Leadership and compelling ideas

“People are attracted to leaders and compelling ideas,” said Dave Gardner, founder Gardner & Associates Consulting, a California-based advisory firm.

The above quote appeared in today’s ET’s article on Vishal Sikka attracting leaders from his former employer SAP.

This quote got me thinking…’what am I attracted to? What are my people attracted to? Am I attracted to compelling idea? Or great leadership? Or are my team members with me because we have a great idea? Or am I a good leader?’

Then I realized…. I realized that the operating word here is ‘AND’ – this puts new perspective to me and now I ask - “Am I a good leader with compelling ideas?” One thing alone might not be enough to create a sustained motivation.

Every individual has 'the-mind-of-their-own' - which means, up-close, no two human brains are the same. Every individual has been conditioned by forces of nature and nurture. Your thnking is shaped by the genetic make-up and more so by the expereinces that you have had in your life, the choices you have made and how you have reacted to the experiences and choices. So this makes each of us very very exclusive and indeed there is no other person 'just-like-me'.

So, as individuals we have different thoughts and different minds, but we can bind together over an idea and simplistically, the idea can be to bind together for the sake of binding. 'Relatedness' is such a great primordial force that shapes our choices. 

Compelling ideas creates a platform for people to bind together, to overcome individual differences and create something new, something that is greater than oneself and greater than all of us combined such should be the compelling idea.

However, while compelling ideas may attract people with a strong sense of WHY, it is hard to sustain their participation and contribution without great Leadership.

Leadership here takes form of someone who is committed to the 'Compelling idea' - not because it is 'My' idea, but because of the 'Idea' itself....because the idea is so much greater than me as a leader. A leader nourishes and cultivates and shapes the idea which is what attracts followers.

Compelling ideas also creates a sense of strong ownership amongst members. This sense of ownership often leads to conflicts when working together. Remember, up-close every brain is different and unique and hence every individual is entitled to their own thoughts. Often these conflicts are very helpful in generating new ideas that takes everyone close to realizing the 'Big Compelling Idea' - and when that happens motivations increases and the conflicts are forgotten. But more often, the conflicts degenerates into personal ego battles which kills the delicate bond of trust, the trust that each of us is here for the common idea and not for one's ego.

Leadership again plays an important part to create an environment which allows for 'Healthy conflicts' and prevents degenerating conflicts.

Compelling idea is the driver, Leadership is the regulator which keeps the vehicle moving in the direction of realizing the idea. Having any one of it alone will not get us far. Only compelling idea would make the team work appear like a air-filled balloon which is being released without tying the knot.... there is lot of energy and momentum, but no direction. Leadership makes the same force act like an air-pistol which keeps the bullet on a constant trajectory towards the target.

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