#14 | Future leadership: Why putting out fires is an important aspect of good management

You can’t have a future without a past. That applies to most areas of life, especially or particularly future leadership because 20th century company management is definitely defining the future of leadership.

So what exactly is good leadership? Most people associate it with very specific personal qualities. But is it really that simple? Is there a personality trait tool kit for a good team leader or a good business manager? It’s not that easy according to Lars Vollmer and Mark Poppenborg, future leadership experts, who were interviewed by Georgiy Michailov, Managing Partner at Struktur Management Partner.

A good leader isn’t defined by their personality traits, but by their good judgement. Someone with the ability to judge the right decision generally also has the ability to be an effective leader. And a leader who can inspire their team by communicating a determination to make things happen will help the business to move forward. Poppenborg and Vollmer are convinced that being an introvert or extrovert, cultural background, charisma or lack of charisma, are unimportant and we can see that too if we let our gaze wander into the world of professional football, for example. Here, too, good judgement plays a crucial role. The basic principle of ‘talent recognises talent’ applies in football for a very simple reason. Talent scouts are generally skilled footballers who know exactly what they are looking for and can recognise real talent when they see it. Ultimately, it isn’t KPIs that count. It’s the judgement of the talent scouts. Professional football is also a business enterprise, so we can transfer the same principles to modern management.

Managers who fail despite having good judgement are generally not to blame. Their failure is almost always related to structural deficits within the organisation. So it’s worth finding the fires and putting them out if you really want to change something, say the founders of the ‘intrinsify’ think tank.

Check out the latest LeaderTalk to discover the other ingredients of good leadership, the tools that are available and what the two men discuss with other experts in their think tank.

*Video only in German