Monday; August 27
In one way or another I
have been involved in leadership for the last several decades. I would like to think that I am getting
better at it, but sometimes I wonder if I am making much progress. The other day I sat down and thought about
some of the things that I have learned through the years – in particular those
things that tend to diminish my ability to lead. Here are a few things I need to make sure I
am doing:
1). Listening: Maybe the
thing that is most misunderstood about leadership is that effective leaders
tell people what they need do. In all
honesty, my best times in leadership have been when I am willing to listen to
people. Sometimes, what people need the
most is just someone to listen to them and acknowledge them for where they are and
who they are.
2). Communicating:
Leaders tend to have more trouble when we don’t say anything than when we
are transparent. People are much more
willing to give us the benefit of the doubt (and forgive our mistakes) when we
include them in our discussion.
3). Building Trust: It
would be nice if we could require that people trust us, but the truth of the
matter is that trust is something that must be earned. Leaders don’t get to determine whether they
are trustworthy, that comes from those being led. We develop trust when we make wise decisions
and do what we say we are going to do.
4. Practicing Patience:
Leaders are supposed to be out in front – forward-thinking and ready for
the future. There is going be some
lag-time between where we are and an acceptance by the rest of the group. We must never give up our hope and our
momentum, but we might need to be willing to wait for others to catch up to us.
I appreciate leaders
and leadership. Let’s not give up moving
forward and doing good things.
Think
About It!