Leadership: make it or break it

Milda | | Reading time: ± 3 min.

Leadership can make or break your company. Most people quit their manager, not their job. To prevent this, let's talk about how awesome and useful leadership skills can be obtained. Recently I had a chat with __Spencer from theTILLERY, and he shared his secret about the leadership.__

__M__ilda: Hey Spencer, could you tell us a bit more about yourself?

__S__pencer: I am a student of the ever-changing landscape of marketing & technology. I have worked in the digital marketing field for all of my professional career. I don't see that changing anytime soon. I have worked as a trusted consultant from a client list that includes large fortune 500 companies and small non-profits.

Over the past few years, I joined the content marketing advocates. It's hard to argue with the success content can bring to a company. I recently took a leap of faith and started my own company that helps businesses navigate through the world of digital marketing and technology.

M: I know that you worked with several big corporations, probably you noticed and learned a lot. What did you appreciate most in the leaders?

S: I have had a lot of people in my life who have called themselves leaders but few have the qualities or attributes of a leader. Just because they are your boss, it does not mean they are a leader. The leaders I most admire have the following characteristics:

  • Great Integrity
  • Grit / Resilience
  • Optimistic Confidence

M: What kind of leadership styles did you observe?

S: Depending on where you work and how many people you work with, you can come across a variety of leadership styles. Some of the leadership styles I’ve dealt with are addressed in the other questions in this interview.

M: How does the working environment differ according to leadership style?

S: A lot of times leaders create this environment. I would go as far as say they have a direct impact on the culture of the company or organization. If good leadership is in place, people feel safe. When people feel safe, they can do their best work. I’ve been lucky to be a part of environments with great leadership and as I continue to grow my company I want to instill these qualities in my life so that my employees feel safe and valued.
If there is poor leadership, people are instilled with a sense of fear or apathy.

M: At the moment you are leading your own company, what kind of challenges did you face on a path of becoming a leader?

S: To be transparent, be a business owner is hard. You are worried about cash-flow, sales, treating your clients well. Overcoming these thoughts and proceeding is the biggest challenge.

M: Was it difficult to choose what kind of leader you want to be? Why?

S:
I think I am still figuring out what kind of leader I want to be. I’ve met a lot of amazing people in my lifetime who are doing some very inspiring things. I am still learning from them and implementing their practices in my life. But to answer your question, no it isn’t hard. We all know good leadership when we see it.

M: What kind of leadership changes should we expect in the next year? Why?

S: I think there is a continued pressure on businesses and organizations to have great leadership in key position. My hope is that we see dynamic leaders at every level of the organisation.

M: Any words of wisdom for the leaders of a future?

S: I do have some words of wisdom:

  1. Invest in yourself. Investing in yourself will increase your capacity to invest into others. Also, you can’t expect others to grow if you aren’t growing yourself.

  2. Invest in others. People matter. People are some of the greatest assets you’ll ever have. Great leaders are able to pull out gifts and attributes out of people

  3. Great Leaders Cast vision. When leading people, let them know where they are headed. Set goals and have milestones in place to motivate them with what the organisation is collectively working towards.

I want to thank Spencer for sharing his thoughts with the CAPP Agile Learning crew. In the end leadership is all about all round investment while not forgetting to invest in your self-development!

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