The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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encourage every person around them to be the best they can be. I want to come back to my German teacher at this point. Not only did she inspire us with her love of German, but she treated everyone equally. She worked us all tremendously hard but she made time for each and every one of us because that was how she wanted to nurture her champions. She gave us personal time every two weeks to discuss what we had read and go over any issues, but she also used to say "Talk to me about university. I don't mind if you don't want to do German but I might be able to help with your choices." There were 10 of us learning both French and German in my year, and every single one of us decided to study German at university. The reason was not hard to see. Overview. The last element of leadership binds the various facets together. I hear words like: empowering; self-motivated; action-oriented; being prepared to stay the course and do whatever is necessary. This is like a general overseeing the troops in battle from a helicopter. Where he sees a problem he comes down to sort that problem out on the ground. However, rather than becoming embroiled in the nitty-gritty of what is going on, the general gets back into the helicopter to make sure he doesn't lose his overview of the battlefield. So we call this an 'overview with overalls'. The leader isn't afraid to put on overalls and muck in, but s/he can take them off and resume the overseeing position. Nurturing your inner champion We all have choices in our lives and can change our vision, our values, how we deal with people, how we nurture others and how involved we become. Do you have a vision caring, friendly and patient. Leaders who have this gift make you feel as if there is nothing more important on this earth than you. They make time for you. They trust you and they have a curiosity about you as a person. They want to understand the world from your viewpoint. It is very much the leader mindset. Not having this mindset is like using a map of Birmingham to navigate around London. Using the wrong map will get you lost, just as the wrong mindset will not help you deal with a situation. This is not London's fault! It is our fault for using the wrong map or mindset. So a mindset that does not appreciate people for their worth will never get the most out of those people. Nurturing. The 'nurturing' words that you hear include: encourages others to learn; brings out the best in people; seeks opinions from others; gives positive feedback; is always looking to learn something new. A leader seeks to nurture people to rise beyond where s/he has reached. A leader has an insatiable desire to learn and never considers that s/he knows it all. As well as nurturing other people, a leader nurtures the champion within him or herself. Just as parents like to see their children achieve m - ore than they achieved, so a leader looks to Teachers were not fulfilling their potential as inspirational leaders because they didn't see they were role models 20 The Linguist Vol/56 No/3 2017 www.ciol.org.uk FEATURES all things German oozed out of every pore. Her passion was infectious. I always say to our business volunteers that they never know when they could inspire a young person for life. I recently organised a language event themed around the international fashion industry. Our keynote speaker was Ena Brown, Lecturer on International Fashion at Nottingham Trent University. One student wrote afterwards: "Ena Brown is extraordinary! What a wonderful speaker and I loved how she was so passionate about this field." Ena inspired a young person that day and may well have changed their life. Values. The next groups of words might sound random at first: trust, credible, courteous, dedicated, likes adventure, keeps promises, honesty, fairness, treats all people the same. The one thing they have in common is that they describe values. We all have values and these define us as people. We will have personal values and work values, and British values or values from our own country. Your values may not be the same as my values, but there is no right or wrong. I may not even like your values, but it doesn't mean that I am any less likely to be a leader than you, or vice versa. Even when we have the same values, how you interpret them may be different to the way I interpret them. The important thing as a leader is to have a consistent set of values. People know where they stand with a true leader because their belief in their values enables them to act in a consistent way. Margaret Thatcher had the nickname 'the Iron Lady', and the phrase 'this lady's not for turning' became her catchphrase because she always acted in accordance with her values. Many people hated her and what she stood for, yet those same people used to respect her for being steadfast in acting according to her values, and knew where they stood with her. A leader does not judge people by his or her own values. People. Also called a 'Love of People', this element of leadership is associated with phrases such as: listens to me; appreciates and supports my work; is understanding about my personal situation; values my opinion; trusts me to do the best job I can; is QUADRANT OF LEADERSHIP If we cut the model horizontally, the top half is about the leader's own way of seeing the world, while the bottom half is about how s/he reacts with other people; if we cut it vertically, then on the left we see how the leader looks to the future and on the right how the leader deals with the present Vision with passion Consistent set of Values Love of People Nurturing Champions Overview with overalls © PROACTION INTERNATIONAL