As described in our MIRA Blog #1, Leadership Development has moved on and exciting new perspectives have emerged. Leadership is no longer simply seen as a top down, single experts centralised with “vertical” influence. Much evidence has developed showing effective leadership is broadbased, shared, collaborative and the “horizontal” responsibility of many. For this reason we see leadership as not only focused on personal leader qualities, but outlined on three key levels:

·       Organisational Leadership: how to build and lead exceptional organisations

·       Team Leadership: how to build and lead high-performance teams

·       Self-Leadership: knowing and managing yourself

This differentiation is highly relevant for leaders as their task is not only to develop the organisation but also focus on the soft skills of collaboration and the development of themselves. 

Beside this differentiation, the second new development in the last 10 years is addressing who ‘owns’ leadership in an organisation.

No longer is leadership tied to only one person in the organisation like the CEO or the Executive Director or Secretary General, it is rather a shared responsibility within a Leadership team.

To develop outstanding, exceptional leadership teams who share the same spirit, values and goals is one the most prominent tasks of leadership. If they manage to work well, they are in the process to develop the quality of High Performance Teams or One Spirit Teams. This creates a great atmosphere and culture in an organisation in which people strive, are motivated, inspired and trusting.   

The MIRA tool below is a key for developing such a leadership culture. It will be explored in more detail in our next Blog.