Leadership qualities #2

For the second entry in our leadership qualities series I would like to talk about two managers I previously worked under who possessed very different leadership styles but who each taught me several valuable skills.

The first of these two men, we will refer to as Mr L. Mr L was a very tough manager and mentor. He had high expectations and an intolerance for errors and insubordination. I recall when I first started working under his direction, he had noticed I was wearing a necklace which was visible when I didn’t have a tie on and asked me to remove it.

The necklace was an ivory hand carving of a turtle which previously belonged to my mother. Even though I didn’t wear it often, I was enraged and upset when he had asked me to take it off as it felt as if he told me to renounce my heritage. I remember a colleague had asked me what was wrong after noticing my anguish. I told her the issue and she helped me see why Mr L had made the request – the necklace could have been used as leverage if an assailant had grabbed on to it. She and I came to a solution where I would simply lengthen the necklace which would stop it from being visible.

Mr L had many strict rules such as officers were to only wear black socks, officers were to be cleanly shaven unless they had grown a beard or moustache while on leave – as stubble wasn’t acceptable, and haircuts weren’t to be too long or too short. He reminded me of my father in many ways with his strict rules and attention to detail.

After a period of time, I became his 2IC. His style of leadership was very different to mine but we both got the job done with the tools we had available to us. He became one of my many mentors and I am able to be as assertive in my own causes today, such as not accepting incompetence, because of his strict teachings. Thank you Mr L.

The second mentor in today’s story is Mr N. I had learned from a peer that Mr N was younger than me when I joined his team on secondment. I was surprised when I found out how much younger he was yet his classification was so much higher. Within the first week, I quickly learned why. Mr N was kind, hardworking, calm, cool and very collected. He always spoke in a soft voice but his actions made him appear far larger than his stature led you to believe. I gave him the nickname Future Dep Sec as it was only a matter of time until he would rise to the top of the whole organisation.

People who worked under his direction adored him and people who he reported to relied on him. He was excellent at what he did.

I remember going into a meeting with him one day with two directors from another division who were seeking his advice. My plan was to sit there in silence as my past experiences with previous management was to be seen and not heard. I was dumbfounded when he responded to one of their queries by asking me what I thought? I didn’t know what to say but he made it look like I was just holding back. He was impressively empowering to his peers and subordinates without ever being forceful.

A great piece of advice he gave me once upon a time was to remember that the people with the authority to decide usually have less idea about the decision’s background than we did as they had so many things to deal with. It opened my eyes in seeing that sometimes those who are best placed to make the final decision aren’t always the best informed. My time under Mr N’s direction was only six months but I am grateful for each lesson he shared with me. Thank you for your time and tuition Mr N, you helped me to strive for more from myself while remaining humble in who I am.

PDR