Are You a Leader?
October 16, 2008
No, I didn’t ask you for your job title or position. I asked if you are a leader.
Just because a person has a title, doesn’t mean that they are truly a “leader”. Likewise, all leaders don’t necessarily have a leadership title or position. You can be a leader wherever you are and in whatever you do.
We each have opportunities to lead in our everyday life – despite our station in life, education level, position, years of experience, and yes, title. It’s really a matter of doing whatever we do with enthusiasm, energy, and pride. This is an approach that I personally adopted some time ago, and it is something that I am really passionate about.
Leadership guru, (and one of my favorite authors), John Maxwell, describes leadership as positive influence. I love this definition because I do believe that without influence, you won’t be much of a leader. A person can graduate from the top of the best business schools, solve technical problems like a wizard, reason circles around the best thinkers in the world, have years of technical and situational experience, and still be more likely to fail than succeed – unless, they have the appropriate people and social skills.
Are you a leader? A good measure of your leadership ability is to ask yourself this question: “If you had no title or ability to reward or penalize others, could you still get them to follow you?”
If you answered yes, then you are a leader! When you do your job, regardless of how menial or seemingly unimportant, with enthusiasm, energy, and pride, you are serving as a leader. When you go above and beyond what others might think is your job, you are a leader. When your daily actions and efforts have great positive impact on those around you, you are a leader.
Another question I like to use is, “Do you consistently do the right thing, even when no one is watching?” If you can answer yes, then you are a leader. One of my favorite quotes is from William Shakespeare: “To thine ownself be true.” This pretty much sums up the concept that to be a true leader, you must have integrity. If you have integrity, others will notice, trust you, and be inspired and influenced to behave the same way.
Even if you don’t currently have the title of “leader”, if you behave as a true leader would behave, you can improve your organization and your own career.
So what are some other characteristics of a true leader? Let me know what traits and behaviors top your list. Think of a great leader that you know. What words would you use to describe him/her?
Looking forward to hearing from you…
To your success,
Jennifer
Ledet Management Consulting
Grow Your People. Grow Your Business
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