2 to 1. That’s the ratio of Scottish militia men to English soldiers in 1297 at the battle of Sterling Bridge. It was really more like 5 to 1 if you considered the English army's advanced weapons and superior training. Despite the odds, a Scotsman by the name of William Wallace, led his rag tag group of Scottish peasants to a resounding victory over the British troops. This triumph is memorialized in the movie Braveheart. Being able to inspire your followers to achieve incredible feats is what separates the great from the good leader. Through my reading about Wallace and other great leaders, I have discovered four skills common among all great leaders that anyone can practice. I call them the four Ls of leadership.
The first L stands for looking forward. Great leaders look forward and create a vision to help guide them on their journey. Having a vision allows them to navigate uncertainty and make decisions. A leader’s vision is also a sales pitch which they use to attract followers. For a vision to be effective it must be clearly defined and ambitious. George Washington’s vision was to create the greatest country in history. Elon Musk’s, is to colonize Mars. These visions are both clearly defined and highly ambitious. It’s also important to truly believe in a vision. If a leader doesn’t believe in their vision followers can sense this and neither will they. Before you try to build a team for your next project, think about your vision. Make sure it is clearly defined, ambitious, and something you believe in. Great leaders look forward.
The second L is for listen. We have two ears and one mouth so we should use them proportionally. Great leaders do exactly that. Even the loud and charismatic ones spend much of their time intensely listening to others. By doing so, they learn about their followers. Because a leader’s greatness is dependent on the people they lead, understanding these people is critical. The information gained from listening can be used to quell fears, encourage good deeds, or identify bad actors who can negatively impact the rest of the group. Listening can be hard and doesn’t come naturally to all of us. A good way to practice listening is to talk to a stranger. Instead of relying on past experiences this will require you to use your listening skills if you want the conversation to flow. Great leaders listen.
The third L is for learn. As we get older learning becomes less of a priority; however great leaders make it a focus. When a leader is able to learn from their mistakes, they can avoid making the same one twice. This has two benefits. First, they will over time make less mistakes, avoiding those they have already made. Second, learning from past mistakes gives a leader and their followers confidence. Being able to learn from mistakes means that no matter what obstacles a leader faces, or what failures they endure, something good will come of them. A good way to practice learning is by trying new activities. The best practice comes from activities that make you uncomfortable. Great leaders learn.
The final L is for live. Living, means practicing what you preach. Followers know that words are cheap, but actions are expensive. When leaders’ actions mirror their words, it creates a fierce loyalty in their followers that is hard to break. On the other hand, not setting the example will have serious negative consequences. Followers get annoyed when they hear their leader espousing hard work while walking out the door to get to their 2pm tee time. No one enjoys a hypocrite especially when they hold a position of power. Being a leader who does not live encourages followers to be dishonest and disloyal. Living, is the most straight forward of the Ls to practice. You do it by listen to yourself and making sure your actions match your words. Great leaders live.
Every leader has a different style of leadership. Some wow us with their abundance of energy, others move you with their compassion, but to reach the level of a “great leader” all leaders must practice the four Ls. They must look forward and create a vision to guide them; they must listen, to better understand of their followers; when they face a failure, they must learn to avoid making the same mistake twice; and the great leader must live by practicing what they preach. Becoming a great leader isn’t easy but if you practice the four L’s, greatness is within your reach.