Multi-dimensional leadership isn’t either-or, it’s about aligning team, mission, and organization in any leadership situation.

How often have you been offered the definite guide to good leadership? Very often, such approaches focus on one aspect of leadership only. While focus is certainly a good thing in entrepreneurship, you cannot focus on one aspect of leadership only to be successful.

Here are three aspects of leadership to consider, no matter what leadership situation you face.

1. The Team

A leader without a team cannot do anything. Leaders are generalists — they don’t know anything but can connect the dots between different areas of expertise. Leaders are completely lost without a network of people who can help them.

Look at the rowers in the picture. Do you think the leader would reach the destination or win the race without the team?

Last but not least, working with others raises morale and makes work more fun. Imagine the morale on that boat if you were alone.

2. The Mission

Whatever business you are in, you have to fulfill a mission for your customers. Irrespective of the product you are offering, fulfilling a mission is easier said than done. All products need conceptual work to be done to find good solutions for your customers. And contrary to intuition, finding good solutions is not just a technical task, but also a leadership task.

In the military, we call this tactics, and it also works in any business or on a rowing boat. By following a tactical approach, you will accomplish your mission faster and better.

3. The Organization

If you have a great team that is focused on its mission but acts without any coordination, you will never win the race. Somebody needs to set the beat, somebody needs to make the rules for everyone to be efficient and effective.

On the rowing boat, strokes need to be synchronized. In a software company, development work needs to be coordinated to result in working software in due time.

Conclusion

Let’s take a step back. As a leader, do you think you can focus only on one of the above aspects? I don’t think you can. Only a combination of all three aspects makes it possible to accomplish a mission with people in an organization.