The New Portrait Of Leadership: David Deane-Spread Of Metattude On Which Legacy Ideas About Leadership Need To Be Discarded, And Which New Approaches To Leadership Should Be Embraced
An Interview with Karen Mangia
Courage that you have the courage to own up to your errors; honor others’ efforts; deal with the unacceptable; follow the values; champion your people.
We are living in the Renaissance of Work. Just like great artists know that an empty canvas can become anything, great leaders know that an entire organization — and the people inside it — can become anything, too. Master Artists and Mastering the Art of Leadership draw from the same source: creation. In this series, we’ll meet masters who are creating the future of work and painting a portrait of lasting leadership. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing David Deane-Spread.
David honed his leadership skills, firstly in the military, then law enforcement and another discreet agency. He transferred and further honed those skills as a CEO and MD of both private and public companies in Australia and Europe. He has also served as chair of a professional dance company and a NED of a no-interest loan NGO. For the past 25 years, David has coached board directors, CEOs and senior executives, to become the best versions of themselves as leaders and conscientious humans, as they seek their organisations to become the recognised preferred employers and providers in their space. David has also founded a small cattle stud breeding Greyman cattle for Australia’s northern and hard country herds.
Thank you for joining us. Our readers would enjoy discovering something interesting about you. What are you in the middle of right now that you’re excited about personally or professionally?
David: Two things, firstly, discovering how to ethically use AI to make running my coaching practice better and secondly how to improve the genetics and management of my cattle.
We all get by with a little help from our friends. Who is the leader that has influenced you the most, and how?
David: I’ve been influenced equally by both ‘good’ and ‘less than good’ leaders, learning how to be and how not to be.
My father, Robert Deane-Spread was my primary ‘good’ leader, who showed me how to live by one’s values and care for others, whilst achieving the vision. The leader who showed me how not to be, I won’t name. He was a narcissist who put himself before his people.
Sometimes our biggest mistakes lead to our biggest discoveries. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made as a leader, and what did you discover as a result?
David: As a young army officer, I thought I had to be the one who knew all the answers, especially in operational matters. That put tremendous pressure on me, until a wise soldier, respectfully and caringly pointed out to me that he was better at navigation than I was and that all I had to do was ask him to support me. That day I learned about vulnerability and humility. To me, they are very powerful leadership attributes.
How has your definition of leadership changed or evolved over time? What does it mean to be a leader now?
David: As a young leader I believed that leadership was about taking my people to victory. It was very much about me being seen to be a leader.
Now I define leadership as twofold behaviour that a. influences, persuades and coaches people to be great as they pursue our shared purpose abiding by our shared values and b. effectively deals with unacceptable behaviour and performance whilst keeping trust and respect. Now it’s about them and my service to help them be the best versions of themselves.
Success is as often as much about what we stop as what we start. What is one legacy leadership behavior you stopped because you discovered it was no longer valuable or relevant?
David: Telling. I’ve stopped telling, except in emergencies or when they have tried and still are unable to resolve the best action. Instead, I practice observing, listening and asking. Even when training or running workshops, I credit them with having the answers within the group and facilitate them to discover what they already knew. They then feel empowered and want to perform at a higher level.
What is one lasting leadership behavior you started or are cultivating because you believe it is valuable or relevant?
David: Patience. I’m naturally impatient and desire more rapid progress or resolution.
But I believe the pace of today’s world has sped up to an unsustainable level and we need to slow down to go further and faster.
What advice would you offer to other leaders who are stuck in past playbooks and patterns and may be having a hard time letting go of what made them successful in the past?
David: Two things stand out to me as needing to be modified:
Constant growth: the relentless pursuit of year-by-year growth is unnatural and unsustainable, unless you’re a cancer! Instead, we need periods of consolidation, renewal and revision, all of which will cause current growth to diminish whilst those aspects occur. The payoff is longevity, sustainability and healthy profit.
Doing More with Less: this has gone beyond what makes sense, resulting in stress and burnout, leaders not having time to lead as they’d prefer to, and ultimately performance and productivity suffering. Being right-sized and right-resourced will counter this bad habit created by CFOs who think like cost accountants, and leaders who value shareholders above all stakeholders. Shareholders get looked after best by ensuring all stakeholders — employees, customers and service providers are looked after first.
Many of our readers can relate to the challenge of leading people for the first time. What advice would you offer to new and emerging leaders?
David: Well, my advice is threefold:
- Engage in meaningful self-development — leadership development is firstly personal development.
- Find a mentor who has been there or is there, and shares your values.
- Be prepared to learn from your mistakes, which will be many.
Based on your experience or research, what are the top five traits effective leaders exemplify now? Please share a story or an example for each.
David: I believe that TRUST is the most needed quality in leadership globally right now and I believe TRUST comprises of five traits that leaders MUST live, and model. I strive to model these myself. Rather than tell a story or give an example I invite you to answer the same question that goes with each trait “Could you trust a person who didn’t model this trait?”
Here they are:
- Consistency in the following traits:
- Care: that you care for your people and the values and the vision — in equal proportion.
- Competence: that you are competent in your role and as a human.
- Courage that you have the courage to own up to your errors; honor others’ efforts; deal with the unacceptable; follow the values; champion your people.
- Clarity: you communicate effectively efficiently and ethically.
American Basketball Coach John Wooden said, “Make each day your masterpiece.” How do you embody that quote? We welcome a story or example.
David: I spend a lot of time presenting leadership to groups. I strive to make each presentation a ‘masterpiece’, positively impacting attendees and helping them to realize that they can be the best version of themselves. It’s both the unsolicited and solicited feedback that helps me improve and fine tune my work. It’s a never-ending practice that I’m dedicated to and love.
What is the legacy you aspire to leave as a leader?
David: That we have leaders who are trusted and respected for their ability to grow new authentic caring leaders who hold an optimistic vision and have the skills to empower others to achieve that vision.
How can our readers connect with you to continue the conversation?
David: They can reach me via email at dds@metattude.com or connect with me through LinkedIn. I also encourage them to check out my complimentary e-book to learn more about my approach.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience a leadership master at work. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Karen Mangia is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world, sharing her thought leadership with over 10,000 organizations during the course of her career. As Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce, she helps individuals and organizations define, design and deliver the future. Discover her proven strategies to access your own success in her fourth book Success from Anywhere and by connecting with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
