determination, as well as letting them go and trusting in their individual perfor-
mance and intrinsic motivation to perform; further, it means exercising power as a
leader, providing guidance and serving as a role model while remaining remain
humble – and all of this requires courage, effort, continuous learning, self-criticism,
conflict resolution skills, stamina and strength; leadership is performance.
And this performance will be essential in the coming years and decades, which
will be characterized by fiercer global competition. Many executives who have
become lost in the dizzying heights of the upper echelons forget all too quickly
and too readily that their performance is measured in results – not in hours worked,
not in vacation days accumulated over the previous years, and not in the hectic
bustle that ensues when they rush through the departments of “their” company.
New models will be developed as a means to measure the “return on leadership”
in hard figures, making it quantifiable and calculable. I doubt that these
efforts will be successful, but if they serve to raise awareness among executives
and shareholders, employees and managers, of the relevance and benefits of a
relationship-oriented approach to leadership that truly appreciates the “human
resource,” then I have nothing against the development of such models.
Let me conclude this book with ten central theses:
The ideal manager does not exist.
Leadership begins with yourself.
Leadership is primarily self-management and relationship management.
Leadership is a constant learning process.
Leadership means loving people.
Leadership can be learned, but certain leadership traits are prerequisites –
especially initiative and empathy.
Leadership requires the integration of individual needs and organizational
objectives.
Leadership is the combination of management and guidance.
Leadership can – to a limited extent – be measured.
Leadership is an issue for our millenium.
238 5 Conclusion or: Where the Road Is Leading