The successful replacement of an important leader is never achieved through a natural process. It’s the result of a meticulously mapped out plan that requires modesty, teamwork and developed trust–a foundation that takes a considerable amount of time to establish–but can also come apart in the blink of an eye.
Defining great leadership is a complex task. It faces the risk of resulting in an excessively abstract concept, or falling into wide useless subjectivities.
Let’s first consider the legacy Elizabeth II left behind. Having maintained 70 years of uninterrupted government in a democratic context within a small group of the world’s most powerful people, the queen faced conflicts such as wars, economic recessions and divisions of various countries, reaching the end of her life with lucidity and parting ways with this world in all her glory by way of natural death. It seems safe to say that Queen Elizabeth II has left big shoes to fill.
Debating whether a person is born into leadership or paves the path to meet said goal seems futile as today, the result of Charles III’s decisiones will determine the direction and speed of his model of leadership–and time is of the essence.
Pope Francis I proposed a disruptive style of leadership
through his attire and deliberate decisions such as
breaking certain protocol, often linked to ostentation.
Certain key elements should be kept in mind when succeeding great leadership. Firstly, honoring the past. The process of inheriting leadership should never invalidate passed milestones. Succeeding leaders must make it their goal to carry on previous paths of progression in order to pursue their achieved success. Serving as a simple tactic that requires little to no effort, this process comes of aid in the early stages of new leadership, helping to establish credibility, trust and authority among the expectant public.
After carefully reviewing and honoring the past, the (just as important) future comes into play, where a clear vision of where and how they’ll be working will be established. The capacity to create and paint a dynamic picture of where the new leader will take and guide its public helps calm existing uncertainties and create engagement, in order to later be able to share the first measures of change with the necessary consent to await their results.
Portraying the past and future carefully is crucial in order to make a proper first impression that may later prove more difficult to erase or recreate. Minor decisions could serve as support or end up being counterproductive. Pope Francis I’s Papal inauguration is a clear example of this.
Through decisions such as modifications in his attire and measures breaking certain protocol linked to ostentation of the Church’s economic power, a disruptive style of leadership was installed.
Every historic moment within an organization or
government tells a story that can either be a sequence
of mistakes or a validated, carefully told legend.
These three elements are the backbone behind the construction of a bond that will later support and enhance whatever measures the new leader implements in an attempt to correct previous leaders’ decisions that may have failed or might be perceived as an opportunity for improvement.
Proper storytelling and storydoing serve as the final step to consolidate all previously mentioned elements, creating the possibility to give rise to the newly established plan, as well as points in common shared with the previous leader, or renovated ideas. Every historic moment within an organization or government tells a story that can either be a sequence of mistakes or a corroborated, carefully told legend.
The challenge behind replacing a great leader lies in understanding that it is never achieved through a natural process. It’s the result of a meticulously mapped out plan that requires modesty, teamwork and developed trust–a foundation that takes a considerable amount of time to establish–but can also come apart in the blink of an eye.
By Ezequiel Kieczkier, Founding Partner of OLIVIA
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Photo: Frank Augstein/Pool vía REUTERS
