As human beings we are all different. While leadership has many basic characteristics, the combination and ability to use those characteristics makes leaders different. If I ask you what makes a great leader we often hear a variety of answers. You may think of someone that was open, decisive, strong, leads by example, ethical, able to gain respect, or a whole list of descriptions. Many times we look at qualities of leadership based on those we have worked with or maybe even a parent. Both of those examples have molded who I am today as a leader. In leading a leadership conference for a management company I ask the attendees who they admired and followed with the question, "why?" Many of them found it easy to identify who they admired as a leader, however, some struggled as to why they were thought of for leadership qualities. I also got quite a few that identified with historical leaders such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and even a few sports stars.
In my book "Finding the Leader in You" available on Amazon, I list a few of what I consider to be specific leadership characteristics essential to a leadership. This is not an all inclusive list, merely some of those qualities that I believe are the basis for creating an environment where others will want to follow. After all, that is the truest definition of leadership.
One aspect I have also presented is that a great leader needs to identify with their primary characteristics and just as important those traits we need to strengthen. Great leaders are not only always looking to develop others but also being open to themselves and always seeking to better oneself. One of the most difficult challenges is self reflection, as we are human and being objective about ourselves is not something we do well. As an example, how do you make your employees feel about you. You may feel you are great at leadership because your operation runs smoothly. The question you must ask is, is your operation running as efficient as possible. How your team feels about you is often how well they accept your leadership and perform. Remember, we always need to be looking at how we can improve. Just as time, teams, and practices change if we are going to evolve as both a team and an industry we must adapt. A great quote by a great author said this, "People won't always remember what you said and they won't always remember what you did. They will always remember how you made them feel." That author and poet was Maya Angelou and is very true. If you can find out how you make your team feel, you also in all probability can identify what what you are doing well and what you need to improve on.
As an example I remember one time the company made some operational changes we knew would be a hard pill for the employees to follow (you notice I did not say swallow as change should not be looked as something we force down our employees throats). A couple of days after the new process was incorporated I asked one of the managers about the change and did not just ask what they thought, but how they felt about the change. It opened up a whole new perspective on how the change was communicated as well as what their true concerns were and helped me formulate a strategy which included providing more details as to the why in addition to the what.
Developing ourselves and others are both important. Sometimes as we find ways to develop and improve ourselves, it also allows us to improve others without even knowing it.
Now go lead.
