In Part 1, I wrote about self-leadership – the foundation on which all leadership rests. Only when we can lead ourselves can we truly lead others. That’s what Part 2 is about: the art of leading people with different drivers, needs and backgrounds – and inspiring them to contribute their full potential.
But the journey doesn’t end here. Self-leadership + leadership are only two out of three critical building blocks. In the next part (Part 3), I will address what is perhaps the most challenging – and most decisive – of all: how we build high-performing teams.
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” ~ Simon Sinek
Leadership is a journey without a final destination. It’s about leading yourself, leading others, and together creating teams and cultures that can withstand change, challenges and opportunities.
Too often, leadership is confused with titles and positions. But that’s not what matters. Leadership is about people. About relationships. About building trust, communicating clearly and creating the conditions for others to give their very best.
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” ~ Mother Teresa
We all carry experiences of both good and poor leadership. Leaders who helped us grow, and leaders who drained our motivation. That tells us something important: leadership doesn’t live in policy documents – it lives in every meeting, every conversation, every decision.
I’ve had the privilege of working across industries with managers of very different leadership styles – and 97% of them good ones. Each has taught me valuable lessons and given me the opportunity to grow, both professionally and personally. Have we always agreed? No. But openness and the ability to discuss, debate and engage in meaningful dialogue have always been present.
Because people are complex. They come with different backgrounds, needs, motivations and fears. Getting them aligned takes more than goals, results and follow-ups.
It requires that you:
A study by Crucial Learning shows that two-thirds of new managers find leadership significantly harder than expected. More than half said they received little or no training to prepare for the role. Poor leadership rarely stems from bad intent – more often from lack of knowledge, inexperience and sometimes poor self-awareness.
Think about it: would you install a new IT system or introduce a new machine without training? Yet this is exactly what many organizations do when appointing new managers. For example, a successful expert is promoted to a leadership role with staff responsibility – without further training.
The result? Leaders burn out, employees disengage, and the organization loses out through inefficiency, high turnover and a culture that stifles innovation – in other words: poor results.
Leading others successfully means:
The command-and-control era – “do as I say, why? because I said so” – is dead. So is the time when leaders were feared. Or is it?
In short: results are created through people and relationships – not spreadsheets.
Recently, I’ve seen organizations invest enormous amounts in training – but only for one or a few top executives.
Training is always good, but here’s my challenge to you: Why spend €100,000 on developing one or two leaders, when you could instead give 25 managers a shared, long-term program – a common culture, a shared toolkit and a common language? On top of that, you create a strong, supportive network across boundaries, harnessing the unique strengths of each individual.
And it doesn’t stop there. Combine this with individual support from a “thinking partner” – a professional coach – and every leader gets the chance to find their inner compass, tackle personal challenges and set measurable goals.
When leadership across the organization operates at the same high level and is rolled out collectively, a powerful leverage effect is created. The result? A shared leadership culture that strengthens the organization and allows new leaders to land softly in their role.
Our tools to strengthen leadership in practice
Theory is important – but real change requires training, reflection and action. That’s why our tools always combine knowledge with practice:
Modern leadership is coaching-oriented. It unlocks the team’s potential by allowing each individual to use their strengths. Work then becomes more than just a job – it becomes a place where people want to grow, contribute and thrive.
In our programs, we teach you how to:
Successful leadership requires that we can lead ourselves and others. But here’s the crucial question: what happens if the team as a whole doesn’t work – even if the leader does everything right?
The answer is simple: without strong teams, the organization stands on shaky ground – unstable, uncertain and ready to sink when tested.
Self-leadership and leadership take you far, but the real magic happens when we build high-performing teams – where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and the culture carries even when the leader is not in the room.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” ~ Ronald Reagan
There’s always a reason to postpone development. “Next budget year.” “We don’t have time.” Meanwhile, you lose time, engagement and results. Uneven, under-equipped leadership costs money, time and wellbeing.
Stop waiting. Get in touch today – and let’s build the leadership and teams that make the difference.
Digitally & on-site – in Finland, Sweden, the Nordics and Europe. In Finnish, Swedish and English.
Your success is our passion.
Christine Suvanto, ICF MCC, has been working as a professional coach since 2012, with both individuals and groups, privately and in companies internationally. Executive, Business, Career, Life – Christine supports and challenges you to develop. She trains, coaches, and also serves as a mentor coach both in Finland and globally (WBECS). She also utilizes the SDI tool (Strength Deployment Inventory) in communication, conflict management, and development tasks.
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