*Leadership* – From Performance to Mission

There are multiple leadership styles. The dreamers, the drivers, the conductors, the solists, the reds, the blues, the greens, the achievers, the reformers…. just multiply the personality tests ! One can argue that a good leader is a combo of a few styles, with lots of adaptation depending on the situation. All the more in the brands world, where you need to balance off magic and logic, sensitivity and organization, creation and business, humans and numbers.

I have always seen it simpler, in a way. You have the leaders who believe, and you have the others. Working with and supporting the first category is always a blessing, this is the essence of the Abbey Road Advisory community.

Believing means having by construction something bigger than you, bigger than the business itself, that’s driving you. Something you carry in your heart, in your soul. Let’s call it … a mission. Oh, it’s not necessarily THE big thing, like changing the world, connecting humans or saving mankind. But it goes beyond charitable engagements (though they’re always so welcome !) or a corporate social strategy (better having one than none !)… it’s who you are as a leader, it’s why you do what you do. It’s how you engage your teams, clients, investors, stakeholders.

Where is performance in all this ? That’s where the magic operates. You can’t force performance. Even if it’s paramount to have business objectives and KPIs. Performance is a consequence of…

Once, I received the best leadership lesson, from an INSEAD fantastic professor. « The best quality for a leader », he said, « is to be … happy« . The rest is just a consequence. Because happiness drives engagement drives performance drives pride and purpose. Energy drives energy.

And you, what’s your belief ? And where do you find your happiness, your energy ?