In a recent interview with a CEO and APAC country manager, I learned that she had a manager who visited the country regularly and spent a lot of 1:1 time with her. I asked the CEO if this was a threatening or micro-managing style. The response from the CEO was that, initially, she thought it would be like that, but in reality, she was learning a lot from her manager, he was a great leader and mentor. She had a lot of respect for him and appreciated the time with him. 

Many of us can recount the influential leaders we are experiencing or have experienced in our careers. The reason is that it does not happen many times for each of us and stands out as an event or period. Sadly, it sometimes does not happen at all. You will know when you have been led by an influential leader because you will regularly refer to the teachings, the mannerisms and the methodologies. You will adopt the best practices as your own but always remember how you came to learn them.

Executive summary:

 • One of the key characteristics of a great leader is a strong sense of the Mission, Vision and Strategy for the organisation. 

• A strategy map allows you to communicate the strategy in a consistent manner across the whole business.

 • You will know you have been a great teacher when you hear the common language (initiated by you) used in meetings at all levels; everyone is pulling in the one direction and supporting each other. 

• The strategy map provides a framework for the business reviews and ensures the company updates and priorities are relevant to the strategy.