det er det, vi bærer med os -

- og gør os til gode ledere eller gode medarbejdere.

Og så tror jeg altid, vi kan forbedre det -

- ved at læse en bog, ved at lytte til en underviser -

- ved at være yderligere opmærksom på sidemanden eller -

- den gode leder, altså rollemodellen.

Det tror jeg altid spiller en rolle, men jeg tror altså også på -

- at man kan læse og studere og lytte og gå på kurser -

- og uddanne sig, så man bliver bedre, end man var -

- for man udvikler sig bevidsthedsmæssigt -

- værktøjsmæssigt på den basis, man har i forvejen.

Men det er nødvendigt med en hvis form for talent?

Det tror jeg det er, som er i personen - som er i personen.