LEADING THEWAY
Crawling up the career ladder to achieve my lofty editorial ambitions, I suddenly understood one thing. It was the same realisation that Spiderman has to live his superhero life by: with great power comes great responsibility. Being an editor wasn’t just about deciding what to put on the cover, or which exclusive stories to chase, but becoming a leader. And I didn’t want to be an ordinary leader. I wanted to be a great one.
It’s the hardest job of all, one you can’t learn. I’ve been on half a dozen management courses, read possibly a couple of hundred books on the subject written by some of the best, but at the end of the day it’s the same as writing – you can either do it or you can’t.
Being a great leader is part of your DNA. It’s that innate quality that will make people want to follow you. You can’t ask them to. You can’t insist on it. You can just lead, and look over your shoulder every now and then to see who’s following. It’s based on talent, of course. No one is going to follow someone who’s not good at their job. And you have to show strength. No one admires weakness. But most importantly, it’s about trust.
Staff have to know you believe in them and that you’ve got their back. They have to understand that you are all working towards the same thing and that you are all part of the team. Everyone has their part to play, and being the leader is like being the conductor of an orchestra. Everyone can play their part brilliantly – it’s just a question of getting the instruments to blend perfectly at the right time.
That’s how it is at Friday. I have an amazing team of journalists, designers, subeditors, photographers, picture researchers and an incredible fashion editor. They’re all brilliant at their jobs, and I just wave that conductor’s baton to bring it all together on the pages of themagazine and online.
But being a great leader continues long after that performance is over and the baton has been laid down. It’s a drive for excellence that’s relentless, a passion that would drive most people over the edge. As Michael Dobbs, who wrote the political thriller House of Cards, says on page 36: ‘Great leaders aren’t like the rest of us. They don’t go home and switch the television on or read books. They are driven every minute of the day. That’s why they’re difficult to be around. They’re too remorseless. They teeter continually between tragedy and triumph.’
He’s right, of course. Steve Jobs was the greatest leader of our time and yet he was incredibly difficult by all accounts. And Dobbs was talking about Margaret Thatcher, a very intense woman, whose tirade led him to write his bestselling book, which is now an award-winning TV series.
As Thatcher famously said, ‘the lady’s not for turning’. I’m no Iron Lady, but the only things turning around here are the pages of this magazine. Enjoy the issue.
Until next week,
Being a great leader is part of your DNA. It’ s that INN ATE quality that will make people want to FOLLOW you. You can’ t ask them to. You CAN’T INSIST on it. You can only lead. Importantly, it’s about TRUST