What is it that sets one person apart from another; creates a level of respect which makes a leader stand apart?

In the documentary “Bobby”, which was about the late former captain of England and world cup winner Bobby Moore, there is a human story from the commentator Jonathan Pearce. They had both been commentating on an England match in Italy and as they departed, the two sets of fans were in the midst of a battle in the nearby square. The pair’s hotel was on the other side of the square so somehow they needed to navigate their way across.

Jonathan Pearce understandably looked at the fighting and suggested that they find another route but Bobby Moore simply smiled and noted, “Don’t worry, it will be fine” and so they started their walk towards the fighting. Jonathan Pearce goes on to tell of his surprise as England fans would stop their fighting as they approached and say “hello Bobby, are you alright?” as they let them pass safely by. It was like the parting of the sea.

Jonathan Pearce also tells a story about Bobby More’s driving which used to be so bad that he would often cut up other cars on motorways. The offended drivers would shake their fists until they saw it was Bobby Moore and then they would simply wave and say hello.

Most of the fighters in the squares or the driver would not have known Bobby Moore personally, so what generates such respect?

It is a quality which seperates one leader from another. Today it is well documented how leaders lack trust from their own teams; that ethics of both business and political leaders are at an all time low and yet, at the same time, there are many leaders who have risen above this to be universally respected and loved. What makes the difference?

The answer of course, lies in character. It lies in the ability to trust that person and for that person to be genuine and authentic. Bobby Moore will live on in the memories of certain generations. He was imperfect in many ways but he was an exceptional footballer and also very genuine and authentic as a person. Over the last year, the industry has lost a number of great figures – Don Davenport, Willy Bauer, Marc Verstringhe, Sarah Jayne Stanes to name only a few – but how one remembers them will not be by just their business skills but who they were as individuals. Those whose memories live on are also genuine and authentic in how they worked and live life.

So much is written about leadership skills but maybe the only one which really matters is how genuine and authentic a person is when on stage and behind the scenes. It lies in how one communicates and in how one behaves. All the great leaders would be less than perfect but that did not make them any less effective as leaders. They held respect as people knew they could lay their trust with them and that they were genuine.

The erosion in trust can be measured back to the “launch of spin” back in the late 90s. There is no doubt that the whole concept of spin became an art form but it was deeper than that. If one turns back to the late 90s and early 00s, the lifespan of leaders had already shortened and leaders became more removed than ever as social media, Facebook and Linkedin started to take off. The pressures on leaders suddenly grew and it was always going to take time for all to learn with the new landscape and how to find their way to navigate the new rules. However, leaders certainly became less visible and less authentic as they tried to cope with the pressures. It is no surprise, therefore that employee engagement declined in line with leader visibility.

All the great leaders noted above were very visible and accessible. They would make time for anyone when they could.

It is was one of the lessons of leadership. One can write books on leadership but when all is said and done it so often is that leaders are defined as much by their genuineness as leaders as they are by their feats.