On leadership

There is a huge leadership deficit in the United States right now. A lot of grown men (and women) don’t act like grownups and more and more organizations are lacking adequate leaders. I believe I have a responsibility as a leader to influence others by leading courageously with the conviction to be myself and do what is right no matter what the cost. It’s never wrong to do what’s right. Leaders must act and sound like leaders.


Leaders are thinkers
The best leaders are not satisfied with doing things the way they are simply because they’ve previously been done that way. They think outside the box and outside the norm. They are deliberate in their thought process to determine best practices. Thinking yields results. After all, good leaders get people where they’re going; great leaders take people where they ought to be. The best leaders add value to others’ lives. That starts by thinking.


Leaders are always growing
Growth is a process. A leader understands that he/she has to learn how to lead well and develop a plan for personal growth so leadership can become automatic and instinctive.

From John C. Maxwell’s admired book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, growth in leadership is illustrated in the following phases:
1. I don't know what I don't know
2. I know that I need to know
3. I know what I don't know
4. I know and grow and it starts to show
5. I simply go because of what I know

Successful leaders are learners and the learning process is ongoing. As a result, the growth process leads to positive changes that improve leadership opportunities and influence. Change for the sake of change is not productive. Change that produces better results is essential.

“What is the difference between a living thing and a dead thing? How to tell one from the other?...In the medical world, a clinical definition of death is a body that does not change. Change is life. Stagnation is death. If you don’t change, you die. It’s that simple. It’s that scary.” – Leonard Sweet


Leaders are confident, courageous and curious
Leaders are confident decision makers. They make sound decisions with the information they have at their disposal and they do what's right, even at the risk of failure,in the face of great danger and under the brunt of criticism. Can you thinkof one great leader that was without courage? A leader's courage gives his/her followers hope.

During the growth process, their curiosity renews their energy by learning new ideas from others and they aren’t threatened by new ways of doing things. They have strong core principles, but somehow still evolve with changing times to meet new demands. They embrace new technologies and confidently move forward into the future.


Leaders are introspective
Honest self-reflection is vital to becoming a successful leader. Leaders must regularly examine what has worked and what hasn’t. If they don’t, they become stagnant and ineffective. They admit when they’re wrong and know when to change direction, but don’t lose confidence. They have a willingness to learn more about their fundamental nature and purpose.


Leaders have high expectations
Leaders expect greatness from those who follow them, and they don't accept anything. Expectations form a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Treat a man as he is, he will remain so. Treat a man as he can be and ought to be, and he will become as he can and should be.”


Leaders have influence
Maxwell states that the true measure of leadership is in influence - nothing more, nothing less. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed or assigned, it comes only from influence, and that cannot be mandated, it must be earned. It’s earned when those following trust their leader. When people stop following, a leader is no longer effective. This crucial trust is earned with a transparency that gives others an opportunity to know about their leader in the following ways:

Character (who they are) - This begins on the inside. People can sense the depth of a person's character.

Relationships (who they know) – They have deep relationships with the right people. 1 Corinthians 15:33 states, “bad company corrupts good character.” Notice, Paul doesn’t write, “Good character infiltrates bad company.” Who they associate with is who they will become.

Knowledge (what they know) – People don’t care how much they know until they know how much they care. Once they demonstrate to other they care, they must know that information is vital; they need a grasp of facts to develop an accurate vision for future.

Intuition (what they feel) – Leaders seek to recognize and influence others with intangibles like energy, morale, timing and momentum.

Experience (where they've been) – If it is paired with humility and a healthy perspective, experience will lead to wisdom. Wisdom paves the way for more influence and better decisions.

Ability (what they can do) - Followers want to know if the leader can lead them to victory. When they no longer believe he/she can deliver, they stop following. People seek leaders unconsciously and leaders step to the forefront instinctively.

The best leaders have a unique blend of these intangible characteristics that can't always be explained, but when you see them, you recognize them.


"Managers are people who do things right, leaders are people who do the right thing." - Warren Bennis