"A leader is one who gives up all ideas of possessiveness, strives only for the well-being of society and holds himself forth as an ideal human being." Sai Baba
To begin their response, they asked two very different questions: "Is leadership something where you can boss people around? Or is it something where you can help other people?" They concluded that leadership is an enabling activity done without any expectation of receiving something in return and often times without even being asked. They said, "Being a leader doesn't mean you are on top of the world. It simply means that you are equal to everyone else. The only difference is that at that time, you have the position to lead and guide."
I love the simpleness of these words. They espouse a very powerful thought about leadership. A leader is a trustworthy person whose thoughts, words and deeds are in harmony with the needs of those s/he leads. A leader is not concerned with self interest. A leader knows that the potential of his or her effectiveness is directly correlated to his or her ability to develop personal and individual leader behaviors. To be a leader, one must act like a leader. A person's behavior is the source of their ability to lead effectively.
When a person develops effective leader behaviors, they act in such a way that inspires others to follow. I want you to think for a moment about a leader that truly inspired you. What did you see that person do, that made you willing to follow him or her? How do the behaviors of that person inspire your leadership style today? Which of your leader behaviors do you attribute directly to your association with that person? These are powerful questions that will help you identify the source of your leadership style. I assure you, that all of your answers will be positive. Isn't that interesting?
Leader Behaviors
I think it is important that I state first and foremost that I consider everyone to be a leader. It is also important to note the differences in at least two leadership roles. In some circumstances, it is my responsibility to be a "Leader" with a capital "L". In those moments it is my opportunity to guide the team. I am ultimately responsible to make the decisions needed to ensure the success of the team. I have discovered that I am most successful when I involve the key stakeholders, those who benefit and/or suffer the most from the impact of the decisions I make, in the decision process.
Other circumstances require me to subject my will to that of my designated leader. This is not alway easy to do. When I am led by a benevolent Leader, I feel involved and it is much easier for me to follow. But when I am being led by a tyrant leader, I feel abused. This feeling of abuse frustrates me so much that I will admit to trying to undermine this type of Leaders ability to lead the team. I have justified this inappropriate behavior by telling myself it is for the good of the team or my stakeholders.
Despite this justification process, I have come to understand that when I behave in this way I am really only undermining my own leadership capacity. These are the moments when I need to a be a leader with a small "l". My willingness to be involved in the group basically demands use all of my talents and skills for the good of the group. When I go around bad mouthing my leader, regardless of how bad s/he really is, I am loudly proclaiming to others that I can not be trusted. To really be a leader in a negative situation requires that I ask questions like the following; "what can I do to help this leader become more effective?" "How can I truly support him or her in this leadership role?"
The difference in the benevolent and the tyrannical leader is the development of leader behaviors. There are many behaviors to choose from, but I have learned that some of them are a bit more important to possess than others. Ideally, the goal is to develop as many as possible. I recommend that all serious students of leadership, and I hope that includes all of us, begin to develop what I call the "A+ Foundation". It seems to me that all the other important leader behaviors flow from these. Once a competency is developed in these foundational principles the others are much easier to master. They are as follows:
Over the course of the next three posts I will clarify what I mean, and how to implement these three important leader behaviors.
What Are Your Strengths?
Each of us possess different qualities that help us to be effective leaders. These strengths are to be relied upon. They can be leveraged as you develop areas where you need to be strengthened. In my mind, this post would not be complete without an invitation to examine your individual qualities. What are the leader behaviors you rely on most? How do you use them to influence and develop others? What are you most satisfied with in your leadership style?
As you ponder these questions, make sure you consider your own leadership story. I want you to connect your thoughts on your signature behaviors with actual experiences where you have demonstrated that you possess them. It is not good enough to just reflect on these questions. I want you to connect them to your behavior. It is the best way to accelerate your development. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this post. Email, call me, respond through LinkedIn or just leave a comment below. It is action that shapes destiny and not the other way around.
See you on the road!
760-559-3548
Comments