Part of me wishes I wasn’t, but to be honest I’ve come to accept it: It makes up the fabric of who I am. I’ve tried to find a hobby and read a lot about mindfulness, but nothing has enticed me enough to change lanes. Yet! I don’t mind working long hours, weekends and into the night. In fact my best work often comes to me at 3am! Of course I would never expect my team to work the hours I do. I work for the love of work but more importantly because I love my team. They’re all under 35 - with young families and babies, engaged or newly married, buying houses and cars, and generally excited about their life and what’s in store. It’s lovely to watch. My team has an innate understanding of online channels, the complexities of platforms - they’re not afraid to take a chance, try new things, learn, and just generally stay on the ‘crazy train’ of digital to see where it will take us next. 

They’re incredibly passionate and hard working, they understand my vision and they never fail to deliver or impress me.

So this week I’ve been thinking about leadership. I wonder - am I a good leader?

I’m a people watcher from way back, I love human behaviour and interaction. I find it fascinating - trying to figure out what motivates people.  I’ve always loved to watch leaders in action (CEO’s, Chairs, General Managers, even celebrities from afar) A disclaimer here. I’m not ‘formally’ educated on leadership style but I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazingly successful leaders (and not so good leaders) over my career so I do have an opinion about what I think makes a good leader. I’ll share it with you as i continue watching:

Good leaders have:

Incredible Emotional intelligence (eQ)

It’s the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others

They’re Self Aware

It’s the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection.

They’re Motivational and Visionary

And they share it passionately.

They add to teams

They don’t just extract.

They’re Socially Charming:

By that, I mean they engage and interact with people individually and they do it wholeheartedly, with total commitment and without exception. They listen, they’re interested, they make lasting impressions so that people they meet remember them and admire them. It’s a gift that I love to watch from afar.

My opinion only. I welcome yours.