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What is your story of Leadership?
I've been playing with the idea of leadership recently and what it truly means to be a leader? I have struggled with this question possibly because I have seen too many leaders who use their position, use their ego or lack of ego to undermine, belittle and disempower others. Too often I have seen a lack of respect for others when leaders are in a privileged role. Fortuitously I attended the recent Myers Briggs (MBTI) personality type conference. There I heard Andrew Norton talk on leadership. Andrew has done a lot of research around what it means to be a good leader.
With some relief I now understand that leaders come from every corner of life, whether they head up the World Bank, are active in their own community or are leaders in their family unit. Leaders do not need to be powerful or have power. Leaders just need to have an urge to develop or change something. We are all leaders at some time or another. We might not identify it as such or name it as such.
So when do leadership traits first appear? Well sometimes very early on, perhaps at brownies, scouts, or playing a game of sport as a kid.
It’s only looking back we might see the first signs in ourselves. I bet parents often identify leadership traits or behaviours in their children.
We often rely on "experts" to tell us what the traits are of a good leader. There are loads of books on what it means to be a leader, people who write informatively, often only in theory, defining what is a successful leader. And this “science” of leadership seems to have large criteria around it. It’s such a big list that for Mr. and Ms average being a leader seems inaccessible for them. This large list makes people feel they don’t or can’t measure up to the criteria. The consequence of this is that people are afraid to put their hand up to contribute as they just don’t feel good enough.
Leaders often appear when there is a cause to step up to. A sense of frustration that something isn't being done. Many people in our communities are reluctant leaders - they are leaders but don't want to be labeled as such. Sometimes because they don't think they are and don't think they are a leader in the formal sense. But go to many clubs, churches, educational settings you will find many many leaders working hard, contributing and doing so often quietly but effectively. We have so many unsung leaders who just get on with the job of making things happen.
Sometimes in business we focus on the “results” of what a leader has achieved but leadership is so much more than that. Being a good leader needs to focus on the whole person not just what they produce or profit they can make for a company. Often it can be just having the right personality helping teams move forward and succeed – a leader saying the right words. Someone who can guide and nurture to ensure others are empowered and have the tools to be successful. We use words to describe leaders such as Focused, Charismatic, Driven, Lead from the front etc etc but shouldn’t character traits be just as important? For instance Kindness, Integrity, Caring, Cooperation?
I do like Andrew Norton’s definition of Leadership - Leadership is becoming who you are...
So what was your first experience of being a leader? What is your story of leadership? And what leadership traits do you wish to be known for?
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