Then, You Are A Leader.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams
Many people aspire to leadership, and the associated power, fame and the experience of being in the spotlight.
Whether in politics, business or team environments there are usually many aspirants for available roles. Yet though many seek leadership, there are few that ultimately discharge the role of Leadership in its fullest sense.
Almost anyone can become a leader; most of the attributes of a leader can be learned, via formal or informal training and life experience, ideally blended with some natural ability.
Candidates can acquire the necessary skills, abilities and attributes to lead people; or at least have them follow.
Very often this act of leadership means little more than to have people follow them. Indeed, leadership and followership tend to be linked together with many leaders
believing that the fact of having followers confirms their leadership; to a degree this is true.
Yet this implied followership can equate to little more than having people who will simply copy, obey and do whatever their leader tells them to do.
History records abundantly the accounts of misguided leaders whose people followed them implicitly, to the death even, with little or no effort on the part of the leader to leave a legacy for following generations.
Hence the erroneous myth, and resultant people related anecdotes, that lemmings will follow their leader regardless of the outcomes, or their very fate.
It’s one thing to have people follow the leader, and many people actually do this in their business, social and political lives; it does not require much thought, energy, skill or commitment on the part of those followers.
But to emulate a truly great leader, and have our life changed forever is entirely another matter.
Great leaders teach us how to lead, to excel and do better. So much so that a great leaders primary goal is usually to see their followers achieve greater success and capability then they themselves; it takes a very committed and secure leader to execute this.
Leaders of inferior quality or intent usually don’t want their followers and potential successors to be overly independent, free thinking or vocal. They prefer people who don’t rock the boat, don’t challenge their opinions or decisions and above all don’t seek their job.
Really great leaders foster dissatisfaction with the status quo; even encouraging a degree of restlessness. They teach their people to desire more, and release them to explore their individual potential.
They deliberately and with careful forethought seek to unfetter their people’s thinking, encouraging them to challenge the leaders own views and opinions and come up with better alternatives and are never too proud to accept wisdom from any quarter.
These leaders inspire their followers to think what if we changed the way things are; they are secure in their leadership, encouraging their people to think why not?
Great leaders understand the inherent power and potential of people who dare to dream; even if this is within other people. They are constantly searching to uncover the latent potential within their people or team.
These same leaders intuitively encourage their people to learn; by their very style of leadership they support and cheer on their people to learn new skills and explore new and unknown strategies and practices.
To think.
People in the company of great leaders are encouraged to stretch, to step up and improve. They are assisted and resourced to discover new skills, and encouraged to use them. They are helped at every turn to take another step, to step up, to achieve and to likely be more qualified than the leader themselves.
For great leaders understand the wisdom that there are usually smarter, quicker, more agile people in their ranks and are not afraid to release their capabilities and harness their potential.
Innovation, creativity and ingenuity are the stock in trade of people being led by a truly great leader. When people have great leadership they are not only encouraged to step out, but they feel safe in doing so; for they will never be dealt harshly in the event of failure.
In fact, great leaders know and understand intimately that failure is merely a stepping stone on the journey to success and their people, their teams, will make mistakes and will fail sometimes.
Leadership is the art of allowing mistakes to happen, but ensuring they are not habitual.
Great leaders focus on changing outcomes, changing lives and changing the future of their generation for the better.
These leaders are determined to not only achieve and deliver great results for their organization but are equally determined to act as a trustworthy mentor, encourager, inspirer and influencer to those around them.
People who have the good fortune to serve under a great leader can be confident, safe in the knowledge that everything their leader decides and does is for their benefit ultimately, and for their successors.
Truly great leaders are generational in their thinking.
They are not concerned merely with delivering results in their organization, during their tenure, but are intent on delivering lasting change and improvement that spans not only their generation, but generations to come.
The greatest goal of a great leader is to identify and mentor successors who are in all ways better than themselves. Leadership that bequeaths a legacy of benefit to their followers; and a heritage of successors even better than they themselves.
If you can achieve these outcomes in your lifetime, spawning generations of new leaders amongst your followers then you have been successful.
Then, you are, a Leader.
Author Neil Findlay
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