An ideal leader. How to become one? What is one? But better yet, is there one?

For years, scholars have tried to come up with specific guidelines of how an ideal leader should be; what kind of styles, characteristics, and personality traits they should have. This article questions the idea of an ‘ideal’ leader by debunking common myths in leadership. Instead, we implore you to discover and develop your own authentic leadership style.

The myth: An ideal leader is fierce, omnipotent and extroverted

There seems to be a common view that a good leader is one that is fierce, omnipotent and extroverted. But can leaders who only firmly stand their ground be successful? Is accepting fault or changing directions truly a sign of weakness? Is it even wrong to show vulnerability at all? Surely, employees would want a clear sense of direction from the leader and would be skeptical if plans kept being changed. But not being receptive to feedback or own up to mistakes can be great pitfalls as well. Employees would also want leaders who respect and care for them, being continuously fierce might disturb the rapport in a team.

Not only that, a good leader has an understanding of their own limitations. While it is true that a leader should understand a variety of things vital for the workings of a team, the notion of someone being ‘omnipotent’ is unrealistic. In an interview with us, our founder, Primadi Wahyuwidagdo Soerjosoemanto, who has been leading BRIGHT Indonesia for over 12 years mentioned that rather than knowing everything, a leader should know their strengths or what makes them successful, and capitalize on them.

Lastly, not all good leaders are extroverts. Karri Takki, the Managing Partner of BRIGHT Indonesia and Marketing Director of Quentic Finland, even questions the rightness of classifying individuals into ‘extroverts’ and ‘introverts’. In his interview, he mentioned that such classification is too “black and white” and that whether or not someone falls into a category depends on where that person is and who that person is with.

The belief that an ideal leader is fierce, omnipotent, and extroverted is not only questionable but can also discourage individuals (that do not fit the criteria) from pursuing leadership roles and reaching their full potential. However, with the absence of such a notion as guidance, how does one know what kind of leader they should be?

An Alternative: Develop Your Own Authentic Leadership Style

As quoted from the Harvard Business Review, “During the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1,000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitive styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders. None of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader.” What would even happen if an ideal leader profile was created? People would swarm to imitate and fit themselves into a persona. When that happens, will the profile still be counted as ideal?

In 2007, the HBR published an article that showed their findings based on interviewing 125 leaders to learn how they developed their leadership abilities. The 3,000 pages of transcript concluded that there was no universal style, characteristics, or traits that led to a leader’s success. Rather, the key was their life stories. This finding is encouraging because it makes one thing clear: a leader is not born.

A leader is shaped by the people around them (such as parents, teachers, and mentors) and motivated by the experience in their lives. To discover your authentic leadership, you need to commit to exploring and developing yourself, like an athlete devoted to realizing his or her potential. No person or company will give you a development plan, you are responsible for developing yourself. So little of this self-exploration is done by leaders early in their careers as they tend to focus more on chasing material success and leave no room (or are even scared) to do self-reflection. To understand what kind of person they are, and what they want to be. As quoted from HBR, “knowing one’s authentic self requires courage and honesty to open up and examine their experiences”.

What is your life story?

The first thing you can do to develop your authentic leadership is learning from your life story. It creates the context for your experience and from it, you find the inspiration and passion to lead. You can ask yourself what difficult experience did you go through and what did you take from that?

For example, Daniel Vasella, the former CEO of Novartis who had his early years filled with medical problems, explained that the reason for the type of leader he became stemmed from his experience being treated in hospitals. He encountered numerous physicians but one particular physician who was different from the rest struck him. As quoted from the Harvard Business Review in 2007:

He (Vasella) still remembers the pain and fear when the nurses held him down during the lumbar punctures so that he would not move. One day, a new physician arrived and took the time to explain each step of the procedure. Vasella asked the doctor if he could hold a nurse’s hand rather than being held down. “The amazing thing is that this time the procedure didn’t hurt,” Vasella recalls. “Afterward, the doctor asked me, ‘How was that?’ I reached up and gave him a big hug. These human gestures of forgiveness, caring, and compassion made a deep impression on me and on the kind of person I wanted to become.

This story became the foundation of how Vasella led. During his years as CEO, Vasella reinvented Novartis culture, making it centered on compassion and competence which helped establish Novartis as a big player in the industry. He traced his inspiration directly from his life story and found his strength through his transformative experience.

Likewise, Soerjosoemanto explained that his experience working abroad in cross-cultural teams heavily influenced his mindset on leadership which he later brought back to Indonesia when establishing his own consultancy firm, BRIGHT Indonesia:

“I try to make my team more egalitarian. This is not typically done in Indonesian companies. From my past experiences working with people from different countries, I realize that respecting different cultures and point of views are especially important. I want my team to uphold these values. I think that by doing so, we were able to successfully work together on multiple international projects over the years.”

As for Takki, he obtained a valuable lesson from his days in military training which taught him to lead by example. He was also inspired from working with AIESEC that highlights, for him, the importance of developing intrinsic motivation in others as a leader:

“I remember in the early days when I was in AIESEC, I was amazed by how these people were willing to work, putting their hours and effort without being paid. So in my current role, I ask, how can I create this intrinsic motivation? I think a big part of it is allowing workers to see the impact of their work and establishing transparency; what are the company’s goals and why we do what we do. I strive to achieve that for my team.”

Now, your task is to dig into your own life story. Find an experience that enables you to understand the deeper purpose of your leadership.

The Paradox of Authentic Leadership

Like other management tips, authentic can easily become a buzzword. Realistically, does ‘authentic leadership’ always work? Takki recalled that when working in Malaysia, he had to work with a hierarchical structure that was different from the flat structure he was used to in Finland. What happens when the style of your workplace contradicts your ‘authentic’ style?

One thing to note is that authenticity should not be used as an excuse to stick to the comfortable. While a clear sense of self is a compass that helps navigate choices and how to do things, a self-concept that is too rigid can become the anchor that hinders us from sailing forward. Moments that challenge your sense of self can, in fact, be the best teachers for you to lead effectively. Going against your natural inclination does not make you an imposter. View your authentic-self as a work in progress that continues to evolve. You can always develop a personal style that fits for you, but also suits your organization’s and team’s changing needs. Following this, Soerjosoemanto remarked that he developed his leadership style based on doing trial and error, learning from mistakes.

Be adaptively authentic, do not look only within for answers

If we look only within for answers, we tend to unknowingly reinforce old ways of seeing the world and maintain outdated views of ourselves. It is good to think of leadership development as trying on possible selves instead of working on yourself. Be more open to possibilities! It is not being fake, it is experimenting to figure out the right leadership style for a new challenge or circumstance.

A piece of good advice is to learn from different role models (not just one!). View authenticity not as an intrinsic state, but as the ability to take elements from other’s styles and modify or improve it to make it your own. As Takki said, “It is never a good idea to change completely. But take lessons from people who are doing a better job. It is not a sudden change but a constant development.”

Listen to feedback and suggestions. Negative feedback given to leaders usually centers around their style instead of expertise, so they can feel like a threat to the identity. But by listening to them, you can make more informed decisions and grow.

Previously, we advised you to find a defining personal story that shapes your leadership. Beware that such stories can become outdated as you grow. So it is necessary to alter them when needed, just as you would edit a resume. Believe in your story, but also embrace how it changes over time; stretch the boundaries of who you are. Don’t be afraid to try new ways of carrying yourselves, communicating, or interacting with others. They can make a difference in how effectively you lead.

---

Lastly, we would like to end with a quote from Ann Fudge, a former CEO of VMLY&R:

“All of us have the spark of leadership in us, whether it is in business, in government, or as a nonprofit volunteer. The challenge is to understand ourselves well enough to discover where we can use our leadership gifts to serve others.”

Find The Right Leading Partner with BRIGHT Indonesia

It is advisable to check out several partners before making a decision, which should be based on a detailed partner profile as the baseline for your search. The best way is to hire a good consultant with knowledge about the local business. With BRIGHT Indonesia, you can get the support you need for the profile development and give you some intercultural guidance on how to select the proper partner.

We offer services such as Business Partnership Engagement, Business Incubation and Accelerator, and Management and Strategy Consulting. You will be able to secure an agreement with your future Indonesian business partners while getting business advice, business support, and local representation. Also, support your company from the private sector with the development of corporate/business unit strategies or helping your company from public sector organizations with public policy.

With exceptional local market expertise and networks in Southeast Asia, BRIGHT Indonesia will offer excellent services designed specifically to achieve your company’s goal.

For more information, email info@brightindonesia.net.