Andy Graham, a founding partner in Emberson Group gives his take on Leadership Re-invented for International Leadership week.

I have spent my whole career deconstructing and observing what makes success – looking for examples from life, rather than books. As an entirely distributed business, Emberson encourages every member of the team to lead in their chosen field of expertise.

Leaders have responsibilities for themselves and others. We feel we have quite an unconventional approach to agency leadership. We’ve banished hierarchy and egos. Being distanced from one another makes leadership even more important for everyone in terms of accountability and success.

In our eyes, true leadership has one overriding quality – trust alone. Trusted leaders do the greatest things. If we lead with trust, then success follows.

In summary:

• True leaders inspire with their vision
• True leaders are courageous even in the face of failure
• True leaders are humble, they celebrate the success of the team – not themselves
• True leaders do not lie. They respect the truth
• True leaders are empathetic to others
• True leaders trust their team and stay with their players even when their form dips
• True leaders know when to listen to their council outside of their echo chamber
• True leaders know when to step aside and let others lead. They do not micromanage. They give the team space
• True leaders own the strategy and take responsibility for the results. The good and bad
• True leaders make difficult and timely decisions and are accountable for them
• True leaders create a sense of belonging where everyone feels respected, valued and supported.

How true is your leadership?

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