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.