Leadership is not a complicated premise, but certain attributes should be present if a leader is what you aspire to be. I have loosely defined leadership in previous blogs, but as a refresher…leadership is essentially guiding a group of people towards a defined goal. Pretty simple when you think about it, but we all know that there are good leaders as well as bad ones.
I like to break down my leadership beliefs into three catagories, Opportunity, Purpose, and Vision. Opportunity is something that can be given, but it is not always seized upon. Good leaders empower those around them and provide them with opportunities to succeed, learn, and ultimately lead on their own. It boils down to having faith in the other people trying to achieve that defined goal. It could be a work project, a team sport, or facing any challenge that needs to be overcome. Opportunity is a foundational bedrock of most things that we do in life. Some of them come to us by chance or luck, but a leader intentionally provides them. Some people are happy with the status quo, but others want to face the roadblocks and challenge themselves. Failure can be defined as the absence of trying…so give people the chance to try!!!
The leaders that are revered and often imitated not only explain the purpose of the goal, they provide those around them with a purpose to succeed. They allow people to think outside of the box, to feel important and worthy, and they stress how important they are to the team. We need to remember that the little things matter!!! Feeling appreciated and needed is so very important to us as humans. Your co-workers or teammates want to be seen and heard. Acknowledging their efforts goes a long ways towards reinforcing that feeling. I always used to introduce my co-workers as just that during meetings. There is a big difference between saying, “This is Joe, he works for me” and “This is Joe, he works with me”. It is a subtle difference, but so important in the long run. Little things such as this inspire loyalty, dedication, and hard work.
How can a goal be realized without a solid vision and path? Good leaders learn to work smarter and not harder. They clearly lay out their vision of where the team needs to go, and how they plan on getting there. Ideas should be welcome from all stakeholders, but the vision should be consistent and easy to understand. Most will not recognize the man in the photo included here, but that man was Jeremiah Denton. He was a senior ranking prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was subjected to torture and interrogation regularly during his almost 8 years as a POW. Denton laid out his vision for his fellow prisoner’s of war and it was simple yet succinct…Return With Honor. That was not an easy task, but his leadership, and that of others held in Hanoi allowed that exact thing to occur. When Denton was interviewed by a reporter while being held as a POW, he actually used Morse Code to blink the word TORTURE during the interview. It cost him personally, but he always put WE before ME as great leaders do.
Leadership is not complicated, but I also believe it is a dying breed in today’s society. Put your people and teammates first and they will rise to the occasion for you. Don’t look for recognition, but share it with others. Put some effort into absorbing the pain and sharing the glory and you’ll be surprised what is possible. Anything is within reach when you provide opportunity, purpose, and a vision that is easily understood and clear. So you want to be a leader…work at it. Always remember that your greatest assets are to your left and right, not looking back at you in a mirror.
