Talk to a hundred people and you'll get one hundred different definitions of leadership. There are literally thousands of books on the subject, from “100 ways to be a successful leader” to “6 quick tips to be followed.”
It's a subject that has been studied, reviewed, spoken about, and written on. Many of these books are filled with a lifetime of wisdom while a few more are just garbage from men and women looking for a quick buck.
Why are there so many speeches, organizations, long form writings, and short form writings on the subject of being at the top? The reality is; there isn't just one way to lead. If there was, humankind would've used the hivemind to develop that absolute perfect formula and we would have stopped plowing forward on the topic.
Still, I have managed to distill my own experience down to three things. It's these three phrases that I keep in mind whenever I think, discuss, or practice leadership. They are:
Always be humble.
We, as humans, tend to be egocentric. Those that seek to lead have a tendency to possess a mighty confidence. There is nothing wrong with that quality, but a leader has to be able to listen to his followers. When we start thinking in terms of knowing what's right above all others, we set our self up for failure. we set everyone we're leading up for failure.
Not only that, but I firmly believe that a leader's role is to serve. Its our job to help inspire, motivate, and elevate our team. We're there to provide direction, not dictate every move. A good leader cultivates a culture of support and builds a circle of safety around their team.
Leaders don't know everything. It's not our job to know everything. We should defer to our network of experts and trust them to do the right thing. We need to also be mindful of finding mentors. The secret of success is finding guidance and kinship. No matter where it comes from.
Leaders don't know everything. It's not our job to know everything. We should defer to our network of experts and trust them to do the right thing. We need to also be mindful of finding mentors. The secret of success is finding guidance and kinship. No matter where it comes from.
Be Credible
We need to do what was say we're going to. It couldn't be more simple. Know your job first and foremost. No one likes to work for an idiot or someone that doesn't know what's going on. Aim to be a great worker yourself. This goal is something we all can work to achieve.
Be honest, be fair, work hard, and have integrity. These are the keys to being credible.
We need to do what was say we're going to. It couldn't be more simple. Know your job first and foremost. No one likes to work for an idiot or someone that doesn't know what's going on. Aim to be a great worker yourself. This goal is something we all can work to achieve.
Be honest, be fair, work hard, and have integrity. These are the keys to being credible.
Be Approachable
Your people need to be able to talk to you. We, as leaders, should have an open door policy. AND ACTUALLY KEEP OUR DOOR OPEN. Communication makes or breaks organization. If our people can't communicate with us, then how to we expect them to communicate with each other.
Leaders are the people we look to for advice, guidance, and help when things go wrong. If you're not approachable, that's not going to happen. And that's when we fail.
These three keys seem simple. On the surface, they are. Yet, many of our leaders fail at one of these pillars. We have to do our best to maintain these core values if we truly want to lead our people!
Your people need to be able to talk to you. We, as leaders, should have an open door policy. AND ACTUALLY KEEP OUR DOOR OPEN. Communication makes or breaks organization. If our people can't communicate with us, then how to we expect them to communicate with each other.
Leaders are the people we look to for advice, guidance, and help when things go wrong. If you're not approachable, that's not going to happen. And that's when we fail.
These three keys seem simple. On the surface, they are. Yet, many of our leaders fail at one of these pillars. We have to do our best to maintain these core values if we truly want to lead our people!
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