Last Friday Todd Muller ousted Simon Bridges as leader of the National Party with 4 months to run until the 2020 September election.
On 1st August 2017 Jacinda Ardern replaced Andrew Little to became leader of the Labour Party, and in October 2017 she became NZ’s youngest prime minister in 150 years.
The similarities are striking – both Labour under Andrew Little, and National under Simon Bridges, were dramatically losing support in the polls leading up to each election.
Why?
Both are talented and very intelligent individuals, but for whatever reason (real or not) they appeared to lack necessary “leadership” skills – charisma, authenticity, the ability to connect, and inspire trust.
Some call it the “X” factor.
While successful business leaders do not necessarily need charisma (CEOs are not elected by their staff in a popular vote), they do need to have the skills, trust and authenticity to lead their teams through good times and bad. They need to be able to articulate their vision, the “why” of the business, and reach the hearts and minds of all stakeholders.
Like politicians, successful business leaders must be good communicators, be seen to have character and back bone, a strong moral compass, and a sound believable plan for the future.
As a SME business owner how do you rate your own leadership skills through COVID-19? Have you been an honest and open communicator? Have you proactively developed and begun to execute a strong business continuity and recovery plan for your business? Have you made difficult business decisions with fairness, compassion, empathy, and for the long-term well-being of the business? Have you displayed the character that instills trust in your team?
It’s not easy, and most owners of SMEs have little or no leadership training.
But you are not on your own. The support of independent advisors, such as Q2 Ltd, to help you develop a sound strategy for the future and a plan to execute, may the difference between success and failure.
At uncertain times such as we are currently experiencing it is important that you get in touch if you would like to have a chat, or your business needs additional support.
And register for Q2’s next webinar – Business Recovery in Action here.
Remember, Q2 are here to help.