A Few Random Thoughts On Leadership

Two things immediately come to mind.  The first is a cliche, but all good inspirational and motivation advice should be because it has been self evident for thousands of years.  We all just need reminding from time to time phrased in new and interesting ways.  That first thing is LEAD BY EXAMPLE or WALK THE TALK.  If you are in a leadership position always act humble and don’t put yourself up on a pedestal or in an ivory tower.  Be careful of being showy with your wealth. Conceal that as much as possible around your subordinates.  NO ONE likes a duplicitous boss who basically acts like “do as I say and not as I do.”  The rules you set should apply to you too.  Don’t make yourself the exception and above you own organizations “laws”.  The hypocrisy is too much for people to stomach and won’t lead to an inspired staff.  They will resent your superior acting behavior.  There is a  difference between a leader and a boss.  They are not necessarily the same thing.  Plenty of people become the top boss, but are not leaders.  Leaders motivate through inspiration not fear.  True leaders know when to get out of the way of their star performers and subject matter experts.  They do not feel they need to know more than everyone and be able to do everyone else’s job to be listened to and respected. They get the right people and talents in the right places and then let the magic happen and ACT AS THE COMPANY CHEERLEADER.  The best leaders who are at the top cheerlead for their staff and build them up.  Leaders can exist at ALL LEVELS.  LEADERS do not derive their power from their position.  They derive it from the respect they have earned from their colleagues by being good listeners, having vision, being able to clearly communicate that vision, and ultimately bring people together from different disciplines while being the both the glue the the balancing agent between at times competing internal interests.

The second point is one I coined years ago myself. GOOD LEADERS DON’T TELL THEY SELL. Never stop selling people on your idea whether they are above you or below you on the organization chart.  It is a mistake and intellectually lazy to resort to habitual telling and ordering.  No one wants to be dictated to all the time.  Sure there is a need for quick responsiveness at times, but way many more times than not there is times to ask and persuade your employees rather than commanding them leaving them with a feeling of just being a glorified secretary without expertise in their field or job function.  They should know more about their job than you.