A Leadership Manifesto
/Leadership is a choice and it is rewarding if chosen for the right reasons. A leader seeking glory, fulfillment of self-interests, or a way to get others to do the things their way is short sighted and will not succeed.
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A Leadership Checklist
Whether you are a first time leader or one accepting the mantle again, there is a tendency to want "do it right." Yet despite what thousands of books on leadership suggest, you cannot checklist your way to leadership. Studies have gleaned qualities and competencies common to impactful leaders but that’s where the similarities end.
How the qualities and competencies are applied in day-to-day situations individual and unique. There isn't a prescribed right way to do leadership but there are principles successful leaders espouse. And here's the thing, the ways leaders apply these principles are as varied as the numbers of leaders themselves. People are unique. Leadership experiences are too.
Grow up and Lead
Leadership is not easy. In order to inspire others, leaders need to be inspired themselves. Leaders bring out the others but first you have to acknowledge the best in yourself. The challenges a leader faces are endless: unmotivated workers, disconnected systems, unsupportive management and unyielding family members.
For leaders to effectively lead, only one thing remains.
The Heart and Wisdom of a Leader
The line from the song by REO Speedwagon comes to mind when I think of leaders who want to throw in the towel, “I just can’t fight the feeling anymore, I forgot what I was fighting for.” They’ve forgotten why they’ve chosen to lead or they’ve lost themselves in the process. It’s up to us to help them remember.
What is your reason for leading, today and in the future?
