One of the great traits of a leader is empowerment and identifying the talents of others. To only focus on what we have done as individuals and not looking at helping others in their career is selfish and short-sighted. There have been many associates I have worked with which I saw great potential in their abilities, including some that I knew would some day exceed mine.
Leadership is sometimes focused so much on the end result, they forget how important the steps are in getting there. It's like climbing a ladder and seeing the top as you rise, and loosing your footing because we didn't see the steps or identify where our feet need to go in the process. It is those steps that help us the next time we need to climb the ladder of success, and understanding the support and what it takes to lead to greatness. Management is helping others climb the wall of success. Leadership is making sure the ladder is on the right wall and is tall enough to reach the goal! This means making sure the people that help us have the talents and environment to help us reach the objective.
Everyone that knows me understands my passion for education and training, and always looking to develop our personal skills and those that I work with. This is only one of the rungs of the ladder to success. We first must identify team members and the potential they possess who will hold the ladder and provide stability in the work environment. Second, we must not be afraid to empower these future leaders, sometimes letting them learn from mistakes. One of our greatest national treasures was a man named Thomas A. Edison. He once said: “Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me
as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best
until I find the ones that don’t.”
No one reaches greatness alone. No great leader was successful without surrounding themselves with great people to work beside them as they work as a team, walk in front of them to sometimes shed light on alternative solutions, and behind them to support and at times encourage even the greatest leaders. No great leader neglected to identify and acknowledge the hard work and support of those that held the ladder.
