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Issue # 58: September 22, 2006
To our readers:
Leaders are among us. Who are they? They aren’t just the CEOs, board chairs, and presidents of organizations. In fact, they may not even be in management. They are visionaries with high values who have the ability to persuade, teach, mentor, coach, and move people to their highest levels of performance. They are those among us who have the respect of their peers regardless of position or job title. Perhaps you are one of these untitled leaders. If you aren’t, you can work to join their ranks by emulating their traits, five of which follow.
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1. Improve your character.
The essence of leadership is character. This includes integrity and honesty. A leader must have the respect of those he or she works with, which is easier to accomplish when those others can admire the leader as a trustworthy, hard-working person. Character is the backbone of every great leader. You, minus all of your possessions, equal character.
2. Don’t try to do it alone. If you do, who are you leading?
Leaders realize they can’t do everything and that it’s counterproductive to try to. A leader recognizes the abilities of others and works to enable them to use their abilities to accomplish the goals of the organization. And leaders don’t worry about claiming the credit. They build strong, loyal relationships with their co-workers, employees, and bosses. They make others, at every level, feel important. A great leader finds no glory in being the first up the hill, but revels in the glory that comes from the whole team’s reaching the summit and returning together to camp to plan the victory celebration.
3. Take responsibility for what happens on your watch.
Great leaders know they are responsible for everything that those who follow them do, or fail to do. Like Harry Truman, they have a “the buck stops here” attitude, which is expressed in their refusal to make excuses or to hide behind the mistakes of others.
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Great leaders take responsibility for finding out what went wrong, fixing it, and making sure it doesn’t go wrong again. Great leaders know who messed up, but they don’t have to broadcast the names of the guilty parties, just the plan for cleaning up the mess.
4. Solve problems before they mushroom.
Great leaders have the ability to recognize problems before they become emergencies. They observe, process their observations, and move forward without procrastination. They are compelled to take action. They aren’t satisfied with sitting around and waiting to see what happens. In any organization there will always be fires to put out. The best leaders not only put them out, they learn from them. To a leader, a problem is not a disaster, it’s a learning opportunity.
5. Learn every day.
A leader never passes up the opportunity to learn. Leaders learn from those they work with, from industry experts, non-industry experts, seminars, books, articles . . . and the list goes on. Leaders tap into all available sources of ideas, knowledge, information, and innovation.
For other guidance on becoming a better leader, read biographies about great leaders and books by great leaders. The more you read, the more you’ll soak up what it takes to lead.
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