Leading with NLP

Leadership Substance, Style and Shadow 27

will not show you the picture until you put them together.
Look for leadership in the whole, not in the pieces.
Unless we deal with that systemic aspect of leadership we
have only ‘laundry list leadership’, a collection of factors
that look good in theory, but do not connect in practice. The
pieces may be the right ones but they won’t do anything
until they are joined, just as a television will not work with its
bits strewn all over the floor.
So, to become a leader, develop yourself, your skills and
talents, so you can lead by example. Develop your vision of
where you want to go, so you can inspire others to come with
you. Develop others and your ability to influence your com-
panions and to evolve a shared vision between you. And
develop systemic thinking skills to understand the situation,
its limits and opportunities. I think these are the core skills
of leadership.

‘Analysing others is knowledge

Knowing yourself is wisdom

Managing others requires skill

Mastering yourself takes inner strength.’

Tao Te Ching

the three pillars of leadership

What do leaders have that puts them at the forefront? And
once there, what keeps them there?

Authority – the official or formal position they have.
Knowledge – what they know.
Example – their actions that inspire others to want to be
like them.

These are the three pillars of leadership. A leader needs all
three to stand firmly.