LOL

Do you see yourself as a leader?

Yes.

I’ve led a few teams and during my university days scored off the charts for my leadership style. I marked the group in exactly the same way, and the course tutor described it as a positive love fest that barely seemed real. Except we were all adamant that everyone else was fantastic.

I was also a very popular chair person of my am dram group, until I divorced my ex husband.

One thing I know is that a true leader stands back, holds the full picture in their head, and let’s their team shine. They lead from the back in a position of support. They’ve got the title, they will get the glory, but it will only count for anything if their team are as glorious, fulfilled, respected, and happy to be a part of that team.

You never get the best out of anyone by telling them what they do wrong, you find out how they fit, where they fit, and play to that.

On the university course we had two brilliant programmers, but, one was a typical geek who would (and loved to) sit up all night, just him and his screen. His sleep patterns were 8 am to 3 pm. I talked to them both and asked if they could work with one programming all night and leaving notes, the other programming all day and doing the same, then getting together to work through issues late afternoon. It worked like a charm.

I’m no genius nor was I successful. Business hated me as I didn’t have any pieces of paper from the right institutions, and in that day and age I was a woman, a time when you grabbed what you liked, and said what you liked, and women didn’t even think to complain.

However, I do believe that the leadership I’m capable of comes from my genuine respect for others, my love for people, and having had every talent and ability I have in life bullied out of me (until now), that my greatest joy is being a person that people thrive around.

I just love people, and I think that makes anyone the ideal leader.

Respect

Deb xx