Good Morning,
My current read is ‘Spiritual Leadership’ by J. Oswald Sanders (http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Leadership-Commitment-Growth/dp/0802467997). In the book, Sanders includes some qualities that are required of a leader.
The first point that caught my attention is about discipline. Sanders writes that ‘Many who aspire to leadership fail because they have never learned how to follow’. This is profound. A leader is someone who gets others to see their vision and accept it as their own and work toward it willingly. How do they do that? The first step is understanding who you are leading. You are leading followers, this does not necessarily mean those who work for you. So, understanding what it means to be a follower will help a leader lead them. I believe everyone is a leader and everyone is a follower at different points in their live, and in our wacky face paced world, often playing both roles within the same day or hour.
If you do not understand what it means to be a follower, you often fail as a leader. This means it is okay to be a follower and not be a leader 100% of the time. There is always going to be someone who knows more than you and is better than you at any one time. To learn from them, you must be a follower. This means you can be an average person, no position, but happen to be the best at something. Then you can lead others in this area.
The second point that caught my attention is ‘Without reluctance undertake the unpleasant task that others avoid or hidden duty that others evade because it wins no public applause’. Leadership is not a popularity contest. Being a leader does not mean being in front of an audience or in the public spotlight. Leadership is rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done, no matter how messy or unpopular the job is.
I work with some very special people in that regard. They do the unpopular and unpleasant work which is necessary to get the job done. They do not do it for applause, and would probably get upset if you gave it to them. No, they see what is necessary and just do it. These people may not all be in leadership positions, but they take a leadership approach when it is needed and rise to the occasion.
I have also worked with people who did things for the public applause, and it was sickening over time. One person did charity work for the public accolades and being in the news. Their first step was to find a project that could get them in the spotlight and then after finding that, did it. Those being helped, while getting helped, only received it because it put someone in the spotlight. A true leader helps because it is necessary and they can.
Great lessons on being a leader, even if you do not have an official leadership position!
Enjoy!
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