Leadership and it components
19th September 2018
Compiled by: Valentine Idaewor.
Open Leadership
Leadership has been the subject of so many books, studies, and commencement speeches that many people have started to ignore the importance of the message. And, to be fair, authors and speakers often rehash the same clichés and obvious truths, leaving readers and audience members searching for something new. But maybe it’s not something new that we need. Maybe we only need to take a longer, harder look at what we already know but have failed to grasp the simple but painful truth that if your heart is not right, no one cares about your leadership skills.
Have you ever noticed how many books are written to help leaders improve?
I’ll let you in on a little discussed fact about leadership: As important as the skills are, lack of skills is not what derails most leaders; skills are too easy to learn. If you want to predict people’s ultimate success as leaders, evaluate not their skills but their leadership character.
The challenge of growing our leadership character is complicated by a lack of clarity as to what we’re actually discussing when the term is used.
Ask people what character traits they look for in leaders, and I’m guessing they will probably name attributes like integrity, honesty, and, perhaps, loyalty. These alone are not a great answer.
Don’t get me wrong these are fine traits, but they are totally inadequate when describing leadership character. Before i define leadership... Let clear some misconceptions.
Some see leadership as to be political and heritage or heredity if my parent are leaders am also a leader by birth. Some see leaders by elections. And to some by connection and to some to be a leader you must be rich.
Who then is a leader? A leader is a person who lead. .....Wow Very interesting.
Leadership: A position as a leader of a group, organization
the power or ability to lead other people, the office or position of a leader
with the capacity to lead.
Now let me confuse somebody leader and leadership are two different stage. A leader is popular and he is a person but leadership is rare an it is a process a movement.
A leader can be elected or selected with out capacity to build or influence but leadership is the stage at which a leader get to and make a change through his successors for a goal.
Leadership:
The process through which leaders influence the attitudes, behaviours and values of others.’ ‘Lead’ is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning path.
The leader is therefore ‘the one who provides the path.’ Leadership may be defined as the process of providing the path that others follow.
Looking at the abve analysis you will be marvel that a leader leads but leadership as followers in the ship to lead.
There are some universally recognised leadership qualities:
• vision
• enthusiasm
• integrity
• toughness
• confidence.
There are also different styles of leadership.
These may be governed by an individual leader’s personality but also by the organisation in which he or she operates.
• Transactional leadership – optimises performance through incremental changes to existing organisational policy and structure.
• Transformational leadership – aims to change the organisation’s core beliefs and methods of working in order to improve it for the better. Leaders are not the same as managers, although managerial roles increasingly contain leadership elements. *Some think managers are leaders.
Leaders versus managers
Leaders – produce vision, inspire motivation and tackle change. The role is generally seen as creative and exciting.
Managers – deal with structure, organise staff and other resources. The role is seen by some as functional and mundane.
There are differences between the two roles. However, making too great a distinction between leaders and managers is almost like expecting the latter to be mediocre. Management is also about leading a team and having a vision. Most management roles involve leadership, especially in organisations with flattened hierarchies.
At any level, there are always three elements involved in leadership.
1. The leader – personality and character.
2. The situation – partly constant, partly variable.
3. The group – followers, individual and organisational needs and values.
Leadership theories and models
There are three main leadership theories.
The personal characteristics approach
This theory states that some individuals are born to lead because they have a set of innate skills and abilities. There are individual qualities or traits which make somebody a natural leader.
This seems valid up to a point because leadership is often described as an art and not a science, but studies have not shown any consistent patterns of leadership traits. No one pattern of behaviour that characterises good leadership has been identified The leader-follower situation approach
This is an action focused approach which looks at three core leadership functions:
1. Achieving the desired result (the task).
2. Building an effective team.
3. Developing each individual.
Each activity depends on the others, but the key objective is to achieve the task. It is true that achieving a purpose is a key part of leadership. However, this situational approach does not explain why effective leaders behave in a certain way. It ignores how leadership behaviour affects the behaviour of others.
Additionally, this theory presupposes that leaders need to excel in technical matters; for example, knowledge of how everything works in a factory. In practice, a leader needs more than ‘hard’ technical skills to take people with him or her.
*Leadership Proper lead-Up Principle*
*LEAD YOURSELF EXCEPTIONALLY WELL*
Some people will be like i want to be a leader but i need to have a followers first then i will lead them all well....wonderful nice push but Excuse me who told you, you need a followers to lead first?
This my response that you Lead yourself first. That’s where it all starts. Besides, if you wouldn’t follow yourself, why should anyone else?” Have you ever worked with people who didn’t lead themselves well? Worse, have you ever worked for people in leadership positions who couldn’t lead themselves? What do they do other than set a bad example? They’re like the crow in a fable I once read.
The crow was sitting in a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow and asked him,
“Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”
“Sure,” answered the crow, “why not?” So the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, following his example.
All of a sudden a fox appeared, pounced on the rabbit, and ate him.
The tongue-in-cheek moral of the story is that if you’re going to sit around doing nothing all day, you had better be sitting very high up. But if you are down where the action is, you can’t afford to be sitting around doing nothing.
The key to leading yourself well is to learn self-management. I have observed that most people put too much emphasis on decision making and too little on decision managing. As a result, they lack focus, discipline, intentionality, and purpose. We often think that self-leadership is about making good decisions every day, when the reality is that we need to make a few critical decisions in major areas of life and then manage those decisions day to day.
Here’s a classic example of what I mean. Have you ever made
a New Year’s resolution to exercise or to do something different? You probably already believe that exercise is important. Making a decision to do it isn’t that hard, but managing that decision and following through is much more difficult. Let’s say, for example, that you sign up for a health club membership the first week of January. When you sign on, you’re excited. But the first time you show up at the gym, there’s a mob of people. There are so many cars that police are directing traffic. You drive around for fifteen minutes, and finally find a parking plac four blocks that's if you have a Car what if you usually Trik or Walk down to the Venue. But that’s okay; you’re there for exercise anyway, so you walk to the gym. Then when you get inside the building, you have to wait to even get into the locker room to change. But you think, That’s okay. I want to get into shape. This is going to be great.
You think that until you finally get dressed and discover all the machines are being used. Once again you have to wait. Finally, you get on a machine—it’s not the one you really wanted, but hey, you’ll take it—and you exercise for twenty minutes.
When you see the line for the shower, you decide to skip it, take your clothes, and just change at home.
The key to leading yourself well is to learn self management. On your way out, you see the manager of the club, and you decide to complain about the crowds. She says, “Don’t worry about it. Come back in three weeks, and you can have the closest parking place and your choice of machines. Because by then, 98 percent of the people who signed up will have dropped out!”
It’s one thing to decide to exercise. It’s another to actually follow through with it. As everyone else drops out, you will have to decide whether you will quit like everyone else or if you willstick with it. And that takes self-management.
Nothing will make a better impression on your leader than your ability to manage yourself. If your leader must continually expend energy managing you, then you will be perceived as someone who drains time and energy.
*If you manage yourself well, however, your boss will see you as someone who maximizes opportunities and leverages personal strengths*. That will make you someone your leader turns to when the heat is on.
WHAT A LEADER MUST SELF-MANAGE
In Today Matters I reference the dozen things that people who desire to be successful should do. But here I want to focus on leadership alone So if you want to gain credibility with your boss and others, focus on taking care of business in these seven areas:
1. MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS
I once heard that people with emotional problems are 144 percent more likely to have auto accidents than those who don’t have them. The same study evidently found that one out of five victims of fatal accidents had been in a quarrel with another person in the sixhours preceding the accident.
It’s important for everybody to manage emotions. Nobody likes to spend time around an emotional time bomb who may “go off ” at any moment. But it’s especially critical for leaders to control their emotions because whatever they do affects many other people.
Good leaders know when to display emotions and when to delay them. Sometimes they show themso that their people can feel what they’re feeling. It stirs them up. Is that manipulative? I don’t think so, as long as the leaders are doing it for the good of the team and not for their own gain.
Because leaders see more than others and ahead of others, they often experience the emotions first. By letting the team know what you’re feeling, you’re helping themto see what you’re seeing.
Good leaders in battle and at worse situations they know how to comfort people without letting their emotions show just to give other strength and morales.
Leaders should delay their emotions, I’m not suggesting that they deny them or bury them. The bottom line in managing your emotions is that you should put others not yourself first in how you handle and process them.
Whether you delay or display your emotions should not be for your own gratification. You should ask yourself, What does the team need? not, What will make me feel better?
2. MANAGE YOUR TIME
Time management issues are especially tough for people in the middle. Leaders at the top can delegate. Workers at the bottom usually punch a time clock. They get paid an hourly wage, and they do what they can while they’re on the clock. Middle leaders, meanwhile, feel the Tension Challenge, and they are encouraged and are often expected to put in long hours to get work done. Time is valuable.
Psychiatrist and author M. Scott Peck said, “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” In What to Do Between Birth and Death.
Charles Spezzano says that people don’t pay for things with money; they pay for them with time. If you say to yourself, In five years, I’ll have put enough away to buy that vacation house, then what you are really saying is that the house will cost you five years—one-twelfth of your adult life.
“The phrase spending your time is not a metaphor,” said Spezzano.
“It’s how life works.”
“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time.” —M. SCOTT PECK
Instead of thinking about what you do and what you buy in
terms of money, instead think about them in terms of time.
Think about it. What is worth spending your life on? Seeing your work in that light just may change the way you manage your time.
3. MANAGE YOUR PRIORITIES
Old proverb: *If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.*
What is a leader in the middle to do? Since you are not the top leader, you don’t have control over your list of responsibilities or your schedule. You should still try to get yourself to the point where you can manage your priorities and focus your time in this way: 80 percent of the time—work where you are strongest 15 percent of the time—work where you are learning 5 percent of the time—work in other necessary areas This may not be easy to achieve, but it is what you should strive for.
If you have people working for you, try to give them the things you aren’t good at but they are. Or if possible, trade some duties with your colleagues so that each of you is playing to your strength. Remember, the only way to move up from the middle is to gradually shift from generalist to specialist, from someone who does many things well to someone who focuses on a few things she does exceptionally well.
The secret to making the shift is often discipline. In Good to Great, JimCollins wrote:
Most of us lead busy, but undisciplined lives. We have ever-expanding “ to do” lists, trying to build momentum by doing, doing, doing and doing more. And it rarely works. Those who build the good-to-great companies, however, made as much use of “ stop doing” lists as the “ to do” lists.
They displayed a remarkable amount of discipline to unplug all sorts of extraneous junk.
You must be ruthless in your judgment of what you should not do. Just because you like doing something doesn’t mean it should stay on your to-do list. If it is a strength, do it. If it helps you grow, do it. If your leader says you must handle it personally, do it. Anything else is a candidate for your “stop doing” list.
MANAGE YOUR ENERGY
Some people have to ration their energy so that they don’t run out. Up until a few years ago, that wasn’t me.here things you did when you were young and you laugh at now that you growing channel your Energy to the right source and be productive there.
Each time i look at my Calender every morning, I ask myself, What is the main event? That is the one thing to which I cannot afford to give anything less than my best. That one thing can be for my family, my employees, a friend, my publisher, the sponsor of a speaking engagement, or my writing time. I always make sure I have the energy to do it with focus and excellence.
The greatest enemy of good thinking is busyness.
Even people with high energy can have that energy sucked right out of them under difficult circumstances. I’ve observed that leaders in the middle of an organization often have to deal with what I call “the ABCs energy-drain.”
Activity Without Direction—doing things that don’t seem to matter Burden Without Action—not being able to do things that really matter Conflict Without Resolution—not being able to deal with what’s the matter If you find that you are in an organization where you often must deal with these ABCs, then you will have to work extra hard to manage your energy well. Either that or you need to look for a new place to work.
5. *MANAGE YOUR THINKING*
Poet and novelist James Joyce said, “Your mind will give back to you exactly what you put into it.” The greatest enemy of good thinking is busyness. And middle leaders are usually the busiest people in an organization. If you find that the pace of life is too demanding for you to stop and think during your workday, then get into the habit of jotting down the three or four things that need good mental processing or planning that you can’t stop to think about.
Then carve out some time later when you can give those items some good think-time. That may be thirty minutes at home the same day, or you may want to keep a running list for a whole week and then take a couple of hours on Saturday.
Sometimes I’m evaluating a decision I’ve already made.
Sometimes I’m thinking through a decision I will have to make. Sometimes I’m developing a strategy. Other times I’m trying to be creative in fleshing out an idea. A minute of thinking is often more valuable than an hour of talk or unplanned work. I want to encourage you to try managing your thinking in this way. If you’ve never done it before, you will be amazed by the payoff. And know this: 1 minute > 1 hour. A minute of thinking is often more valuable than an hour of talk or unplanned work.
6. *MANAGE YOUR WORDS*
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said, “Show me what you can do; don’t just tell me what you can do.” I think just about every leader has said—or at least thought—those words at some time or another when dealing with an employee.
Leaders value action. And if they are going to stop what they’re doing long enough to listen, the words they hear need to have value. Make them count. The good news is that if you manage your thinking and take advantage of focused think-time, you will probably see improvement in the area of managing your words too.
7. *MANAGE YOUR PERSONAL LIFE*
You can do everything right at work and manage yourself well there, but if your personal life is a mess, it will eventually turn everything else sour.
What would it profit a leader to climb to the top of the organizational chart but to lose a marriage or alienate the children? As someone who spent many years counseling people, I can tell you, no career success is worth it.
Success is having those closest to me/you love and respect me/you the most.
For years one of my definitions of success has been this: having those closest to me love and respect me the most. That is what is most important. I want the love and respect of my wife, my children, and my grandchildren before I want the respect of anyone I work with. *WoW* Don’t get me wrong.
I want the people who work with me to respect me too, but not at the expense of my family. If I blow managing myself at home, then the negative impact will spill over into every area of my life, including work. If you want to lead up, you must always lead yourself first. If you can’t, you have no credibility. I’ve found the following to be true: If I can’t lead myself, others won’t follow me. If I can’t lead myself others won’t respect me. If I can’t lead myself, others won’t partner with me.
That applies whether the influence you desire to exert is on the people above you, beside you, or below you.
*Elements of Leadership*
The better you are at making sure you’re doing what you should be doing, the better chance you have for making an impact on others.
*Elements of Leadership*
Influence Vs Power:
Influence is the art of winning people cooperation when you do not have to use the power of Authority to make them do what you wat them to do for you. It involved shaping the way people feel and think.
While *Power* is the Ability to cause or prevent an action, make things happen. Power is actually a function of the leader, the followers and the situations. Power used to influence subordinate, peers, superior, client to achieve a goal.
NOTE: A leader job is to read realities correctly and marshal sufficient power to influence the achievement and objective of a given organization.
Power as a means of Influence as a Leader.
The capacity to produce effect on others.
The energy that gets tings done
The potential to influence others.
*Bases of Power and Influence as a Leader:*
*Coercive Power* - based on fear
*Legitimate power* - based on position
*Expert power* - based on ones skills and knowledge
*Reward Power* - based on rewards, pay/promotion and recognition
*Reference Power* - based on Personal Traits
*Information Power* - based on access to information
*Connection power* - Based on links with important people.
Looking at this above illustrations which power of influence do you belong to as a Leader, do you possess all or few.
*What is Influence:*
This below will expand the definition of influence.
*INTEGRITY*—builds relationships on trust
*NURTURING*—cares about people as individuals
*FAITH*—believes in people
*LISTENING*—values what others have to say
*UNDERSTANDING*—sees fromtheir point of view
*ENLARGING*—helps others become bigger
*NAVIGATING*—assists others through difficulties
*CONNECTING*—initiates positive relationships
*EMPOWERING*—gives themthe power to lead.
*7 Principles of Influence*
1. Make people feel understood
2. Find Common Ground
3. Listen
4. Dont argue
5. Care about the people you want to influence
6. Help people believe change is possible
7. Turn your request well
*Leaders Which point of Leadership are you:*
If you lead people using only your position, and you do nothing else to try to increase your influence, then people will follow you only because they have to. They will follow only within the boundaries of your job description. The lower your stated position, the less positional authority you possess.
The good news is that you can increase your influence beyond your title and position. You can “move up” the staircase of leadership to higher levels. If you move to level two, you begin to lead beyond your position because you have built relationships with the people you desire to lead.
You treat them with dignity and respect. You value them as human beings. You care about them, not just the job they can do for you or the organization. Because you care about them, they begin to trust you more. As a result,they give you permission to lead them.
In other words, they begin to follow you because they want to.
The third level is the production level. You move to this phase of leadership with others because of the results you achieve on the job. If the people you lead succeed in getting the job done because of your contribution to the team, then they will look to you more and more to lead the way. They follow you because of what you’ve done for the organization.
To reach the fourth level of leadership, you must focus on developing others. Accordingly, this is called the *people development* level of leadership.
Your agenda is to pour yourself into the individuals you lead mentor them, help them develop their skills, and sharpen their leadership ability. What you are doing, in essence, is leadership reproduction.
You value them, add value to them, and make them more valuable. At this level, they follow you because of what you’ve done for them.
The fifth and final level is the personhood level, but it is not a level one can strive to reach, because reaching it is outside of your control. Only others can put you there, and they do so because you have excelled in leading them from the first four levels for a long period of time. You have earned the reputation of a level-five leader.
*5 Levels of Leadership*
Level 5: Personhood—Involves assumed and respected leadership after years of cultivating relationships, producing results, and developing others. “People follow you because of who you are and what you represent.”
Level 4: People Development—Leadership in which followers have personally grown through mentorship of the leader. Involves leadership which encourages others to lead as well. “People follow you because of what you have done for them.”
Level 3: Production-Leadership for a purpose. Involves leadership by individuals working together for a purpose and producing results. “People follow you because of what you have done for the organization.”
Level 2: Permission—Leadership based on focus placed on individual’s needs and desires.
Involves leadership by interrelationships. “People follow because they want to.”
Level 1: Position - Entry level leadership. The type of leadership one assumes when they are given a title, and often involves leadership by intimidation. “People follow because they have to.”
*DISPOSITION MORE THAN POSITION*
When potential leaders understand the dynamics of gaining influence with people using the Five Levels of Leadership, they come to realize that position has little to do with genuine leadership. Do individuals have to be at the top of the organizational chart to develop relationships with others and get them to like working with them? Do they need to possess the top title to achieve results and help others become productive? Do they have to be president or CEO to teach the people who report to them to see, think, and work like leaders? Of course not. Influencing others is a matter of disposition, notposition. Leadership is a choice you make, not a place you sit.
You can lead others from anywhere in an organization. And when you do, you make the organization better.
David Branker, a leader who has influenced others from the middle of organizations for years and who currently serves as an executive director in a large church, said, “To do nothing in the middle is to create more weight for the top leader to move. For some leaders—it might even feel like dead weight. Leaders in the middle can have a profound effect on an organization.” Every level of an organization depends on leadership from someone.
*The bottom line is this: Leadership is a choice you make, not a place you sit.* Anyone can choose to become a leader wherever he is. You can make a difference no matter where you are.
*TENSIONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP*
1. EMPOWERMENT—HOW MUCH AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITYDOES THEPERSON ABOVE YOU GIVE YOU, AND HOW CLEAR ARETHELINES?
Empowering means defining the parameters in which people are allowed to operate, and then setting them free. But how free was free? What were the limits? I chose my line in the sand. Whenever the consequences of a decision had the potential to kill or injure someone, waste taxpayers’ money, or damage the ship, I had to be consulted. Short of those contingencies, the crew was authorized to make their own decisions. Even if the decisions were wrong, I would stand by my crew. Hopefully, they would learn from their mistakes. And the more responsibility they were given, the more they learned.
Not everyone experiences the kind of freedom to succeed and safely fail—that Abrashoff’s crew did. How clearly the lines of authority and responsibility have been drawn greatly impacts how strongly we feel the Tension Challenge. The more vaguely the lines are drawn, the greater the potential for stress. If you’ve led a volunteer organization, as I have, then you may have observed that high-powered leaders and entrepreneurs often experience the Tension Challenge when they step out of their business world and volunteer. As top leaders, they are used to their authority being equal to their responsibility. They are used to casting vision, setting direction, and making things happen.
When they volunteer to serve in an organization, they no longer possess all the authority, and they find themselves in the gray area of the middle. Many are not sure how to navigate in that environment.
(That’s especially true when they are better at leading than is the person running the volunteer organization.) Many of these business leaders respond by either trying to take over or going off in their own direction. Others simply give up and return to the world they know best.
Good leaders rarely think in terms of boundaries; instead, they think in terms of opportunities.
2. INITIATIVE—HOW DO YOU BALANCE INITIATING AND NOT OVER STEPPING YOUR BOUNDARIES?
Good leaders rarely think in terms of boundaries; instead, they think in terms of opportunities. They are initiators. After all, the number one characteristic of leaders is the ability to make things happen. Sometimes that desire to initiate leads to the expansion of their responsibilities—and their boundaries. Other times it leads to conflict with the people who lead them. You need to realize that the stronger your natural desire to initiate, the greater the potential for tension. If you continually push the limits, it’s likely you will rub others the wrong way. The good news is that if you work in an environment where leaders at all levels are empowered, people may tolerate your challenging the process of how things get done. If you challenge the vision or the authority of your leaders, however, you may go from being caught in the middle to being on the outside, looking for another job.
3. ENVIRONMENT—WHAT IS THE LEADERSHIP DNA OF THE ORGANIZATION AND LEADER?
Every organization has its own unique environment. If you have a military background, you can’t walk into a corporate environment and expect it to function like the army or marines. If your experience is in large corporations, and you go to work in a mom-and-pop business, you will have problems if you don’t adapt. That’s just common sense. Likewise, an organization takes on the personality of its leader. The leadership DNA of the Benfold changed during the course of Abrashoff’s command. He wanted to create an environment of empowerment where initiative and ownership were valued. People who demonstrated those characteristics were rewarded. And as long as Abrashoff was in command, the ship’s environment exhibited those characteristics. If you are a leader in the middle of an organization, assess your environment. Is it one that increases or decreases the Tension Challenge? Can you thrive in the kind of environment you’re in with the level of tension it presents?
Do the positive aspects of the organization outweigh the negative effects of the environment on you? An environment may be fine for one leader but not for another. Only you can make the assessment for yourself.
4. JOB PARAMETERS—HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW
*YOUR JOB AND HOW TO DO IT?*
Have you ever noticed the level of tension you experience when starting a new job? It’s pretty high, isn’t it? The less familiar the work, the greater the tension. If you don’t know how to do the job, you’re going to be stressed, even if you’re a fast learner and have a teachable attitude. Even after you know how to do the work, if you have no idea what others’ expectations are of you, you won’t be on solid ground.
Only when you really have a handle on your job and you are good at your work does it reduce the tension of being in the middle.
5. *APPRECIATION—CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT THE CREDIT?*
Someone once said, “What’s causing so much disharmony among the nations is the fact that some want to beat the big drum, few are willing to face the music, and none will play second *fiddle.*” The reality of leading from the middle of an organization is that you are not going to get as much public recognition and appreciation as leaders at the top. *That’s just the way it is. The greater your desire to receive credit and recognition, the more frustrated you are likely to become working in the middle of an organization.* You need to decide for yourself if you receive enough satisfaction to keep you going where you are.
*LEADERS NO ONE WANTS TO FOLLOW*
Few things can be more maddening to a good leader in the middle of an organization than working for an ineffective leader.
There are many different kinds of ineffective leaders, all of whom are frustrating to follow. Here are a few particularly difficult examples:
*THE INSECURE LEADER*
Insecure leaders think everything is about them, and as a result, every action, every piece of information, every decision is put through their filter of self-centeredness. When someone on their team performs exceptionally well, they fear being outshone, and they often try to keep him from rising up. When someone on their team does poorly, they react in anger because it makes themlook bad. Insecure leaders think everything is about them, and as a result, every action, every piece of information, every decision is put through their filter of self-centeredness. More than anything else, insecure leaders desire the status quo—for everyone but themselves. They are like the company president who is reported to have sent a memo to the personnel manager with the following message: “Search the organization for alert, aggressive young leaders capable of stepping into my shoes. And when you find them—fire them!” One friend I talked to while writing said that he once worked for a leader who had one basic leadership principle: keep everyone off balance.
If someone working for him started feeling a little too secure, he would “shake him up.” In an organization, security flows downward.
When leaders are insecure, they often project that insecurity down to the people below them. If you work for an insecure person, not only will you have to work to deflect that individual’s insecurity from yourself, but you will also have to work harder to “break the chain” and create security for the people who work for you. If you don’t, the people under your care will suffer.
*THE VISIONLESS LEADER*
Leaders who lack vision create two immediate problems for the people who work for them. First, they fail to provide direction or incentive to move forward. *The ancient Proverbs author wrote,* “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Why? Because they don’t go anywhere or do anything. And that’s no way to live. Second, people who lack vision almost always lack passion. They have no fire—and no fuel to keep themselves and their people going.
That doesn’t create the kind of positive environment that is exciting to work in.
The good news is that if you have vision when your leader does not, you can rely on your vision to create an environment of productivity and success for the people working within your area of responsibility. The bad news is that other people with a different vision—even a destructive one—may try to rush in and fill the void created by your leader.
You must beware of the conflict that can create.
*THE INCOMPETENT LEADER*
Incompetent leaders are ineffective, and they often stay that way. Poet and critic Samuel Johnson said,
“Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it most like it the least.” Incompetent leaders are trouble, not only for the people they lead, but also for their entire organization/Nation.
They are “lids” on the parts of the organization/Nation they lead. The Law of the Lid states in The 21 Irrefutable Laws Leadership,
“Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness.”
*THE SELFISH LEADER*
In The Circle of Innovation, author and business guru Tom
Peters writes: The selfish leader will attempt to lead others for their own gain and for the detriment of others. *Politicians* These people believe that life is a point driven, zero-sum game, with winners and losers. They encourage others to be losers in the game of life so that they can collect all the spoils for themselves.
This is the businesswoman who cheats suppliers in order to make her department look good in hopes of getting a raise. *Elections and Vote buying* 🤣 This is the father who selfishly motivates his son to excel in sports so that he might gain vicarious pleasure at his son’s expense.
A selfish leader advances at the expense of everyone around him or her.
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said that to be successful “you must be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.” “The selfish leader will attempt to lead others for their own gain and for the detriment of others.” —TOM PETERS
THE CHAMELEON LEADER
President Lyndon Baines Johnson used to tell the story of a young, unemployed schoolteacher who came to the Texas hill country during the Depression in search of a job.
When the local school board asked him whether the world was round or flat, the would-be teacher panicked, fearing a trap, and blurted out, “I can teach it both ways!” That’s the chameleon leader’s reaction when you try to pin him down.
When people follow a chameleon leader, they never know how he will react. As a result, valuable time and energy that could be used getting work done is often wasted in trying to predict and anticipate the leader’s next move.
THE POLITICAL LEADER
Similar to the chameleon leader are political leaders. Yes ooooo Lol
They can be just as difficult to pin down, but where emotional issues often fuel the chameleon leader’s problems, political leaders are motivated by the desire to get ahead. It’s hard to follow people whose decisions are based on political ambitions rather than the mission or the good of the organization.
They are like the mayor who was asked where he stood on a particular issue. He answered, “Well, some of my friends are for it. Some are against it. As for me, I’m for my friends.”
THE CONTROLLING LEADER
Have you ever worked for someone who wants to be in the middle of everything you do? Few things are more frustrating for a competent person. And few things are more irritating for a good leader. It’s difficult to generate momentum when the person you work for is continually interrupting your progress by micromanaging you. People who micromanage others are often driven by one of two things: the desire for perfection, which is unobtainable, or the belief that no one can do a job as well as they can, which really boils down to their thinking others’ contributions aren’t as valuable as their own.
Neither makes for positive working conditions for the people answering to them.
THE SOLUTION TO THE FRUSTRATION CHALLENGE: ADDING VALUE
A normal reaction to the Frustration Challenge is to fix or replace the leader you’re working for, but that is usually not an option for leaders in the middle of the pack. Besides, even if it were, it would be inappropriate. No matter what our circumstances, our greatest limitation isn’t the leader above us —it’s the spirit within us. Remember, your leadership is as much disposition as position.
The role of leaders in the middle of an organization—in nearly every circumstance—is to add value to the organization and to the leader. The only time that is not true is when the leader above you is unethical or criminal.
No matter what our circumstances, our greatest limitation isn’t the leader above us—it’s the spirit within us. What should you do when you find yourself following a leader who is ineffective? How do you add value in such circumstances? Most good leaders have had to ask themselves those questions at some time in their lives.
In fact, the stronger you are as a leader, the more likely you are to face a situation where you can lead more effectively than the person to whom you report.
It may not be easy, but it is possible to survive—and even flourish—in a situation like this.
Here is what I recommend
1. DEVELOP A SOLID RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LEADER
The first reaction to working for an ineffective leader is often to withdraw from him or her and build relational barriers. Fight that urge. If you make your leader your adversary, you will create a no-win situation. Instead, build a relational bridge. Try to get to know him, find common ground, and build a solid professional relationship. And in that process, reaffirm your commitment to the mission of the organization. Doing those things will put you on the same team.
2. IDENTIFY AND APPRECIATE YOUR LEADER’S STRENGTHS
Everybody has strengths—even an ineffective leader. Work to find them in the person you work for. Maybe it won’t be easy. Maybe his strengths aren’t qualities you value or admire. That doesn’t matter. Find them, and then think about how they might be assets to the organization.
3. COMMIT YOURSELF TO ADDING VALUE TO YOUR LEADER’S STRENGTHS
The pathway to success in your career lies in maximizing your strengths. That is also true for your leader. Once you have discerned what your leader’s strengths are and how those characteristics can be an asset to the organization, look for ways to help leverage those strengths.
4. GET PERMISSION TO DEVELOP A GAME PLAN TO COMPLEMENT YOUR LEADER’S WEAKNESSES
Besides leveraging your strengths, one of the other secrets to job success is to staff your weaknesses. As a leader, you would be wise to empower some people who work for you to fill in your talent gaps.
5. EXPOSE YOUR LEADER TO GOOD LEADERSHIP RESOURCES
If you are working to improve your leadership skills, then you’ve probably discovered many good leadership resources, such as books, CDs, or DVDs. Share those with your leader. Once again, the approach you take is very important. Rather than saying, “Boy, do you need this!” say something like, “I just got through with this book, and I thought you might enjoy it too.” Or if you find some kind of a connection or hook that you think might appeal to him, say, “I was reading this wonderful book, and I thought of you; the author and you have a similar background. I think you might like it.” And then give him a copy of his own. If that resource is well received, you might try following up with others.
PUBLICLY AFFIRM YOUR LEADER
Some people fear that if they say positive things about an ineffective leader they work for, they will be misleading others. Or they worry that others will think they have poor judgment. But other people are aware of an ineffective leader’s limitations, and as long as your affirmation is truthful and focuses on your leader’s strengths, it won’t reflect badly on you. In fact, it will engender others’ respect.
Your affirmation for your leader will help him develop confidence, not only in himself but also in you. It’s hard to find a downside to adding value to your leader and organization, especially if you maintain a long view. In time, people will recognize your talent.
You just can’t allow yourself to give in to the short-term frustration you feel. If you do find that the frustration is getting the better of you, it might be time to change jobs.
WHY LEADERS LIKE THE FRONT
There are advantages to being in front or on top of an organization. But the same things that can benefit leaders can also make leadership difficult. It is almost always a double edged sword, and anyone who sees only the positives without recognizing the negatives is either naive or inexperienced.
I think you will agree with my perspective as you read these observations about why leaders like to be out front.
1. *THE FRONT IS THE MOST RECOGNIZED POSITION FOR A LEADER*
Romanian essayist E. M. Cioran stated, “If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say, ‘I want to be praised.’” Isn’t that true? Everyone enjoys praise and recognition. And since leaders, who are usually most visible, often receive the credit when a job is well done, many people desire to become leaders.
“If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say, ‘I want to be praised.’” —E. M. CIORAN Recognition is a double-edged sword.
When things go wrong, the person recognized as responsible is also the leader. When the football team has a losing season, the quarterback gets the blame. When the baseball team keeps losing games, the manager gets fired.
When the big account doesn’t sign on with the company, the person who led the effort is held responsible. *Yes,* being in front can be good for your ego, but it can also cost you your job.
2. *THE VIEW IS BETTER FROM THE FRONT*
I once saw an interview that a newscaster conducted with an accomplished mountain climber. The journalist asked, “Why do you climb mountains? What is it that causes you to go through all the preparation, the training, the risk, and the pain?” The mountain climber looked at the newsman and said, “It’s obvious that you’ve never been to the top of a mountain.” Isn’t it true that the view from the top of a mountain is incredible? It’s thrilling.
The perspective is incredible. It must be even more exciting if it’s a peak that can only be reached by climbing. Tom Mullins, the former football coach I mentioned earlier who now leads a large organization in Palm Beach, Florida, said, “It’s often hard to read the scoreboard from the middle of the pack. It’s much easier to see it when you’re at the top othe organization.”
There is a perspective one has from the front (or top) of an organization that cannot be had from anywhere else. But I believe responsibility comes with that perspective. If you see problems that threaten to derail the organization, harm employees, or cheat customers, you have a responsibility to try to resolve them—no matter how messy, costly, or difficult it is.
Leaders at the front don’t have the freedom to neglect what their position allows them to see.
3. *LEADERS IN FRONT GET TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION*
When I first began leading, I thought that the leader in front could control many things in an organization. The longer I lead, the more I discover how little the leader controls. (The only people who have total control in their lives are those who don’t lead anything. They are accountable only to themselves, not others.)
Good leaders of organizations get to control mainly two things: direction and timing. Unfortunately, if they aren’t leading well and people aren’t following them, they can’t even control those two things.
4. *LEADERS CAN SET THE PACE*
Leaders love progress. It’s one of their primary motivations. That’s why explorer David Livingstone said, “I will go anywhere provided it is forward.” As a leader, you probably love moving forward, and the faster the better. But that also can work against you.
If you are running so far ahead that your people can’t follow, then your organization won’t succeed. Achievers often cross the finish line first, but leaders rarely do. A leader’s success comes from bringing others across the finish line with them.
In Winning with People, the *Patience Principle states that* the journey with others is slower than the journey alone. That why a wise saying goes *If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far go in team.*
As a leader, you may be able to model the behavior you desire in others, but you will not be able to go as quickly as you want. Too many people seem to share the attitude of humorous poet Ogden Nash, who wrote, “Progress might have been all right once, but it’s been going on entirely too long.” The only people who will fight for progress the way you do and move as quickly, will probably be other leaders.
5. *LEADERS ENJOY BEING IN ON THE ACTION*
Because leaders like to make things happen, they always enjoy being where the action is. But many times that is not at the top or in front of an organization. Major decisions are made in those places, but often the action really occurs in the middle.
NOTE: DON’T PROTECT YOUR TURF.
Politics is often about power. Political leaders protect whatever is theirs because they don’t want to lose power. If they lose power, then they might not win. And as I already mentioned, winning is their primary motivation. People who want to win at all costs fight and scrap to keep everything that belongs to them. *They fight for their budget.*
They fight for office space. They guard their ideas.
They hoard their supplies. If it belongs to them, they protect it.
*DON’T PRETEND YOU’RE PERFECT*
Nothing would get done at all if a man waited until he could do something so well that no one could find fault with it. —JOHN HENRY CARDINAL NEWMAN
man who had been suffering from constant headaches finally went to see his doctor. “I don’t know why I keep getting these terrible headaches,” he lamented.
“I don’t drink like so many other people do. I don’t smoke like so many other people do. I don’t run around at night like so many other people do. I don’t overeat like so many other people do. I don’t—” At this point, the doctor interrupted him. “Tell me,” the physician asked, “this pain you complain of, is it a sharp shooting pain?” “Yes,” the man answered. “And does it hurt here, here, and here?” the doctor asked indicating three places around his head. “Yes,” the man replied hopefully, “that’s it exactly.” Simple,” the doctor said, rendering his diagnosis. “Your problemis that you have your halo on too tight.” Many leaders are similar to the man in that joke. They try so hard to make others think they’re perfect that it about kills them. The problem, to quote Norman Cousins, longtime editor of the Saturday Review, is that “to talk about the need for perfection in man is to talk about the need for another species.”
*HOW TO BE “REAL” IN A COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT*
One of the worst things leaders can do is expend energy on trying to make others think they’re perfect.
That’s true whether the leader is CEO or functioning in the middle of the organization. It’s a crock. The closest to perfection people ever come is when they write their resumés. Since nobody is perfect —not you, not your peers, not your boss—we need to quit pretending.
People who are real, who are genuine concerning their weaknesses as well as their strengths, draw others to them. They engender trust. They are approachable. And they are a breath of fresh air in an environment where others are scrambling to reach the top by trying to look good.
1. ADMIT YOUR FAULTS
One misconceptions:
“A leader should never show weakness or fear. He should always be in control, in command. Otherwise his people lose confidence in him.” “I think you’re laboring under a false assumption,” I replied. “What’s that?” he said.
“You think your people don’t know your weaknesses,” I explained. “I’m not suggesting that you admit your faults to give your people information they don’t already have. I’m suggesting it because it lets them know that you know your faults.” The people who work alongside you know your weaknesses, faults, and blind spots. If you doubt that—and you have great courage—just ask them! When you get real and admit your shortcomings, what you’re doing is making yourself approachable and trustworthy. And when you make mistakes, admit them and quickly ask for forgiveness. Nothing is more disarming, and nothing does a better job of clearing the decks relationally.
2. ASK FOR ADVICE
It has been said that advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t. Isn’t that often the case? Some people won’t ask for advice when they don’t have an answer because they are afraid it will make them look bad; they only ask advice if they can’t make up their minds.
How much more quickly would people get things done if they asked for help when they needed it instead of trying to fake it until they make it?
3. WORRY LESS ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK
James C. Humes, in The Wit and Wisdom of Winston Churchill (Harper Perennial, 1994), told about an incident that occurred one day at the House of Commons. It is customary for members of parliament to expound, and then the prime minister is given an opportunity to respond to their comments. On this day, a member of the Socialist party railed against Prime Minister Churchill, pouring out abusive words against him. While the man spoke, Churchill remained impassive. He seemed almost bored. When the man was finished, Churchill rose and said, “If I valued the opinion of the honorable gentleman, I might get angry.” People who consider the opinions of others too much often perform too little. They get caught up in pleasing others I know, because I used to be a people pleaser. Early in my career I was often more worried about what others thought of me than I was about doing what I knew to be best. But in the end, each of us has to live with ourselves. It took me a while, but I finally grasped that knowing in my heart I did right was more important than pleasing or impressing others.
Failure is inevitable, so I might as well act in a way that allows me to sleep well at night. Besides, one of the nice things about being imperfect is the joy that it brings to others! One of the nice things about being imperfect is the joy that it brings to others! If you want to gain credibility with your peers, you’ve got to be yourself. If you’re genuine, will everyone like you? No.
But pretending to be something you’re not won’t make everyone like you either. It will actually make you less likable.
4. BE OPEN TO LEARNING FROM OTHERS
Have you ever met someone who felt compelled to play the expert all the time? Such people aren’t much fun to be around after a while, because the only input they seem open to is their own. And as the saying goes, people won’t go along with you unless they can get along with you. I love the way President Abraham Lincoln is said to have handled a person who had a know-it-all attitude. Lincoln asked, “How many legs will a sheep have if you call the tail a leg?” “Five,” the man answered. “No,” replied Lincoln, “he’ll still have four, because calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.” If you really desire others to see you as an approachable person, go a step beyond just willingness to admit your weaknesses.
Be willing to learn from them. One of the things I teach in Winning with People is the Learning Principle, which states, “Each person we meet has the potential to teach us something.” I really believe that. If you embrace that idea, I believe you will discover two things. First, you will learn a lot, because every time you meet someone, it is a learning opportunity. Second, people will warm up to you.
Complete strangers often treat me like an old friend, simply because I am open to them.
5. PUT AWAY PRIDE AND PRETENSE
Too often we think that if we can impress others, we will gain influence with them. We want to become others’ heroes—to be larger than life. That creates a problem because we’re real live human beings. People can see us for who we really are. If we make it our goal to impress them, we puff up our pride and end up being pretentious—and that turns people off. If you want to influence others, don’t try to impress them. Pride is really nothing more than a form of selfishness, and pretense is only a way to keep people at arm’s length so that they can’t see who you really are. Instead of impressing others, let themimpress you. It’s really a matter of attitude. The people with charisma, those who attract others to themselves, are individuals who focus on others, not themselves.
They ask questions of others. They listen. They don’t try to be the center of attention. And they never try to pretend they’re perfect.
Poet and Harvard professor Robert Hillyer said, *“Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world.* The best way is to forget doubts and set about the task
at hand . . . If you are doing your best, you will not have time to worry about failure.” That’s good advice.
If you always do your best, your peers will respect you. And if they respect you, they will listen to you and give you a chance. And that’s where leadership starts.
Thanks..........
God bless.
19th September 2018
Compiled by: Valentine Idaewor.
Open Leadership
Leadership has been the subject of so many books, studies, and commencement speeches that many people have started to ignore the importance of the message. And, to be fair, authors and speakers often rehash the same clichés and obvious truths, leaving readers and audience members searching for something new. But maybe it’s not something new that we need. Maybe we only need to take a longer, harder look at what we already know but have failed to grasp the simple but painful truth that if your heart is not right, no one cares about your leadership skills.
Have you ever noticed how many books are written to help leaders improve?
I’ll let you in on a little discussed fact about leadership: As important as the skills are, lack of skills is not what derails most leaders; skills are too easy to learn. If you want to predict people’s ultimate success as leaders, evaluate not their skills but their leadership character.
The challenge of growing our leadership character is complicated by a lack of clarity as to what we’re actually discussing when the term is used.
Ask people what character traits they look for in leaders, and I’m guessing they will probably name attributes like integrity, honesty, and, perhaps, loyalty. These alone are not a great answer.
Don’t get me wrong these are fine traits, but they are totally inadequate when describing leadership character. Before i define leadership... Let clear some misconceptions.
Some see leadership as to be political and heritage or heredity if my parent are leaders am also a leader by birth. Some see leaders by elections. And to some by connection and to some to be a leader you must be rich.
Who then is a leader? A leader is a person who lead. .....Wow Very interesting.
Leadership: A position as a leader of a group, organization
the power or ability to lead other people, the office or position of a leader
with the capacity to lead.
Now let me confuse somebody leader and leadership are two different stage. A leader is popular and he is a person but leadership is rare an it is a process a movement.
A leader can be elected or selected with out capacity to build or influence but leadership is the stage at which a leader get to and make a change through his successors for a goal.
Leadership:
The process through which leaders influence the attitudes, behaviours and values of others.’ ‘Lead’ is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning path.
The leader is therefore ‘the one who provides the path.’ Leadership may be defined as the process of providing the path that others follow.
Looking at the abve analysis you will be marvel that a leader leads but leadership as followers in the ship to lead.
There are some universally recognised leadership qualities:
• vision
• enthusiasm
• integrity
• toughness
• confidence.
There are also different styles of leadership.
These may be governed by an individual leader’s personality but also by the organisation in which he or she operates.
• Transactional leadership – optimises performance through incremental changes to existing organisational policy and structure.
• Transformational leadership – aims to change the organisation’s core beliefs and methods of working in order to improve it for the better. Leaders are not the same as managers, although managerial roles increasingly contain leadership elements. *Some think managers are leaders.
Leaders versus managers
Leaders – produce vision, inspire motivation and tackle change. The role is generally seen as creative and exciting.
Managers – deal with structure, organise staff and other resources. The role is seen by some as functional and mundane.
There are differences between the two roles. However, making too great a distinction between leaders and managers is almost like expecting the latter to be mediocre. Management is also about leading a team and having a vision. Most management roles involve leadership, especially in organisations with flattened hierarchies.
At any level, there are always three elements involved in leadership.
1. The leader – personality and character.
2. The situation – partly constant, partly variable.
3. The group – followers, individual and organisational needs and values.
Leadership theories and models
There are three main leadership theories.
The personal characteristics approach
This theory states that some individuals are born to lead because they have a set of innate skills and abilities. There are individual qualities or traits which make somebody a natural leader.
This seems valid up to a point because leadership is often described as an art and not a science, but studies have not shown any consistent patterns of leadership traits. No one pattern of behaviour that characterises good leadership has been identified The leader-follower situation approach
This is an action focused approach which looks at three core leadership functions:
1. Achieving the desired result (the task).
2. Building an effective team.
3. Developing each individual.
Each activity depends on the others, but the key objective is to achieve the task. It is true that achieving a purpose is a key part of leadership. However, this situational approach does not explain why effective leaders behave in a certain way. It ignores how leadership behaviour affects the behaviour of others.
Additionally, this theory presupposes that leaders need to excel in technical matters; for example, knowledge of how everything works in a factory. In practice, a leader needs more than ‘hard’ technical skills to take people with him or her.
*Leadership Proper lead-Up Principle*
*LEAD YOURSELF EXCEPTIONALLY WELL*
Some people will be like i want to be a leader but i need to have a followers first then i will lead them all well....wonderful nice push but Excuse me who told you, you need a followers to lead first?
This my response that you Lead yourself first. That’s where it all starts. Besides, if you wouldn’t follow yourself, why should anyone else?” Have you ever worked with people who didn’t lead themselves well? Worse, have you ever worked for people in leadership positions who couldn’t lead themselves? What do they do other than set a bad example? They’re like the crow in a fable I once read.
The crow was sitting in a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow and asked him,
“Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”
“Sure,” answered the crow, “why not?” So the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, following his example.
All of a sudden a fox appeared, pounced on the rabbit, and ate him.
The tongue-in-cheek moral of the story is that if you’re going to sit around doing nothing all day, you had better be sitting very high up. But if you are down where the action is, you can’t afford to be sitting around doing nothing.
The key to leading yourself well is to learn self-management. I have observed that most people put too much emphasis on decision making and too little on decision managing. As a result, they lack focus, discipline, intentionality, and purpose. We often think that self-leadership is about making good decisions every day, when the reality is that we need to make a few critical decisions in major areas of life and then manage those decisions day to day.
Here’s a classic example of what I mean. Have you ever made
a New Year’s resolution to exercise or to do something different? You probably already believe that exercise is important. Making a decision to do it isn’t that hard, but managing that decision and following through is much more difficult. Let’s say, for example, that you sign up for a health club membership the first week of January. When you sign on, you’re excited. But the first time you show up at the gym, there’s a mob of people. There are so many cars that police are directing traffic. You drive around for fifteen minutes, and finally find a parking plac four blocks that's if you have a Car what if you usually Trik or Walk down to the Venue. But that’s okay; you’re there for exercise anyway, so you walk to the gym. Then when you get inside the building, you have to wait to even get into the locker room to change. But you think, That’s okay. I want to get into shape. This is going to be great.
You think that until you finally get dressed and discover all the machines are being used. Once again you have to wait. Finally, you get on a machine—it’s not the one you really wanted, but hey, you’ll take it—and you exercise for twenty minutes.
When you see the line for the shower, you decide to skip it, take your clothes, and just change at home.
The key to leading yourself well is to learn self management. On your way out, you see the manager of the club, and you decide to complain about the crowds. She says, “Don’t worry about it. Come back in three weeks, and you can have the closest parking place and your choice of machines. Because by then, 98 percent of the people who signed up will have dropped out!”
It’s one thing to decide to exercise. It’s another to actually follow through with it. As everyone else drops out, you will have to decide whether you will quit like everyone else or if you willstick with it. And that takes self-management.
Nothing will make a better impression on your leader than your ability to manage yourself. If your leader must continually expend energy managing you, then you will be perceived as someone who drains time and energy.
*If you manage yourself well, however, your boss will see you as someone who maximizes opportunities and leverages personal strengths*. That will make you someone your leader turns to when the heat is on.
WHAT A LEADER MUST SELF-MANAGE
In Today Matters I reference the dozen things that people who desire to be successful should do. But here I want to focus on leadership alone So if you want to gain credibility with your boss and others, focus on taking care of business in these seven areas:
1. MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS
I once heard that people with emotional problems are 144 percent more likely to have auto accidents than those who don’t have them. The same study evidently found that one out of five victims of fatal accidents had been in a quarrel with another person in the sixhours preceding the accident.
It’s important for everybody to manage emotions. Nobody likes to spend time around an emotional time bomb who may “go off ” at any moment. But it’s especially critical for leaders to control their emotions because whatever they do affects many other people.
Good leaders know when to display emotions and when to delay them. Sometimes they show themso that their people can feel what they’re feeling. It stirs them up. Is that manipulative? I don’t think so, as long as the leaders are doing it for the good of the team and not for their own gain.
Because leaders see more than others and ahead of others, they often experience the emotions first. By letting the team know what you’re feeling, you’re helping themto see what you’re seeing.
Good leaders in battle and at worse situations they know how to comfort people without letting their emotions show just to give other strength and morales.
Leaders should delay their emotions, I’m not suggesting that they deny them or bury them. The bottom line in managing your emotions is that you should put others not yourself first in how you handle and process them.
Whether you delay or display your emotions should not be for your own gratification. You should ask yourself, What does the team need? not, What will make me feel better?
2. MANAGE YOUR TIME
Time management issues are especially tough for people in the middle. Leaders at the top can delegate. Workers at the bottom usually punch a time clock. They get paid an hourly wage, and they do what they can while they’re on the clock. Middle leaders, meanwhile, feel the Tension Challenge, and they are encouraged and are often expected to put in long hours to get work done. Time is valuable.
Psychiatrist and author M. Scott Peck said, “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” In What to Do Between Birth and Death.
Charles Spezzano says that people don’t pay for things with money; they pay for them with time. If you say to yourself, In five years, I’ll have put enough away to buy that vacation house, then what you are really saying is that the house will cost you five years—one-twelfth of your adult life.
“The phrase spending your time is not a metaphor,” said Spezzano.
“It’s how life works.”
“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time.” —M. SCOTT PECK
Instead of thinking about what you do and what you buy in
terms of money, instead think about them in terms of time.
Think about it. What is worth spending your life on? Seeing your work in that light just may change the way you manage your time.
3. MANAGE YOUR PRIORITIES
Old proverb: *If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.*
What is a leader in the middle to do? Since you are not the top leader, you don’t have control over your list of responsibilities or your schedule. You should still try to get yourself to the point where you can manage your priorities and focus your time in this way: 80 percent of the time—work where you are strongest 15 percent of the time—work where you are learning 5 percent of the time—work in other necessary areas This may not be easy to achieve, but it is what you should strive for.
If you have people working for you, try to give them the things you aren’t good at but they are. Or if possible, trade some duties with your colleagues so that each of you is playing to your strength. Remember, the only way to move up from the middle is to gradually shift from generalist to specialist, from someone who does many things well to someone who focuses on a few things she does exceptionally well.
The secret to making the shift is often discipline. In Good to Great, JimCollins wrote:
Most of us lead busy, but undisciplined lives. We have ever-expanding “ to do” lists, trying to build momentum by doing, doing, doing and doing more. And it rarely works. Those who build the good-to-great companies, however, made as much use of “ stop doing” lists as the “ to do” lists.
They displayed a remarkable amount of discipline to unplug all sorts of extraneous junk.
You must be ruthless in your judgment of what you should not do. Just because you like doing something doesn’t mean it should stay on your to-do list. If it is a strength, do it. If it helps you grow, do it. If your leader says you must handle it personally, do it. Anything else is a candidate for your “stop doing” list.
MANAGE YOUR ENERGY
Some people have to ration their energy so that they don’t run out. Up until a few years ago, that wasn’t me.here things you did when you were young and you laugh at now that you growing channel your Energy to the right source and be productive there.
Each time i look at my Calender every morning, I ask myself, What is the main event? That is the one thing to which I cannot afford to give anything less than my best. That one thing can be for my family, my employees, a friend, my publisher, the sponsor of a speaking engagement, or my writing time. I always make sure I have the energy to do it with focus and excellence.
The greatest enemy of good thinking is busyness.
Even people with high energy can have that energy sucked right out of them under difficult circumstances. I’ve observed that leaders in the middle of an organization often have to deal with what I call “the ABCs energy-drain.”
Activity Without Direction—doing things that don’t seem to matter Burden Without Action—not being able to do things that really matter Conflict Without Resolution—not being able to deal with what’s the matter If you find that you are in an organization where you often must deal with these ABCs, then you will have to work extra hard to manage your energy well. Either that or you need to look for a new place to work.
5. *MANAGE YOUR THINKING*
Poet and novelist James Joyce said, “Your mind will give back to you exactly what you put into it.” The greatest enemy of good thinking is busyness. And middle leaders are usually the busiest people in an organization. If you find that the pace of life is too demanding for you to stop and think during your workday, then get into the habit of jotting down the three or four things that need good mental processing or planning that you can’t stop to think about.
Then carve out some time later when you can give those items some good think-time. That may be thirty minutes at home the same day, or you may want to keep a running list for a whole week and then take a couple of hours on Saturday.
Sometimes I’m evaluating a decision I’ve already made.
Sometimes I’m thinking through a decision I will have to make. Sometimes I’m developing a strategy. Other times I’m trying to be creative in fleshing out an idea. A minute of thinking is often more valuable than an hour of talk or unplanned work. I want to encourage you to try managing your thinking in this way. If you’ve never done it before, you will be amazed by the payoff. And know this: 1 minute > 1 hour. A minute of thinking is often more valuable than an hour of talk or unplanned work.
6. *MANAGE YOUR WORDS*
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said, “Show me what you can do; don’t just tell me what you can do.” I think just about every leader has said—or at least thought—those words at some time or another when dealing with an employee.
Leaders value action. And if they are going to stop what they’re doing long enough to listen, the words they hear need to have value. Make them count. The good news is that if you manage your thinking and take advantage of focused think-time, you will probably see improvement in the area of managing your words too.
7. *MANAGE YOUR PERSONAL LIFE*
You can do everything right at work and manage yourself well there, but if your personal life is a mess, it will eventually turn everything else sour.
What would it profit a leader to climb to the top of the organizational chart but to lose a marriage or alienate the children? As someone who spent many years counseling people, I can tell you, no career success is worth it.
Success is having those closest to me/you love and respect me/you the most.
For years one of my definitions of success has been this: having those closest to me love and respect me the most. That is what is most important. I want the love and respect of my wife, my children, and my grandchildren before I want the respect of anyone I work with. *WoW* Don’t get me wrong.
I want the people who work with me to respect me too, but not at the expense of my family. If I blow managing myself at home, then the negative impact will spill over into every area of my life, including work. If you want to lead up, you must always lead yourself first. If you can’t, you have no credibility. I’ve found the following to be true: If I can’t lead myself, others won’t follow me. If I can’t lead myself others won’t respect me. If I can’t lead myself, others won’t partner with me.
That applies whether the influence you desire to exert is on the people above you, beside you, or below you.
*Elements of Leadership*
The better you are at making sure you’re doing what you should be doing, the better chance you have for making an impact on others.
*Elements of Leadership*
Influence Vs Power:
Influence is the art of winning people cooperation when you do not have to use the power of Authority to make them do what you wat them to do for you. It involved shaping the way people feel and think.
While *Power* is the Ability to cause or prevent an action, make things happen. Power is actually a function of the leader, the followers and the situations. Power used to influence subordinate, peers, superior, client to achieve a goal.
NOTE: A leader job is to read realities correctly and marshal sufficient power to influence the achievement and objective of a given organization.
Power as a means of Influence as a Leader.
The capacity to produce effect on others.
The energy that gets tings done
The potential to influence others.
*Bases of Power and Influence as a Leader:*
*Coercive Power* - based on fear
*Legitimate power* - based on position
*Expert power* - based on ones skills and knowledge
*Reward Power* - based on rewards, pay/promotion and recognition
*Reference Power* - based on Personal Traits
*Information Power* - based on access to information
*Connection power* - Based on links with important people.
Looking at this above illustrations which power of influence do you belong to as a Leader, do you possess all or few.
*What is Influence:*
This below will expand the definition of influence.
*INTEGRITY*—builds relationships on trust
*NURTURING*—cares about people as individuals
*FAITH*—believes in people
*LISTENING*—values what others have to say
*UNDERSTANDING*—sees fromtheir point of view
*ENLARGING*—helps others become bigger
*NAVIGATING*—assists others through difficulties
*CONNECTING*—initiates positive relationships
*EMPOWERING*—gives themthe power to lead.
*7 Principles of Influence*
1. Make people feel understood
2. Find Common Ground
3. Listen
4. Dont argue
5. Care about the people you want to influence
6. Help people believe change is possible
7. Turn your request well
*Leaders Which point of Leadership are you:*
If you lead people using only your position, and you do nothing else to try to increase your influence, then people will follow you only because they have to. They will follow only within the boundaries of your job description. The lower your stated position, the less positional authority you possess.
The good news is that you can increase your influence beyond your title and position. You can “move up” the staircase of leadership to higher levels. If you move to level two, you begin to lead beyond your position because you have built relationships with the people you desire to lead.
You treat them with dignity and respect. You value them as human beings. You care about them, not just the job they can do for you or the organization. Because you care about them, they begin to trust you more. As a result,they give you permission to lead them.
In other words, they begin to follow you because they want to.
The third level is the production level. You move to this phase of leadership with others because of the results you achieve on the job. If the people you lead succeed in getting the job done because of your contribution to the team, then they will look to you more and more to lead the way. They follow you because of what you’ve done for the organization.
To reach the fourth level of leadership, you must focus on developing others. Accordingly, this is called the *people development* level of leadership.
Your agenda is to pour yourself into the individuals you lead mentor them, help them develop their skills, and sharpen their leadership ability. What you are doing, in essence, is leadership reproduction.
You value them, add value to them, and make them more valuable. At this level, they follow you because of what you’ve done for them.
The fifth and final level is the personhood level, but it is not a level one can strive to reach, because reaching it is outside of your control. Only others can put you there, and they do so because you have excelled in leading them from the first four levels for a long period of time. You have earned the reputation of a level-five leader.
*5 Levels of Leadership*
Level 5: Personhood—Involves assumed and respected leadership after years of cultivating relationships, producing results, and developing others. “People follow you because of who you are and what you represent.”
Level 4: People Development—Leadership in which followers have personally grown through mentorship of the leader. Involves leadership which encourages others to lead as well. “People follow you because of what you have done for them.”
Level 3: Production-Leadership for a purpose. Involves leadership by individuals working together for a purpose and producing results. “People follow you because of what you have done for the organization.”
Level 2: Permission—Leadership based on focus placed on individual’s needs and desires.
Involves leadership by interrelationships. “People follow because they want to.”
Level 1: Position - Entry level leadership. The type of leadership one assumes when they are given a title, and often involves leadership by intimidation. “People follow because they have to.”
*DISPOSITION MORE THAN POSITION*
When potential leaders understand the dynamics of gaining influence with people using the Five Levels of Leadership, they come to realize that position has little to do with genuine leadership. Do individuals have to be at the top of the organizational chart to develop relationships with others and get them to like working with them? Do they need to possess the top title to achieve results and help others become productive? Do they have to be president or CEO to teach the people who report to them to see, think, and work like leaders? Of course not. Influencing others is a matter of disposition, notposition. Leadership is a choice you make, not a place you sit.
You can lead others from anywhere in an organization. And when you do, you make the organization better.
David Branker, a leader who has influenced others from the middle of organizations for years and who currently serves as an executive director in a large church, said, “To do nothing in the middle is to create more weight for the top leader to move. For some leaders—it might even feel like dead weight. Leaders in the middle can have a profound effect on an organization.” Every level of an organization depends on leadership from someone.
*The bottom line is this: Leadership is a choice you make, not a place you sit.* Anyone can choose to become a leader wherever he is. You can make a difference no matter where you are.
*TENSIONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP*
1. EMPOWERMENT—HOW MUCH AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITYDOES THEPERSON ABOVE YOU GIVE YOU, AND HOW CLEAR ARETHELINES?
Empowering means defining the parameters in which people are allowed to operate, and then setting them free. But how free was free? What were the limits? I chose my line in the sand. Whenever the consequences of a decision had the potential to kill or injure someone, waste taxpayers’ money, or damage the ship, I had to be consulted. Short of those contingencies, the crew was authorized to make their own decisions. Even if the decisions were wrong, I would stand by my crew. Hopefully, they would learn from their mistakes. And the more responsibility they were given, the more they learned.
Not everyone experiences the kind of freedom to succeed and safely fail—that Abrashoff’s crew did. How clearly the lines of authority and responsibility have been drawn greatly impacts how strongly we feel the Tension Challenge. The more vaguely the lines are drawn, the greater the potential for stress. If you’ve led a volunteer organization, as I have, then you may have observed that high-powered leaders and entrepreneurs often experience the Tension Challenge when they step out of their business world and volunteer. As top leaders, they are used to their authority being equal to their responsibility. They are used to casting vision, setting direction, and making things happen.
When they volunteer to serve in an organization, they no longer possess all the authority, and they find themselves in the gray area of the middle. Many are not sure how to navigate in that environment.
(That’s especially true when they are better at leading than is the person running the volunteer organization.) Many of these business leaders respond by either trying to take over or going off in their own direction. Others simply give up and return to the world they know best.
Good leaders rarely think in terms of boundaries; instead, they think in terms of opportunities.
2. INITIATIVE—HOW DO YOU BALANCE INITIATING AND NOT OVER STEPPING YOUR BOUNDARIES?
Good leaders rarely think in terms of boundaries; instead, they think in terms of opportunities. They are initiators. After all, the number one characteristic of leaders is the ability to make things happen. Sometimes that desire to initiate leads to the expansion of their responsibilities—and their boundaries. Other times it leads to conflict with the people who lead them. You need to realize that the stronger your natural desire to initiate, the greater the potential for tension. If you continually push the limits, it’s likely you will rub others the wrong way. The good news is that if you work in an environment where leaders at all levels are empowered, people may tolerate your challenging the process of how things get done. If you challenge the vision or the authority of your leaders, however, you may go from being caught in the middle to being on the outside, looking for another job.
3. ENVIRONMENT—WHAT IS THE LEADERSHIP DNA OF THE ORGANIZATION AND LEADER?
Every organization has its own unique environment. If you have a military background, you can’t walk into a corporate environment and expect it to function like the army or marines. If your experience is in large corporations, and you go to work in a mom-and-pop business, you will have problems if you don’t adapt. That’s just common sense. Likewise, an organization takes on the personality of its leader. The leadership DNA of the Benfold changed during the course of Abrashoff’s command. He wanted to create an environment of empowerment where initiative and ownership were valued. People who demonstrated those characteristics were rewarded. And as long as Abrashoff was in command, the ship’s environment exhibited those characteristics. If you are a leader in the middle of an organization, assess your environment. Is it one that increases or decreases the Tension Challenge? Can you thrive in the kind of environment you’re in with the level of tension it presents?
Do the positive aspects of the organization outweigh the negative effects of the environment on you? An environment may be fine for one leader but not for another. Only you can make the assessment for yourself.
4. JOB PARAMETERS—HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW
*YOUR JOB AND HOW TO DO IT?*
Have you ever noticed the level of tension you experience when starting a new job? It’s pretty high, isn’t it? The less familiar the work, the greater the tension. If you don’t know how to do the job, you’re going to be stressed, even if you’re a fast learner and have a teachable attitude. Even after you know how to do the work, if you have no idea what others’ expectations are of you, you won’t be on solid ground.
Only when you really have a handle on your job and you are good at your work does it reduce the tension of being in the middle.
5. *APPRECIATION—CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT THE CREDIT?*
Someone once said, “What’s causing so much disharmony among the nations is the fact that some want to beat the big drum, few are willing to face the music, and none will play second *fiddle.*” The reality of leading from the middle of an organization is that you are not going to get as much public recognition and appreciation as leaders at the top. *That’s just the way it is. The greater your desire to receive credit and recognition, the more frustrated you are likely to become working in the middle of an organization.* You need to decide for yourself if you receive enough satisfaction to keep you going where you are.
*LEADERS NO ONE WANTS TO FOLLOW*
Few things can be more maddening to a good leader in the middle of an organization than working for an ineffective leader.
There are many different kinds of ineffective leaders, all of whom are frustrating to follow. Here are a few particularly difficult examples:
*THE INSECURE LEADER*
Insecure leaders think everything is about them, and as a result, every action, every piece of information, every decision is put through their filter of self-centeredness. When someone on their team performs exceptionally well, they fear being outshone, and they often try to keep him from rising up. When someone on their team does poorly, they react in anger because it makes themlook bad. Insecure leaders think everything is about them, and as a result, every action, every piece of information, every decision is put through their filter of self-centeredness. More than anything else, insecure leaders desire the status quo—for everyone but themselves. They are like the company president who is reported to have sent a memo to the personnel manager with the following message: “Search the organization for alert, aggressive young leaders capable of stepping into my shoes. And when you find them—fire them!” One friend I talked to while writing said that he once worked for a leader who had one basic leadership principle: keep everyone off balance.
If someone working for him started feeling a little too secure, he would “shake him up.” In an organization, security flows downward.
When leaders are insecure, they often project that insecurity down to the people below them. If you work for an insecure person, not only will you have to work to deflect that individual’s insecurity from yourself, but you will also have to work harder to “break the chain” and create security for the people who work for you. If you don’t, the people under your care will suffer.
*THE VISIONLESS LEADER*
Leaders who lack vision create two immediate problems for the people who work for them. First, they fail to provide direction or incentive to move forward. *The ancient Proverbs author wrote,* “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Why? Because they don’t go anywhere or do anything. And that’s no way to live. Second, people who lack vision almost always lack passion. They have no fire—and no fuel to keep themselves and their people going.
That doesn’t create the kind of positive environment that is exciting to work in.
The good news is that if you have vision when your leader does not, you can rely on your vision to create an environment of productivity and success for the people working within your area of responsibility. The bad news is that other people with a different vision—even a destructive one—may try to rush in and fill the void created by your leader.
You must beware of the conflict that can create.
*THE INCOMPETENT LEADER*
Incompetent leaders are ineffective, and they often stay that way. Poet and critic Samuel Johnson said,
“Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it most like it the least.” Incompetent leaders are trouble, not only for the people they lead, but also for their entire organization/Nation.
They are “lids” on the parts of the organization/Nation they lead. The Law of the Lid states in The 21 Irrefutable Laws Leadership,
“Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness.”
*THE SELFISH LEADER*
In The Circle of Innovation, author and business guru Tom
Peters writes: The selfish leader will attempt to lead others for their own gain and for the detriment of others. *Politicians* These people believe that life is a point driven, zero-sum game, with winners and losers. They encourage others to be losers in the game of life so that they can collect all the spoils for themselves.
This is the businesswoman who cheats suppliers in order to make her department look good in hopes of getting a raise. *Elections and Vote buying* 🤣 This is the father who selfishly motivates his son to excel in sports so that he might gain vicarious pleasure at his son’s expense.
A selfish leader advances at the expense of everyone around him or her.
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said that to be successful “you must be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.” “The selfish leader will attempt to lead others for their own gain and for the detriment of others.” —TOM PETERS
THE CHAMELEON LEADER
President Lyndon Baines Johnson used to tell the story of a young, unemployed schoolteacher who came to the Texas hill country during the Depression in search of a job.
When the local school board asked him whether the world was round or flat, the would-be teacher panicked, fearing a trap, and blurted out, “I can teach it both ways!” That’s the chameleon leader’s reaction when you try to pin him down.
When people follow a chameleon leader, they never know how he will react. As a result, valuable time and energy that could be used getting work done is often wasted in trying to predict and anticipate the leader’s next move.
THE POLITICAL LEADER
Similar to the chameleon leader are political leaders. Yes ooooo Lol
They can be just as difficult to pin down, but where emotional issues often fuel the chameleon leader’s problems, political leaders are motivated by the desire to get ahead. It’s hard to follow people whose decisions are based on political ambitions rather than the mission or the good of the organization.
They are like the mayor who was asked where he stood on a particular issue. He answered, “Well, some of my friends are for it. Some are against it. As for me, I’m for my friends.”
THE CONTROLLING LEADER
Have you ever worked for someone who wants to be in the middle of everything you do? Few things are more frustrating for a competent person. And few things are more irritating for a good leader. It’s difficult to generate momentum when the person you work for is continually interrupting your progress by micromanaging you. People who micromanage others are often driven by one of two things: the desire for perfection, which is unobtainable, or the belief that no one can do a job as well as they can, which really boils down to their thinking others’ contributions aren’t as valuable as their own.
Neither makes for positive working conditions for the people answering to them.
THE SOLUTION TO THE FRUSTRATION CHALLENGE: ADDING VALUE
A normal reaction to the Frustration Challenge is to fix or replace the leader you’re working for, but that is usually not an option for leaders in the middle of the pack. Besides, even if it were, it would be inappropriate. No matter what our circumstances, our greatest limitation isn’t the leader above us —it’s the spirit within us. Remember, your leadership is as much disposition as position.
The role of leaders in the middle of an organization—in nearly every circumstance—is to add value to the organization and to the leader. The only time that is not true is when the leader above you is unethical or criminal.
No matter what our circumstances, our greatest limitation isn’t the leader above us—it’s the spirit within us. What should you do when you find yourself following a leader who is ineffective? How do you add value in such circumstances? Most good leaders have had to ask themselves those questions at some time in their lives.
In fact, the stronger you are as a leader, the more likely you are to face a situation where you can lead more effectively than the person to whom you report.
It may not be easy, but it is possible to survive—and even flourish—in a situation like this.
Here is what I recommend
1. DEVELOP A SOLID RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LEADER
The first reaction to working for an ineffective leader is often to withdraw from him or her and build relational barriers. Fight that urge. If you make your leader your adversary, you will create a no-win situation. Instead, build a relational bridge. Try to get to know him, find common ground, and build a solid professional relationship. And in that process, reaffirm your commitment to the mission of the organization. Doing those things will put you on the same team.
2. IDENTIFY AND APPRECIATE YOUR LEADER’S STRENGTHS
Everybody has strengths—even an ineffective leader. Work to find them in the person you work for. Maybe it won’t be easy. Maybe his strengths aren’t qualities you value or admire. That doesn’t matter. Find them, and then think about how they might be assets to the organization.
3. COMMIT YOURSELF TO ADDING VALUE TO YOUR LEADER’S STRENGTHS
The pathway to success in your career lies in maximizing your strengths. That is also true for your leader. Once you have discerned what your leader’s strengths are and how those characteristics can be an asset to the organization, look for ways to help leverage those strengths.
4. GET PERMISSION TO DEVELOP A GAME PLAN TO COMPLEMENT YOUR LEADER’S WEAKNESSES
Besides leveraging your strengths, one of the other secrets to job success is to staff your weaknesses. As a leader, you would be wise to empower some people who work for you to fill in your talent gaps.
5. EXPOSE YOUR LEADER TO GOOD LEADERSHIP RESOURCES
If you are working to improve your leadership skills, then you’ve probably discovered many good leadership resources, such as books, CDs, or DVDs. Share those with your leader. Once again, the approach you take is very important. Rather than saying, “Boy, do you need this!” say something like, “I just got through with this book, and I thought you might enjoy it too.” Or if you find some kind of a connection or hook that you think might appeal to him, say, “I was reading this wonderful book, and I thought of you; the author and you have a similar background. I think you might like it.” And then give him a copy of his own. If that resource is well received, you might try following up with others.
PUBLICLY AFFIRM YOUR LEADER
Some people fear that if they say positive things about an ineffective leader they work for, they will be misleading others. Or they worry that others will think they have poor judgment. But other people are aware of an ineffective leader’s limitations, and as long as your affirmation is truthful and focuses on your leader’s strengths, it won’t reflect badly on you. In fact, it will engender others’ respect.
Your affirmation for your leader will help him develop confidence, not only in himself but also in you. It’s hard to find a downside to adding value to your leader and organization, especially if you maintain a long view. In time, people will recognize your talent.
You just can’t allow yourself to give in to the short-term frustration you feel. If you do find that the frustration is getting the better of you, it might be time to change jobs.
WHY LEADERS LIKE THE FRONT
There are advantages to being in front or on top of an organization. But the same things that can benefit leaders can also make leadership difficult. It is almost always a double edged sword, and anyone who sees only the positives without recognizing the negatives is either naive or inexperienced.
I think you will agree with my perspective as you read these observations about why leaders like to be out front.
1. *THE FRONT IS THE MOST RECOGNIZED POSITION FOR A LEADER*
Romanian essayist E. M. Cioran stated, “If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say, ‘I want to be praised.’” Isn’t that true? Everyone enjoys praise and recognition. And since leaders, who are usually most visible, often receive the credit when a job is well done, many people desire to become leaders.
“If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say, ‘I want to be praised.’” —E. M. CIORAN Recognition is a double-edged sword.
When things go wrong, the person recognized as responsible is also the leader. When the football team has a losing season, the quarterback gets the blame. When the baseball team keeps losing games, the manager gets fired.
When the big account doesn’t sign on with the company, the person who led the effort is held responsible. *Yes,* being in front can be good for your ego, but it can also cost you your job.
2. *THE VIEW IS BETTER FROM THE FRONT*
I once saw an interview that a newscaster conducted with an accomplished mountain climber. The journalist asked, “Why do you climb mountains? What is it that causes you to go through all the preparation, the training, the risk, and the pain?” The mountain climber looked at the newsman and said, “It’s obvious that you’ve never been to the top of a mountain.” Isn’t it true that the view from the top of a mountain is incredible? It’s thrilling.
The perspective is incredible. It must be even more exciting if it’s a peak that can only be reached by climbing. Tom Mullins, the former football coach I mentioned earlier who now leads a large organization in Palm Beach, Florida, said, “It’s often hard to read the scoreboard from the middle of the pack. It’s much easier to see it when you’re at the top othe organization.”
There is a perspective one has from the front (or top) of an organization that cannot be had from anywhere else. But I believe responsibility comes with that perspective. If you see problems that threaten to derail the organization, harm employees, or cheat customers, you have a responsibility to try to resolve them—no matter how messy, costly, or difficult it is.
Leaders at the front don’t have the freedom to neglect what their position allows them to see.
3. *LEADERS IN FRONT GET TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION*
When I first began leading, I thought that the leader in front could control many things in an organization. The longer I lead, the more I discover how little the leader controls. (The only people who have total control in their lives are those who don’t lead anything. They are accountable only to themselves, not others.)
Good leaders of organizations get to control mainly two things: direction and timing. Unfortunately, if they aren’t leading well and people aren’t following them, they can’t even control those two things.
4. *LEADERS CAN SET THE PACE*
Leaders love progress. It’s one of their primary motivations. That’s why explorer David Livingstone said, “I will go anywhere provided it is forward.” As a leader, you probably love moving forward, and the faster the better. But that also can work against you.
If you are running so far ahead that your people can’t follow, then your organization won’t succeed. Achievers often cross the finish line first, but leaders rarely do. A leader’s success comes from bringing others across the finish line with them.
In Winning with People, the *Patience Principle states that* the journey with others is slower than the journey alone. That why a wise saying goes *If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far go in team.*
As a leader, you may be able to model the behavior you desire in others, but you will not be able to go as quickly as you want. Too many people seem to share the attitude of humorous poet Ogden Nash, who wrote, “Progress might have been all right once, but it’s been going on entirely too long.” The only people who will fight for progress the way you do and move as quickly, will probably be other leaders.
5. *LEADERS ENJOY BEING IN ON THE ACTION*
Because leaders like to make things happen, they always enjoy being where the action is. But many times that is not at the top or in front of an organization. Major decisions are made in those places, but often the action really occurs in the middle.
NOTE: DON’T PROTECT YOUR TURF.
Politics is often about power. Political leaders protect whatever is theirs because they don’t want to lose power. If they lose power, then they might not win. And as I already mentioned, winning is their primary motivation. People who want to win at all costs fight and scrap to keep everything that belongs to them. *They fight for their budget.*
They fight for office space. They guard their ideas.
They hoard their supplies. If it belongs to them, they protect it.
*DON’T PRETEND YOU’RE PERFECT*
Nothing would get done at all if a man waited until he could do something so well that no one could find fault with it. —JOHN HENRY CARDINAL NEWMAN
man who had been suffering from constant headaches finally went to see his doctor. “I don’t know why I keep getting these terrible headaches,” he lamented.
“I don’t drink like so many other people do. I don’t smoke like so many other people do. I don’t run around at night like so many other people do. I don’t overeat like so many other people do. I don’t—” At this point, the doctor interrupted him. “Tell me,” the physician asked, “this pain you complain of, is it a sharp shooting pain?” “Yes,” the man answered. “And does it hurt here, here, and here?” the doctor asked indicating three places around his head. “Yes,” the man replied hopefully, “that’s it exactly.” Simple,” the doctor said, rendering his diagnosis. “Your problemis that you have your halo on too tight.” Many leaders are similar to the man in that joke. They try so hard to make others think they’re perfect that it about kills them. The problem, to quote Norman Cousins, longtime editor of the Saturday Review, is that “to talk about the need for perfection in man is to talk about the need for another species.”
*HOW TO BE “REAL” IN A COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT*
One of the worst things leaders can do is expend energy on trying to make others think they’re perfect.
That’s true whether the leader is CEO or functioning in the middle of the organization. It’s a crock. The closest to perfection people ever come is when they write their resumés. Since nobody is perfect —not you, not your peers, not your boss—we need to quit pretending.
People who are real, who are genuine concerning their weaknesses as well as their strengths, draw others to them. They engender trust. They are approachable. And they are a breath of fresh air in an environment where others are scrambling to reach the top by trying to look good.
1. ADMIT YOUR FAULTS
One misconceptions:
“A leader should never show weakness or fear. He should always be in control, in command. Otherwise his people lose confidence in him.” “I think you’re laboring under a false assumption,” I replied. “What’s that?” he said.
“You think your people don’t know your weaknesses,” I explained. “I’m not suggesting that you admit your faults to give your people information they don’t already have. I’m suggesting it because it lets them know that you know your faults.” The people who work alongside you know your weaknesses, faults, and blind spots. If you doubt that—and you have great courage—just ask them! When you get real and admit your shortcomings, what you’re doing is making yourself approachable and trustworthy. And when you make mistakes, admit them and quickly ask for forgiveness. Nothing is more disarming, and nothing does a better job of clearing the decks relationally.
2. ASK FOR ADVICE
It has been said that advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t. Isn’t that often the case? Some people won’t ask for advice when they don’t have an answer because they are afraid it will make them look bad; they only ask advice if they can’t make up their minds.
How much more quickly would people get things done if they asked for help when they needed it instead of trying to fake it until they make it?
3. WORRY LESS ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK
James C. Humes, in The Wit and Wisdom of Winston Churchill (Harper Perennial, 1994), told about an incident that occurred one day at the House of Commons. It is customary for members of parliament to expound, and then the prime minister is given an opportunity to respond to their comments. On this day, a member of the Socialist party railed against Prime Minister Churchill, pouring out abusive words against him. While the man spoke, Churchill remained impassive. He seemed almost bored. When the man was finished, Churchill rose and said, “If I valued the opinion of the honorable gentleman, I might get angry.” People who consider the opinions of others too much often perform too little. They get caught up in pleasing others I know, because I used to be a people pleaser. Early in my career I was often more worried about what others thought of me than I was about doing what I knew to be best. But in the end, each of us has to live with ourselves. It took me a while, but I finally grasped that knowing in my heart I did right was more important than pleasing or impressing others.
Failure is inevitable, so I might as well act in a way that allows me to sleep well at night. Besides, one of the nice things about being imperfect is the joy that it brings to others! One of the nice things about being imperfect is the joy that it brings to others! If you want to gain credibility with your peers, you’ve got to be yourself. If you’re genuine, will everyone like you? No.
But pretending to be something you’re not won’t make everyone like you either. It will actually make you less likable.
4. BE OPEN TO LEARNING FROM OTHERS
Have you ever met someone who felt compelled to play the expert all the time? Such people aren’t much fun to be around after a while, because the only input they seem open to is their own. And as the saying goes, people won’t go along with you unless they can get along with you. I love the way President Abraham Lincoln is said to have handled a person who had a know-it-all attitude. Lincoln asked, “How many legs will a sheep have if you call the tail a leg?” “Five,” the man answered. “No,” replied Lincoln, “he’ll still have four, because calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.” If you really desire others to see you as an approachable person, go a step beyond just willingness to admit your weaknesses.
Be willing to learn from them. One of the things I teach in Winning with People is the Learning Principle, which states, “Each person we meet has the potential to teach us something.” I really believe that. If you embrace that idea, I believe you will discover two things. First, you will learn a lot, because every time you meet someone, it is a learning opportunity. Second, people will warm up to you.
Complete strangers often treat me like an old friend, simply because I am open to them.
5. PUT AWAY PRIDE AND PRETENSE
Too often we think that if we can impress others, we will gain influence with them. We want to become others’ heroes—to be larger than life. That creates a problem because we’re real live human beings. People can see us for who we really are. If we make it our goal to impress them, we puff up our pride and end up being pretentious—and that turns people off. If you want to influence others, don’t try to impress them. Pride is really nothing more than a form of selfishness, and pretense is only a way to keep people at arm’s length so that they can’t see who you really are. Instead of impressing others, let themimpress you. It’s really a matter of attitude. The people with charisma, those who attract others to themselves, are individuals who focus on others, not themselves.
They ask questions of others. They listen. They don’t try to be the center of attention. And they never try to pretend they’re perfect.
Poet and Harvard professor Robert Hillyer said, *“Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world.* The best way is to forget doubts and set about the task
at hand . . . If you are doing your best, you will not have time to worry about failure.” That’s good advice.
If you always do your best, your peers will respect you. And if they respect you, they will listen to you and give you a chance. And that’s where leadership starts.
Thanks..........
God bless.
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