Focus: Leadership Focus: 5 Principles of purposeful leadership

People today expect a different kind of leader. While every company should formulate its own approach to leadership, here’s the philosophy deployed by a leading company as part of their surprising resurgence. It’s based on five attributes – five ’Be’s’– of what they believe characterises leaders who are able to unleash the kind of human magic you see at work at some of the most high-performing companies.

BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE
That is, your purpose, the purpose of those around you and how that connects to your company’s purpose.

The staggering number of employees leaving their jobs or seriously thinking about it over the past two years has shed renewed light on the pre-COVID realisation that purpose, both individual and collective, is at the heart of business. For corporate purpose to be successful, leaders themselves must first be clear about what drives them and the people around them.

BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR ROLE.
A leader’s key role is to create energy and momentum – especially when circumstances are dire. It’s to help others see possibilities and potential, creating energy, inspiration and hope.

The late Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson’s video message to employees during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic powerfully illustrates this ’Be.’ He first offered support to employees directly affected by the virus. He then explained that the pandemic was severely battering Marriott’s hospitality business and laid out what the company was doing to mitigate the crisis.

There was no sugarcoating, but no panic either. Finally, he focused on signs of recovery in China before concluding on a hopeful note, projecting to the day when people would start traveling again. His message was honest, heartfelt and moving, while at the same time uplifting and inspiring.

You cannot choose circumstances, but you can control your mindset. Your mindset determines whether you generate hope, inspiration and energy around you – or bring everyone down. So, choose well.

BE CLEAR ABOUT WHOM YOU SERVE
Hint: It’s not yourself.
A fundamental element of purposeful leadership is to be clear about who you serve in your position. As a leader, you must serve the people on the front lines who are driving your business. You serve your colleagues. You serve your board of directors. You serve the people around you, by first understanding what they need to give their best so you can do your best to support them.

It takes vigilance and a healthy dose of self-awareness to avoid sliding into the trap set by power, fame, glory and money. Before speaking or acting, be clear about your motivation and whom you’re trying to serve. ’If you believe you’re serving yourself, your boss or me as the CEO of the company, it’s OK – it’s your choice,’ ’But then you should not work here. You should be promoted to customer.” What was meant was that there was no room for people whose main purpose was to advance their own interests.

BE DRIVEN BY VALUES
When I worked for McKinsey early in my career, I sought some leadership advice from one of my partners. ’Tell the truth and do what’s right,’ he said.

For the most part, we all agree on what is right: honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness and compassion. On paper, every company has great values. But values are no good if they remain on paper. Being driven by values is doing what’s right, not just knowing or saying what is. A leader’s role is to live by these values, explicitly promote them and make sure they’re part of the fabric of the business.

Doing what is right is not always simple, of course, especially during crises, when overwhelming stress and pressure can obscure our sense of values. Harry Kraemer, professor of leadership at the Kellogg School of Management and an executive partner with the private equity firm Madison Dearborn, points out that one of the main principles for leaders to embrace is to firmly believe that they are going to do the right thing and do the best they can. If you surround yourself with people you trust and whose values align with yours and the organisation’s, you won’t have to figure out what’s right in these situations on your own.

Being driven by values also means knowing when to leave when you’re not aligned with your environment. Have the wisdom to know the difference between what you can and cannot change, as the saying goes.

BE AUTHENTIC
It took me a lifetime to embrace the fifth ’Be’: Be yourself, your true self, your whole self, the best version of yourself. Be vulnerable. Be authentic. This does not mean offloading everything to your colleagues. For leaders, it means sharing emotions and struggles when appropriate and helpful to others.

As many of us were forced to work from home over the past two years, we revealed more of our whole selves ’ children, dogs, cats, Wi-Fi problems, etc. This was not always comfortable or easy. But we all had to see each other in a new light, as full human beings. Employees expect leaders to be human. This starts with making ourselves vulnerable, including by acknowledging what we do not know. Brené Brown points out that vulnerability is at the heart of social connection. And social connection, in turn, is at the heart of business.

THE WAY WE lead has profound implications on the people around us and how we do business. We cannot transform companies, and more generally capitalism, unless we reflect on who we are as leaders, and particularly on the following questions:

• Have you decided what kind of leader you want to be?
• How would you describe your purpose?
• How would you describe your role?
• What are you doing to create an environment in which others can thrive and flourish?
• Who are you serving?
• What values define you?
• Are you doing your best to be authentic, approachable and vulnerable?

So, start with yourself. Be the leader you’re meant to be. Be the change you want to see.

AUTHOR
Hubert Joly is the former chairman and CEO of Best Buy, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and the author, with Caroline Lambert, of The Heart of Business.

Copyright:
© 2023 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp.