If you are in a management or leadership role which involves leading, motivating, and inspiring other people, then you are one of the privileged ones. The opportunity to lead others is one that is not given to too many people.
However, the leadership of others comes with a great deal of responsibility. As a leader, it’s no longer just about you.
What kind of a Leader are you? What kind of a leader would you like to be?
In my experience, the whole culture of the organization is established by the Leader. Like it or not, every staff member looks closely at how the Leadership team operates and then models that behavior. For the sake of the organization, you better hope that the behavior of the leadership team is worth replication. Too often the leadership team is not willing to take a good look in the mirror and analyze their own shortcomings, yet they are too quick to point out the faults to their team.
Think about your own approach to work, and see what example you are setting for others. The current generation of employees is not easily impressed by the “do as I say” approach. During the course of my work, I have had the opportunity of working with many CEOs, Entrepreneurs, and Managers as their Advisors and Consultant. In our discussions, I am often told about the staffing issues, the lack of responsibility amongst the staff, and the lack of professionalism and ownership. Usually, when I get more involved with an organization, it becomes apparent that the staff is simply following the lead of the senior management team. The leaders are not setting the right example or providing the right leadership for the team.
In order to become an effective leader, it’s essential to take a good look at yourself, identify your own weaknesses, and set the right example for your team.
Think about the following for a few minutes:
Do you feel you demonstrate strong values, ethical standards, and personal integrity?
| Do you possess empathy and self-awareness? |
| Do you nurture positive internal and external relationships and professional networks? |
| Do you empower people? |
| Is teaching, coaching and mentoring people a high priority for you? |
| Are you contributing to the development of a new generation of leaders in your organization? |
| Do you treat mistakes made by your staff as coaching opportunities? |
| Do you establish and support high quality work standards? |
| Are you able to handle stressful situations at work and resolve conflicts between team members effectively? |
| Do you have an entrepreneurial mind set? |
| Do you look for creative solutions to solve difficult problems within the organization? |
| Do you consider yourself to be customer focused? |
| Do you deliver value to stakeholders? |
The leadership of others is a privilege and one that should not be taken lightly, as you have the opportunity to add immense value to the professional lives of others. Long after these people have left you, they are likely to remember with great fondness all the good things that they were able to learn from you
