Leadership Isn’t About A TitleA lot of times people wait to lead because they believe they are not in a leadership role. Companies and organizations do a lot to foster this type of thinking, calling certain positions leadership roles. Most people believe that with position comes power and people will begin to listen what you have to say. Truth is, leadership at its core is the ability to influence others to convince them to follow you. A title may force people to obey what you say, but it doesn’t make you a leader.
“Most people who want to get ahead do it backward. They think, ‘I’ll get a bigger job, then I’ll learn how to be a leader.’ But showing leadership skill is how you get the bigger job in the first place. Leadership isn’t a position, it’s a process.” – John Maxwell
It’s Really Not About Being Liked
The people that you lead like to change their minds A LOT. If a great leader bases his decisions based on popular opinion you’ll have to change course every time the wind blows. Leaders have to make difficult decisions and do things that are not popular for the greater good of those who follow. Leaders must be willing to make difficult decisions.
“I've never found an important decision made by a great organization that was made at a point of unanimity. Significant decisions carry risks and inevitably some will oppose it. In these settings, the great legislative leader must be artful in handling uncomfortable decisions, and this requires rigor.”—Jim Collins
It is way more important to be respected instead of liked. Anybody with any type of pleasant disposition can get others to like him or her, if you’re a leader you need to be more concerned about earning respect.
It’s Not About Being A Dictator
When you choose to ignore the advice of others, and you choose to ignore the concerns of the people you lead you are a dictator. You cannot always lead with your gut instinct. If you do this you will make the right choices a handful of time, but your stubbornness will catch up to you.
You as a leader cannot go it alone. You have to surround yourself with people that can give you valuable insight and wisdom. If I have learned anything it’s that a leader doesn’t always have answers, but they do know where to find them.
It’s Not About Success
It’s about your failures and how you handle them. We often overlook leader’s failures and focus on their successes. In reality being a leader is risky business. Every decision has the ability to change things for the worse. When a leader makes a decision they need to remember that failures are a much better teacher than success. A great leader will point out their successes, but they will recount their failures as a defining moment that helped them grow.
“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to
profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. “ –John C. Maxwell
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